What are Archival Records?

Archival records are materials produced and received by an organisation or person that are kept as evidence either for legal requirements or in the transaction of business. 

Archival records that are kept can consist of:

• writing, or
• marks, figures, symbols or perforations, or
• sounds, images or writings, or
• maps, plans, drawings or photographs.

Records have a multiplicity of formats. The College Archives contains:

• Manuscripts - letters and diaries, and
• Print publications - books and newsletters, and
• Ephemera - posters and pamphlets, and
• Images - video recordings and photographs, and
• Audio recordings - music and oral histories, and
• Artefacts - trophies and banners.

These records are kept for diverse reasons:

• Personal - newsletters and yearbooks, and
• Social - minutes of meetings, and
• Economic - loan records and pay records, and
• Legal - property records and class rolls, and
• Instrumental - architectural plans, and
• Symbolic - banners, icons and uniforms.

Records have meaning when they tell content (what), structure (how) and context (who, when, where and why); and when they are static, unique and authentic. 

The St Ursula's College Archives are a vital necessity to find proof, for research and to remember.

College records are kept if they have value to the College for administrative, legal or fiscal purposes, or value to other users in documenting the history of the College, its structure and functioning, or in providing research material on persons, places or subjects.