Various institutions all over the world--including libraries, museums, universities, historical societies, and many others--contain ARCHIVES managed by ARCHIVISTS. But what are archives? The short videos below have been produced by a variety of international institutions to introduce you to their archives. As you watch them, answer the following questions in as many ways as you can to prepare for further discussion and exploration of archives. (You may want to watch the videos multiple times.)

• What is an archive?
• What kinds of materials are contained in an archive?
• What kinds of information might we learn from studying the materials in an archive?
• Who might find archives useful?
• What might be the limitations of studying the past using archival materials?