Finding Aid Essentials
What is a Finding Aid?
- A finding aid is like a map to a collection. It answers the who/what/where/when/why questions about a collection. It also acts as a guide, showing you the boxes and folders you will need to look through in order to find the document for which you are searching.
- An example of a finding aid for a collection held at the Adelphi Special Collections is the William Hone Manuscript Collection.
- Not all institutions finding aids will look the same, but there are several key elements you should pay attention to on every finding aid
- Biographical/Historical Note: gives you background info about who created the collection
- Scope and Content Note: tells you what kinds of materials you might find in the collection
- Container/Box List: tells you where things are in the collection
- Index Terms or Subject Headings: provide words to use to find similar collections
- When communicating with an archivist about a collection you want to see, you’ll want to reference the title of the collection, the collection’s call number (sometimes called collection number), and - if possible - the number of the box you want to see.
- Be specific about the subject you are searching for. For example instead of asking what is the early history of The Adelphi School of Public Health and Nursing ask what was the curriculum developed by the Adelphi Nursing Cadet Core Program established in response to the need for nurses during WWII.
More about Finding Aids and Using Them
A Finding Aid is basically a guide which helps you navigate through an Archival Collection. It is comprised of many elements. However, there are four main elements.
An example of a finding aid for a collection held at the Adelphi Special Collections is the William Hone Manuscript Collection
- Biographical/ Historical Note (who or what entity created the collection)
- Scope and Content Note (the extent of the materials in the collection)
- Container/ Box list (the location of the folders, items, media)
- Index Terms or Subject Headings (key words which could be helpful when searching other collections).
You will have to provide the title of the collection and when possible the number of the box and folder.
Finding Other Archives' Collections:
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There are databases to help you find other archival repositories and collections that might match your research question. To start, try ArchiveGrid and you can also try WorldCat and Google.
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Talk with an archivist! Archivists have knowledge about the landscape of institutional collecting and can point you in a good direction.
- When communicating with an archivist about a collection you want to see, you’ll want to reference the title of the collection, the collection’s call number (sometimes called collection number), and - if possible - the number of the box you want to see.
- Be specific about the subject you are searching for. For example instead of asking what is the early history of Adelphi's School of Public Health and Nursing, ask what was the curriculum developed by the Adelphi Nursing Cadet Core Program established in response to the need for nurses during WWII.
Interpretation of Finding Aids
Finally, you’ll want to interpret your findings. Ask yourself what is the context in which these manuscripts etc. were created? What are the relationships within the collection or perhaps among several collections? How can I use these primary sources, photographs, manuscripts etc. in my scholarly work and or perhaps in exhibits? Be mindful of copyright regulations. Where repositories may have authority to allow use of some materials and some reproductions, this is not true for all materials found in the archives. There are also rules for fair use.