Archivi

Archivi are repositories that preserve records of enduring historical, administrative, legal, or cultural value and provide access to researchers and the public. They may be national or public archives, university archives, corporate archives, religious archives, or private archives. Archivi differ from libraries and museums in focusing on primary records and their original context rather than published works or artifacts alone.

Archival work follows the principle of provenance and original order. Materials are grouped into fonds reflecting their creator, then arranged and described using finding aids. Descriptive standards such as ISAD(G) guide archival description, and ISAAR(CPF) supports authority information for corporate bodies, persons, and families. Encoded finding aids and catalogs often use standards such as EAD or METS to facilitate access.

Key activities include appraisal and accessioning to determine value and add to holdings; processing to organize and describe; preservation and conservation to extend usability; and digitization where appropriate. Public access, research services, and outreach are central functions, though access may be restricted by copyright, privacy laws, or reference policies.

Digital archives address electronic records, with preservation strategies that include bit preservation, format migration, regular backups, and migration planning. Adherence to frameworks like the OAIS reference model helps ensure long-term accessibility and understandability of digital materials.

Archivi play a crucial role in governance, accountability, scholarship, and cultural memory. Core concepts include provenance (respect for the creator’s original context), original order, and finding aids that enable researchers to locate relevant material. While the term archivi is Italian for archives, the underlying principles are shared across archival traditions worldwide.