Conclusion

Congratulations! You have completed the Archival research tutorial. We've discussed quite a lot of material in this short tutorial.

How to chose and focus your topic

	choose your topic
	focus and define your topic - ask questions: Who, What, Where, When
	create a work plan and confirm your assignment due date
	take into consideration the length of your assignment

How to do background research

	use reference materials
	study the footnotes and bibliographies of the reference sources
	to find books on your topic, do a keyword search in your library catalogue
	search for articles in a journal index or database
	speak with a reference librarian, professor, TA or scholar

The differences between libraries and archives

Key idea: Archives contain records, not books

Some basic facts about archives

	Overview of the brief history of archives
	Definition of fonds
	Discussion of archival principles: provenance and original order

How to read a finding aid

	Discussion of the 4 section of a finding aid:
		1. Introduction
		2. Title, dates, extent
		3. Biographical sketch/ administrative history
		4. Scope and content notes

How to find an archives

	Canada's Total Archives tradition
	Links to searching tools created by Canadian archival institutions

What to expect when you visit the archives

	Closed stacks
	Registration
	Care and handling of materials
	Timing

Overview of policies such as photocopying and copyright

We hope that you now have the tools and information you need to feel comfortable finding, using and understanding archival records and collections. Here's a checklist to use to help keep you on track.

If you have any questions left unanswered, please feel free to contact staff at Rare Books and Special Collections at 604-822-2521.

Created May 2006
Credits and Acknowledgements
Best viewed in Microsoft Internet Explorer

Last modified: Jul 12, 07

The University of British Columbia

Conclusion