Abstract

This new and extensively revised second edition offers an international perspective on archives management, providing authoritative guidance relevant to collections-based repositories and to organizations responsible for managing their own institutional archives.  
Written in clear language with lively examples, Archives: Principles and practices introduces core archival concepts, explains best-practice approaches and discusses the central activities that archivists need to know to ensure the documentary materials in their charge are cared for as effectively as possible.
Topics addressed include:

• core archival principles and concepts
• archival history and the evolution of archival theories
• the nature and diversity of archival materials and institutions
• the responsibilities and duties of the archivist
• issues in the management of archival institutions
• the challenges of balancing access and privacy in archival service
• best practice principles and strategic approaches to central archival tasks such as acquisition, preservation, reference and access
• detailed comparison of custodial, fonds-oriented approaches and post-custodial, functional approaches to arrangement and description.

Discussion of digital archives is woven throughout the book, including consideration of the changing role of the archivist in the digital age.
In recasting her book to address the impact of digital technologies on records and archives, Millar offers us an archival manual for the twenty-first century.
This book will be essential reading for archival practitioners, archival studies students and professors, librarians, museum curators, local authorities, small governments, public libraries, community museums, corporations, associations and other agencies with archival responsibility.
"Laura Millar's writing style is readable and engaging. She has a gift for vivid imagery and topical example, which help illuminate the concepts discussed...All in all, this book is comprehensive and thought provoking. Laura Millar has succeeded in her objective of straddling cultures and theories, and there is much here that will be useful in assisting archivists to develop practice appropriate to their own situation."
Archifacts
"Archives: Principles and practices is a different kind of archives manual. In this book, celebrated archival theorist and consultant Laura Millar invites archivists to remember their profession as one built on common sense. Using the analogy of cooking, Millar touts Archives: Principles and practices as less of a recipe book and more as a book of culinary practice that provides a foundation of knowledge about food: if you understand how yeast and gluten interact to make bread, you are better equipped to be successful in bread making than you would relying solely on a recipe. Similarly, if you have an understanding of the fundamental concepts of archival science, you will be more equipped to make decisions that fit a given situation."
Partnership
"Amid cost cutting, as more and more information professionals are expected to develop record management skills, the book is a treasure to learn good principles and practices for archives-keeping. As for seasoned professionals, it still is a keeper because it provides a whole new perspective and makes them view records management in a new light."
Information World Review
An absolutely indispensable instructional guide and manual, Archives: Principles and Practices is unreservedly recommended for community, academic, governmental, and corporate Library Science collections and supplemental studies lists.

- Midwest Book Review
Laura A. Millar is an independent consultant in the fields of records, archives and information management, publishing and education. She has taught records, archives and information management courses in universities and colleges in Canada and internationally and is the author of dozens of books and articles on a range of topics. In 2010, the first edition of Archives: Principles and practices was awarded the prestigious Waldo Gifford Leland Award from the Society of American Archivists in recognition of its ‘superior excellence and usefulness in the fields of archival history, theory, or practice.’
"...an excellent guide to principles and practices for archive management around the globe."
Library Review
"...an excellent guide to archives management for all those who work in and with archives - it will also serve as an indispensable student textbook for many years to come."
Business Archives
This new and extensively revised second edition offers an international perspective on archives management, providing authoritative guidance relevant to collections-based repositories and to organizations responsible for managing their own institutional archives. Written in clear language with lively examples, Archives: Principles and practices introduces core archival concepts, explains best-practice approaches and discusses the central activities that archivists need to know to ensure the documentary materials in their charge are cared for as effectively as possible. Topics addressed include, core archival principles and concepts; archival history and the evolution of archival theories the nature and diversity of archival materials and institutions; the responsibilities and duties of the archivist; issues in the management of archival institutions; the challenges of balancing access and privacy in archival service best practice principles and strategic approaches to central archival tasks such as acquisition, preservation, reference and access; detailed comparison of custodial, fonds-oriented approaches and post-custodial, functional approaches to arrangement and description. Discussion of digital archives is woven throughout the book, including consideration of the changing role of the archivist in the digital age. In recasting her book to address the impact of digital technologies on records and archives, Millar offers us an archival manual for the twenty-first century. This book will be essential reading for archival practitioners, archival studies students and professors, librarians, museum curators, local authorities, small governments, public libraries, community museums, corporations, associations and other agencies with archival responsibility.
Archives is divided into theoretical and operational sections. Millar ably tackles topics such as the concept, nature, history, acquisition, preservation, and future of archives. Including a helpful list of resources for further reading and a glossary of archive-related terms, this is a well-rounded book. Infused with the right amount of humor, Millar has authored a highly readable text for those interested in an overview of the world of archives.

Jim Frutchey
Booklist