Note: The definitions in this glossary pertain specifically to manuscript research and historical repositories.

Administrative Information: Section of a finding aid that outlines the collection’s provenance and indicates any usage restrictions or access options and limitations.

Archives:
1. A place or repository where historical records are preserved.
2. Manuscipt material or records preserved in a repository. The terms archives and manuscripts are often used interchangeably to refer to unpublished records. However, a distinction is often made based on the source or creator of the records. Most personal records are considered manuscript material, and organizational or corporate records are considered archives.

ArchivesUSA: An online directory of over 5,000 respositories and 120,000 collections in the United States.

Archivist:
1. An individual who collects and manages historical records in a repository.
2. An individual who arranges and describes historical records in a repository, creating methods of access to those records.

Authority: A basis for validity and trustworthiness.

Biographical Note: Section of a finding aid that provides background information on the individuals or organizations within the collection.

Call Number/Collection Number: A unique identifier for an item or manuscripts collection held in a library or repository.

Call Slip: A form for requesting manuscript material in the Manuscripts Department at UNC Chapel Hill. The call slip indicates the name, number, and portion of the collection you wish to use.

Catalog Record: A catalog record lists information about the item’s author, title, content, physical attributes, and location.

Citation: An explicit acknowledgement of the source of information.

Collection Overview: Section of a finding aid that describes the collection’s size, contents, document types, arrangement, and subject matter.

Collection:
1. group of records from one source
2. total holdings of a repository
3. large grouping of collections within a repository

Container List: Section of finding aid that characterizes the contents of each box or folder of materials.

Copyright: a legal provision that protects authors from the unauthorized use, publication, or sale, of their works and ideas.

Critical Evaluation: Involves a close reading of materials and a weighing of evidence in order to discern what information is reliable and what information is less credible. This means that you should not take information at face value, but instead analyze the information considering both its merits and its shortcomings.

Curator: The person responsible for developing and maintaining collections.

Evidence: Demonstrates or suggests how things might have been in the past. In manuscript research, evidence does not mean proof or testimony. Rather, evidence means drawing inferences from the messages implied in the documents.

Fair Use: US copyright law provides “fair use” exceptions to use of copyright protected materials. These limited exceptions support education and research.

Finding aid: A guide to a manuscript collection. It functions much like the preface for a book in that it reveals the origin, background, contents, and arrangement of a collection.

Fixed Form: A tangible or machine readable form of expression protected under US Copyright Law.

Foxing: Spotting (usually dark) on documents. Damage caused by mold.

Google:
Google, a popular search engine, is a tool for finding resources on the World Wide Web. Google scans web pages to find instances of the keywords you have entered in the search box.

The Manuscripts Department at UNC Chapel Hills uses a special version of Google on its web site. This Google feature only searches the Department’s web site and not the entire World Wide Web. By using the department’s Google feature, you can focus your search solely on the Manuscripts Department’s holdings.

History: A written reconstruction and interpretation of the past. History is written by historians.

Holdings: The materials such as books, newspapers, and manuscripts held by a library or repository.

Information: Data explicitly described in the manuscripts.

Interpretation: An intellectual process in which you select, gather, and reassemble information and evidence within the framework of your own ideas.

Keywords: Single terms or short phrases that best define the main points of your topic. Keywords are used for searching catalogs and databases.

Listening/Viewing Copies: Copies of original sound recordings and moving images for use by researchers. Listening and viewing copies reduce wear and tear on the original or master recordings.

Manuscripts: Manuscripts are unpublished primary sources. The term manuscript encompasses a broad array of documents and records of numerous formats and types.

NUCMUC: The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections is a print and online catalog of manuscript collections held in US repositories. It is not comprehensive.

Oral History: A verbal reminicense or description of past events or experiences, usually recorded in interviews.

Papers: Term used in the title of manuscript collections, such as the Prudhomme Family Papers. "Papers" is used for collections of private individuals or families. "Papers" often include multi media material, such as sound recordings, film, and photographs.

Primary Source: First-hand accounts of events and experiences, both public and personal.

Provenance: The source of a particular group or collection of manuscripts. Archivists group manuscripts into collection according to the person or organization responsible for creating or assembling the collection.

Reading Room: A common term for the space in historical repositories where researchers use manuscripts or other rare materials. The Manuscripts Department at UNC Chapel Hill calls its reading room the Search Room.

Record Groups: Manuscript or archival materials from one source arranged and descibed in aggregate. Term commonly used for divisions within organizational archives. For example, in UNC Chapel Hill's University Archives, there are different record groups for the Office of the Chancellor and the Office of the President.

Records: Term used in the title of manuscript or archival collections, such as Records of the University Advisory Council. "Records" is used for collections or record groups of corporate bodies or organizations. "Records" in the manuscripts context often includes multi media material, such as sound recordings, film, and photographs.

Repository: Historical repositories preserve primary source materials, including manuscripts.

Research Agreement: A document that lists the rules and procedures a researcher needs to abide by in order to use the collections in the Manuscripts Department at UNC Chapel Hill.

Restrictions: Limitations on use of manuscript materials in a particular collection. For example, duplication might be restricted or prohibited for a collection due to the fragility of the materials.

Search Room: The space in the Manuscripts Department at UNC Chapel Hill where researchers use the manuscripts. The Search Room is monitored on closed-circuit television and public services staff.

Secondary Source: A scholar's description or analysis of primary sources. A secondary source is a step removed from the original accounts of an event or experience.

Series: A group of materials related by source, document type, purpose, chronology, or topic.

Series Descriptions: Section of a finding aid that summarizes the scope and content of a group of materials designated as a series within the collection.

Special Collections: Rare or unique materials held by a library or historical repository.

Stacks: Storage space in a library or repository. The stacks of most Special Collections are closed. Closed stacks are accessed by staff only; patrons may not browse the shelves.

Subject Headings: Subject headings describe the content of a work. Librarians assign subject headings to books and manuscript collections using a controlled vocabulary and format from the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

WorldCat: An online union catalog of over 49 million records representing books, journals, dissertations, audio-visual materials, and manuscripts in repositories worldwide.