Orientador: João Batista Ernesto de Moraes / Resumo: A Descrição do Documento de Arquivo, como uma das funções de procedimento Arquivístico, é elaborada de modo a permitir a difusão e o acesso aos usuários; tal método procura proporcionar elementos/caracteres do conteúdo formal do documento de forma a se elaborar instrumentos de pesquisa. Assim sendo, a Descrição é um processo de representação dos elementos intrínsecos e extrínsecos ao Documento de Arquivo e deve ser fidedigna. Com isto, objetivou-se conhecer e como ocorrem o Ato Narrativo e a Ética na representação do documento de arquivo, demonstrando que tal ato representativo não é objetivo, mas sim subjetivo advindo de interpretações, de modo a contribuir para discussões e aprofundamento na área de Representação, bem como apresentar subsídios para compreensão da subjetividade sobre o processo de representação por meio da descrição do documento de arquivo, com intuito de descrever os procedimentos metodológicos; reproduzir interlocuções metodológicas e ilustrar a aplicação do processo de descrição sobre os dossiês da Comissão Pastoral da Terra, da CNBB - Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil - Norte 2 com reflexões dos procedimentos metodológicos e filosóficos apresentados. Assim, identificou-se como resultados que os processos descritivos são interpretativos e podem vir a atribuir juízos críticos valorativos e categóricos por meio da visão de mundo do profissional arquivista durante a representação. Dado que o procedimento de descrição aplicado pelo arquivista em sua a... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Archive Document description, as one of the Archival Procedure Functions, is elaborated to allow the diffusion and user’s access; this method seeks to provide elements/characters of documents formal contents in order to elaborate research tools. Therefore, description is a representation process of intrinsic and extrinsic of Archive Docmument elements should be trustworthy. With this, it was aimed to know about and how Narrative Act and Ethic occurs in archive document representation, demonstrating that such representative act is not objetive, but subjetive from intepretations, in order to contribute to discussions and deepening of representation area, well with presenting subsidies to subjetive comprehention about de representation process by the archive document descripition, in order to describe methodological procedures; reproduce metodological interlocutions and ilustrate this process application to description about the Comissão Pastoral da Terra dossiers, CNBB – Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil – Norte 2, with reflections about methodological and filosophical procedures presented. Thus, was identified as results that descriptive process are interpretative and may atribute valuable and categorical critical judgments, through archivist professional worldview during the representation. The description procedure applied by the in his professional performance uses cognitive aspects, based on his interpretations, which seeks to identify and extract the elements/... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Resumen: La representación descriptiva en archivología pasa por algunos procesos de creación de archivos correlacionados con sus funciones, tales como la evaluación y la clasificación, entre otros. En esta investigación, la función explorada fue la descripción del documento de archivo, conciliando teóricamente la práctica del “hacer” y del “cómo hacer”, desde el proceso de descripción hasta la representación del documento de archivo, siguiendo los estándares internacionales de descripción desde la concepción posmoderna. La investigación buscó comprender los aspectos del acto narrativo y la ética sobre el proceso de descripción, con el fin de contribuir a la comprensión de estos aspectos en el proceso. Con esto se enfatizó que los procesos descriptivos son interpretativos y atribuyen juicios críticos, valorativos y categorías fundamentados en la cosmovisión del archivista durante el acto de representación. El procedimiento de descripción aplicado por el archivero en su práctica profesional se apoya en aspectos cognitivos interpretativos, que buscan identificar y extraer los elementos y actores del contenido y el contexto del documento de archivo, de forma confiable. Por lo tanto, la representación surgida del proceso de descripción no es neutral ni objetiva, ya que usa percepciones cognitivas, es decir, es subjetiva. Por lo tanto, el acto narrativo en la descripción puede considerarse como el acto de contar o (re)contar una historia. La ética busca guiar la actuación profesional del ar... (Resumen completo clicar acceso eletrônico abajo) / Doutor

