what are archives?

‘Archive’: A collection of (especially) public or corporate documents or records. French Archives, Latin Archivia or Greek Arkheia: ‘public records’; derived from Greek Arke ‘Government’. (Oxford English Dictionary). Archives are records and documents which are preserved because of their enduring value to society and to the people and organisations that produce them. Archives may be the personal papers of an individual, or the records of a public body such as Local Government, or the records of another institution such as a business, society, club, union or religious organisation. Archives may take many forms, including correspondence, diaries, files, minutes of meetings, reports, legal documents, photographs, maps, plans and drawings, account books, audio, visual, and electronic records. Archives are fragile and unique and must be kept and used under strict conditions if they are to survive for the use of future generations.