archivistiques

Archivistics, or archival science, is the discipline that studies the creation, management, preservation, and use of archives and records. It addresses how documents are born, organized, described, stored, and accessed, with the aim of facilitating accountability, research, and cultural memory in both public and private sectors. The field spans physical and digital materials and covers institutions ranging from government agencies to corporations and private collections.

Core activities include appraisal and acquisition, where records are evaluated for retention; arrangement and description, which capture provenance and context; preservation and conservation to extend the life of materials; access and reference services; and digital preservation and digitization to ensure long-term usability of born-digital materials.

Foundational concepts include provenance (respect for the origin and original order of records), the fonds concept, and the study of metadata and descriptions. Professional practice commonly employs standards such as ISAD(G) for general descriptions, ISAAR(CPF) for identifying entities, and DACS or RAD for archival description, with metadata schemes like Dublin Core in digital repositories.

Education and professional life: archivists are trained through degree programs in archival science, information science, or library and information science, often with specialization in archives. Professional associations, including the International Council on Archives and national bodies, provide ethics, guidelines, and certification, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field which overlaps with records management and information governance.

Challenges facing archivistics include balancing public access with privacy and copyright constraints, funding constraints, and the preservation of born-digital records amid rapid technological change. The discipline continually adapts to new formats, legal frameworks, and evolving user needs, aiming to safeguard documentary heritage for future generations.