Understanding the Differences between Libraries and Archives

A library is a collection or group of collections of books, and/or other print or non-print materials, organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study, research, etc.). The term also refers to the room, building, or facility that houses such a collection. Libraries collect and provide access to published materials in order to disseminate information, promote scholarship, and provide entertainment.

An archive is a collection of records created or received by a person, family, or organization, and preserved because of their continuing value. The term also refers to the place or repository that collects these records. Archives collect and provide access to unpublished materials in order to preserve institutional and cultural memory, and to ensure government accountability.

Acquisition of Collections

Library materials are usually acquired through publishers or vendors. While most materials are purchased, libraries may also receive gifts from private donors. Library materials are usually selected by subject specialists (most often librarians), according to the library’s mission, collection policies, and institutional mandates.

Archival materials are usually acquired directly from the creator of the material, their descendants, or from a collector. In most cases, materials are donated or transferred to an archival repository, rather than purchased. Archivists select, or “appraise,” materials to be acquired according to archives acquisition policies, institutional mandates, or laws and regulations.

Types and Organization of Collections

Library collections consist of mostly published materials, in both analog and digital formats (e.g., books, journals, magazines, etc.), that are often available elsewhere. Librarians organize library materials according to subject classification.

Library shelves filled with books and other published resources.

Library Shelves

Homepage for the digital journal, "Science Magazine."

Digital Journal

Archival collections consist of groups of mostly unpublished materials (e.g., letters, manuscripts, meeting minutes, reports, posters, scrapbooks, etc.) that are usually rare or unique, and not available anywhere else. Archivists organize archival materials according to the principles of provenance and original order, so that the context in which the materials were created will be retained. As such, archival materials are not organized by subject, but are instead maintained as one collection or record series, as they were received from the donor. By the same token, archivists try to retain the organization of the materials as imposed by their creator, to the furthest extent possible.

Archives shelves filled with archival boxes of largely unpublished, manuscript materials.

Archives Shelves

An open archival box filled with folders, and an open folder filled with manuscript materials, set out on a table.

Archival Box and Folders

Description of Collections

Library materials are described on an individual level (e.g., catalog record for a single book, etc.), and every item has a catalog record. Descriptions of individual items are not linked together unless they form a series of items. Library catalog records contain subject headings to increase accessibility to the items that they describe.

A library catalog record for the publication, "Case Western Reserve: a history of the University, 1826-1976."

Example of a library catalog record

Archival materials are described on a number of different levels within a collection or record series. Almost all collections have at least a collection or record series-level description. Most collections are described down to the folder-level, but rarely to the item-level. Descriptions can be brief or in-depth. Each level of description for a single archival collection or record series is linked together in the finding aid. Finding aids may be aggregated into discovery tools such as ArchivesSpace or OhioLINK, and usually contain subject headings, geographic headings, and personal or corporate body names for the creators of the archival materials, in order to increase their accessibility.

An archival finding aid record for the "Cleveland Play House Archive."

Example of an archival finding aid record

The ArchivesSpace Public Interface, used to search Special Collections archives and manuscripts at Kelvin Smith Library.

ArchivesSpace – search Kelvin Smith Library University Archives and Special Collections

Access to Collections

Most library materials circulate, or can be accessed online. Patrons are usually free to browse the shelves and retrieve materials themselves. Since most library materials are published, there is not a concern that they may contain restricted information. Although most library materials are often available elsewhere, they should still be handled with care.

Archival materials do not circulate, and physical materials must be accessed on site in an archival repository. While access to the shelves is restricted to employees, most repositories have reading rooms where researchers can view archival materials upon request.

While archivists are continually working to digitize and make available as much material as possible (including born-digital materials), only a small portion of materials are available online. Access to certain information contained in archival materials may be restricted due to various laws, regulations, or policies.

Archival materials should always be handled with caution, especially since they are almost always unique materials that are irreplaceable. Most repositories have policies regarding the handling of materials that researchers must follow.

Aeon homepage used for requesting materials and making reservations to visit Special Collections.

Aeon – online requesting and reservation system for Special Collections in Kelvin Smith Library