Performing Archival Research

The word archive/s has several different meanings: 

• An archive can refer to a collection of records (such as letters, reports, written works, photographs, videos, databases, and more) created by people and organizations as they lived and worked. These records have been intentionally preserved based on their perceived historical value. Archives are typically formed of primary sources. 
• An Archives (with a capital ‘A’) is an organization specifically dedicated to preserving these records (i.e. The Pratt Institute Archives).
• The word archives can also refer to the physical building where archival materials are kept. 
• To archive is the act of preserving and processing these records to make them available to researchers, opening up avenues for story-telling, narratives, and discoveries to unfold. 

Adapted from NYPL and SAA's "What Are Archives?"

Different archives have different collecting focuses. The materials in each type of archive will vary based on what histories they are seeking to preserve. You can find archives at colleges and universities, government offices, museums, historical societies, artist foundations, corporations, and religious institutions. There are also community archives which are formed by a group of people united by their shared experiences, interests, and/or identities who are seeking to preserve and tell their stories. 

The Pratt Institute Archives is an institutional archive, meaning our mission is to collect, preserve, and provide access to materials specifically related to the history of the Institute and its community members. Our materials include administrative records produced by departments and schools of the Institute, faculty and alumni papers, and other records created by Pratt-affiliated organizations. We also have some early materials from the Pratt family, but our primary collecting focus is on their involvement with the school’s activity rather than their individual biographies. You can read more about our specific collections on our Collections page. 

Note: While student materials appear in many of our collections, we do not collect official student records. Researchers interested in transcripts should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Examples of Other Types of Archives

Government or National Archives
NYC Municipal Archives
New York State Archives

Historical Societies
Weeksville Heritage Center
Center for Brooklyn History
Costume Society of America

Museum Archives
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Brooklyn Museum Archives

Corporate Archives
Federal Reserve Bank of NY
Vogue Archives
Campbell Soup Company Archives

Religious Archives
Trinity Church Wall Street
United Methodist Archives

Personal Papers and Artist Archives
The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Willi Smith Archive
Leo Baeck Institute

Community Archives
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Interference Archive
SF Gay History

Feeling confused by all this terminology? There is a lot of jargon used in the field of archival work, and it takes some time to understand the language. We suggest consulting the Society of American Archivists' (SAA) Dictionary of Archival Terminology when you come across a term you don’t understand.