Library Guides: LGBT Sources in the Louisiana Research Collection: What are Archives?

What are Archives?

Archives are the non-current records of individuals, groups, and institutions that contain information of enduring value. Archival collections can be navigated using finding aids, which are documents providing descriptions of archival records that assist researchers in understanding and gaining access to the materials. Most, but not all, of our finding aids are available online though our finding aid database

Archival Research

Planning ahead is crucial for conducting research in the archives. Consider these tips to make your visit to the archive successful.

Archival Research Tutorial - York University
Although geared toward researchers at the Archives and Special Collections at York University, this step-by-step guide to archival research is great for any location.
A Survival Guide to Archival Research
Some helpful tips for surviving your archival experience, published in the December 2004 edition of Perspectives, from the American Historical Association.

The Allure of the Archives by Arlette Farge
Call Number: CD953 .F3713 2013
ISBN: 9780300176735
Publication Date: 2013
At once a practical guide to research methodology and an elegant literary reflection on the challenges of writing history, this uniquely rich volume demonstrates how surrendering to the archive's allure can forever change how we understand the past. Arlette Farge's Le Goût de l'archive is widely regarded as a historiographical classic.