Finding aids or archival descriptions help you find materials in a fonds.        

Archival descriptions:

• can exist for all  levels in a fonds

• provide the context in which records were made and used

• begin by describing  the fonds as a whole and then moves to the smaller groupings (series, file, item).  

You will use the fonds level description to begin your research.  It is the broadest level of description (as pictured here) and gives you an overview of what you will find.                             

Certain fields can help you figure out whether a fonds is related to your research.  The following will tell you how. 

Most institutions make fonds level descriptions available  online.   If you want to more about a fonds after having read the description, contact that institution. 

Once you are able to read a fonds level archival description, read on to learn how to find the correct archival institution.

Scope and Content

Notes