Archival and manuscript repositories exist to preserve historical records and make them available for use. The subject of this manual is the internal operations that link these two goals. This manual covers generally accepted principles and techniques of archival accessioning and processing. - Introduction.

Since its original publication Hunter's manual has been "not only a rich and ready reference tool but also a practical resource for solving problems" (Catholic Library World), and no text has served as a better overview of the field of archives. Newly revised and updated to more thoroughly address our increasingly digital world, including integration of digital records and audiovisual records into each chapter, it remains the clearest and most comprehensive guide to the discipline. Former editor of American Archivist, the journal of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), Hunter covers such keystone topics as a history of archives, including the roles of historical societies and local history collections in libraries; new sections on community archives, diversity, and inclusion; conducting a survey and starting an archival program; selection, appraisal, acquisition, accessioning, and deaccessioning; important points of copyright, privacy, and ethics; arrangement of archival collections, with a discussion of new theories; description, including DACS, EAD, and tools such as ArchivesSpace; access, reference, and outreach, with a look at how recent innovations in finding aids can help researchers; preservation, including guidance on how to handle rare books, maps, architectural records, and artifacts; digital records, addressing new and popular methods of storage and preservation of email, social media, image files, webpages, Word documents, spreadsheets, databases, and media files; disaster planning, security, and theft prevention; metrics, assessment, establishing employee procedures and policies, working with interns and volunteers, and other managerial duties; public relations and marketing, from social media and the Web to advocacy; and professional guidelines and codes, such as the newly developed SAA Statement of Core Values of Archivists. Providing in-depth coverage of both theory and practice, this manual is essential for archivists at all levels of experience and of all backgrounds.