The Dictionary of Archives Terminology published by the Society of American Archivists describes a Finding Aid as " a description that typically consists of contextual and structural information about an archival resource." SAA goes on to note that finding aids place archival resources in context by consolidating descriptive information about the collection. (1)
In other words, a Finding Aid is a document that helps to identify and locate materials held in a collection. Think of Finding Aids as 'road-maps' to discover and locate materials relevant to your research. Our Finding Aids are in PDF format.
Finding Aids usually include a collection number, a collection summary, and a listing of related subjects, as well as directions on how to access the items in the collection.
1. Society of American Archivists. "Finding Aid". Dictionary of Archives Terminology. https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/finding-aid.html
© 2024 Athens State University. All rights reserved.