arhiiviuuringud

Arhiiviuuringud (archival research) is a scholarly method of studying archived records to answer questions about history and society. It relies on primary sources preserved in public and private archives and often involves critical analysis and contextualization.

Sources include manuscripts, letters, diaries, official records, photographs, maps, audio and video recordings, architectural plans, and digital materials. Archives may be state, municipal, church, corporate, or private collections, organized by provenance.

Key concepts: provenance (respect for fonds), original order, finding aids, inventories and catalogs. Methods include planning a search, evaluating sources for authenticity and bias, cross-referencing with secondary literature, and constructing a narrative supported by evidence.

Access and ethics: researchers must respect access policies, copyright, privacy restrictions, and sensitive information. Ethical use includes accurate attribution, guarding personal data, and acknowledging gaps or limitations in the sources.

Digital era: digitization, online catalogs, digitized collections, and digital preservation influence arhiiviuuringud. Researchers increasingly combine archival work with computational methods, oral history, and data-intensive analysis.