Navigating Through the Depths: A Guide to Archival Discovery!
Archives are treasure troves of historical documents, materials, and items that transport researchers to another time, offering a window into the past that can help contextualize a topic, explore unknown tangents, or simply provide a source of fascination.
The pandemic has disrupted much of the on-the-ground work historians do in libraries across the country. Yet, the thirst for knowledge remains unquenched. For a historian working on a junior paper exploring a consumer's perspective on post-war nylon riots (1945-46), the challenge was to delve deeper into their research.
The historian turned to online newspaper archives to gather sources for the paper. However, they felt they weren't going deep enough and wanted to find thoughts on the riot outside of the newspaper databases. This led them to the University of Pittsburgh Archives and Special Collections and the Senator John H. Heinz History Center Detre Library and Archives in Pittsburgh, PA.
To identify the right archive, it's important to consider the geographic scope and nature of the research. Start by defining clear search keywords related to your subject and the geographic area of interest. For instance, for the nylon riots, keywords might include 'consumer protests', 'post-war', and 'Pittsburgh'.
Finding aids in archives are tools that describe the basic metadata of an item, such as the Women's Fortnightly Review of Mt. Lebanon from the Detre Library. By reading a finding aid, you can gain information about the content and organization of the material. The "Collection Inventory" section of a finding aid breaks down what items can be found in what boxes and folders.
Because archival materials can be diverse and not always fully digitized or keyword-searchable, initial broad browsing is useful to get a sense of the collection before narrowing your search with more specific terms. Look for archives or data repositories that specialize in your topic’s geographic region, which improves relevance and contextual depth.
Many archives provide online search interfaces but vary in features, so familiarize yourself with each archive’s search tools and constraints. Consulting secondary literature before delving into archives can also help identify key archives and collections cited by other researchers in your field.
Building a relationship with librarians can be beneficial as they may be scanning your work or fetching your items. They can help you understand how the archive is organized and find materials relevant to your work.
In summary, to identify relevant archives for research based on your topic and geographic scope, start by defining clear search keywords related to your subject and the geographic area of interest. Use finding aids and guides provided by archives to explore collections. Start with broad searches or browsing, then refine with additional keywords (subject, location, date, creator). Identify archives with specific geographic or topical focus. Review secondary sources to find archives referenced by other researchers. Use institutional repositories or databases to find research data related to your topic and area. This approach balances precise searching with flexibility needed for archival research, maximizing discovery of relevant primary source materials.
The historian, seeking to supplement their online research on a junior paper about consumer's perspective on post-war nylon riots (1945-46), considered the University of Pittsburgh Archives and Special Collections and the Senator John H. Heinz History Center Detre Library and Archives in Pittsburgh, PA as potential sources for additional learning and insights on the topic. To enhance their search within these archives, they planned to utilize finding aids to get a comprehensive understanding of the content and organization of the collection, thereby facilitating their education-and-self-development. In their continued learning process, they realized the value of not only keyword searches but also initial broad browsing to grasp the scope of available materials, especially since some archival materials may be diverse, not fully digitized or keyword-searchable.
