In the course of daily life, individuals and organizations create and keep information about their personal and business activities. Archivists identify and preserve the portions of this recorded information that have lasting value.
These records -- and the places they are kept -- are called "archives." Archival records take many forms, including correspondence, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and sound recordings. These records are considered primary sources (resources that are of a specific era/time frame, not about that era/time frame)
