As a part of Ms. Rose’s 1102 class I have been introduced to Archives, Archival research and metadata. An Archive is “a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.” (Dictionary.com) Archives are a great resource and gives access to a wide variety of sources and knowledge a basic google search could not produce. Archival research is necessary to create credible, organized and comprehensive literary work. Archival research is “research involving primary sources held in an archive, a Special Collections library, or other repository.” (Georgia State University Library) This kind of research allows researcher to have a more hands on approach. Archives contain books, clothing, newspaper clippings, posters, oral histories and much more.

Archives have a lot of information from multiple sources, which is why it is important to question your sources. Questioning your sources has many benefits that will help researchers further understand their research. One benefit is that you will be able to see if the source is credible. You will be able to see whether the source is reliable or not based on connections and relations to the artifacts. Another benefit of questioning a source is it could lead researchers to finding other related pieces. Questioning the source can also help see which pieces are relevant. You may be able to find the time period, culture of location that artifact is from and gives you a better overall understanding of the object.

A valuable tool that will make research so much easier is called Metadata. Metadata is data that summarizes the information you are looking at. The most basic metadata will show information including publisher/author, date, date published and more. Metadata will help you find more objects and texts that connect to your artifact. Therefore, furthering your understanding and opportunity to learn more about your objects.