Dès le début du 21e siècle, une nouvelle dimension suscite un intérêt grandissant : l’émotion. Ce mémoire propose une étude exploratoire-descriptive de la place qu’occupent les émotions dans la description et la diffusion archivistique. Pour contextualiser cette étude, nous commençons par une revue de la littérature clé publiée entre 2008 et 2020, cette revue illustrant l’évolution de la compréhension et de l’acceptation des émotions par les professionnels de divers milieux (archivistes, historiens, historiens des émotions, et psychologues) dans la description et la diffusion archivistique. Nous étudions ensuite une sélection de règles de description archivistique et la place qui est donnée aux émotions dans la description d’archives, le cas échéant. Ces aperçus mènent à une étude exploratoire-descriptive de trois projets réalisés par deux institutions d’archives québécoises, soit le Musée Lac-Brome et le Musée McCord, dans le cadre desquels des descriptions archivistiques de différentes collections de documents textuels ont été préparées en incluant les émotions évoquées dans les textes décrits. Nous discutons ensuite de notre analyse de différents termes d’indexation et d’émotions référencés dans ces descriptions archivistiques, incluant certaines tendances qui peuvent ressortir. Deux perspectives émergent à partir desquelles l’émotion peut être davantage considérée dans la description archivistique : l’émotion exprimée par les sujets représentés dans le document ou par l’auteur du document ; la place de l’empathie et de l’émotion dans la diffusion archivistique. Ces perspectives pourraient permettre à la communauté archivistique de mieux comprendre et d’accueillir les pratiques naissantes impliquant l’inclusion de l’émotion dans la description et la diffusion archivistique. / Since the beginning of the 21st century, a new dimension has sparked a growing interest : emotions. This dissertation offers an exploratory-descriptive study of the place emotions occupy in archival descriptions and dissemination. To contextualize this study, we begin with a review of key literature between 2008 and 2020 illustrating the evolution of professionals’—archivists, historians, emotions historians, and psychologists—understanding and acceptance of emotions in archival descriptions and dissemination. We then review certain rules for archival description and the place, if any, for including emotions in these descriptions. These overviews lead to an exploratory-descriptive study of three description projects carried out by two Quebec archival institutions, the Lac-Brome Museum and the McCord Museum, who have prepared archival descriptions of different collections of textual records including emotions evoked in these texts. We then discuss our analysis of the different index terms and emotions referenced in these archival descriptions, including certain trends that can be identified. Two perspectives emerge from which emotion can be further considered in archival description : emotion expressed by the subjects represented in the record or by the author of the record ; the place of empathy and emotion in archival dissemination. These perspectives could allow the archival community to better understand and accommodate budding practices involving the inclusion of emotion in archival description and in outreach programs.

Western archival institutions have both silenced and misrepresented Indigenous peoples in Canada for more than a century. These actions have in turn assisted in the colonization and subjectification of a myriad of Indigenous communities within the colonial construct of Canada. This institutional complicity in the colonization process has recently come under fire. Questions have arisen about how these institutions can be decolonized and how they can be used in partnership with Indigenous peoples to strengthen the Indigenous voices they once silenced. The institutional decolonization of archives becomes especially important when the archival institution in question has been given the responsibility to care for records that relate to gross human rights abuses perpetrated against Indigenous peoples. This is the case for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at the University of Manitoba, which has a mandate to preserve and share the truths of Residential School Survivors. / May 2017

This thesis at the Institute for Language and Folklore has as its purpose to lay a foundation for a continuinginventory work. The tasks I have performed during my time there was to create an archival description, anintroduction to the material and a process map showing the process of incoming delivery of documents. The aimwas never to finish the list of work, but to structure the material to get an insight into the material and to theproblems that existed within. The documents are of a very unique nature and require that the archivist is familiarwith and have knowledge of sign language. One of the problems I encountered was how fragmented the materialwas. The documents are divided between Stockholm and Uppsala, which means that provenance becomesparticularly significant for this material. By revoking parts of the material from the National Archives in Stockholm,the institute is trying to reduce the distribution part of the process. But this is a problem that affects all documentsand will therefore affect the entire inventory process. The Institute's goal is to digitizing documents and make itmore accessible for researchers.

Detta forskningsarbete lyfter den problematik somdebatterats kring proveniensprincipen och den ombildningdenna princip har mött sedan digitaliserings ankomst.Studiens avsikt var att påvisa vilken innebörd principen haridag i en modern informationsförvaltning och deninformationshantering som sker där. Syftet var även attundersöka hur informationsförvaltningen arbetar proaktivtmed att garantera proveniens i all sin informationshantering,samt belysa hur proveniens förstås i förhållande till valet avmetod kring informationshanteringen.Undersökningen var kvalitativ och utfördes på tiokommunarkiv i form av att varje kommuns kommunarkivariedjupintervjuades. I undersökningen har även planer kringinformationshantering en studerats. Studien konstaterar vilkaförenklingar som digitaliseringen inneburit kring att säkerställa proveniens, där automatiserad och utvecklad metadataskapat verklig proveniens som kan påvisa informationenssamband med den process och det sammanhang där den harbefunnit sig. Uppsatsen diskuterar även de bekymmer somuppstår då digitaliserad information ordnas på helt andra sättän tidigare och vilka konsekvenser detta får för hur vi skaförhålla oss till och förstå proveniens.Resultatet visar att informationsförvaltningarna kan borga föryttre proveniens vad gäller arkivmaterialet men inte helahandlingsbeståndet. Studien fastslår vidare att inreproveniens som en spegling av organisationens verksamhetmåste förstås utifrån hela handlingsbeståndet och desslogiska ordning, snarare än utifrån arkivmaterialets synliga.Undersökningen konstaterar även betydelsen av proaktivitetkring arbetet med att tydliggöra informationens processuellakontext, samt tidig metadataapplicering ochsystemutveckling som behåller metadata genom allaprocesser. Uppsatsen understryker slutligen att detta inte görsi den utsträckning som är nödvändig. / This essay describes the debate about the principle ofprovenance and its multiple forms, and the transformationsof these forms, due to the coming of electronic informations.The thesis intended to explain the definitions of the principlein a modern information management and there explore howthey operate proactively to assure provenance.The qualitative investigation was carried out at tenmunicipality final archives, where each municipalityarchivist was being interviewed. The study expounds in whatway the digitisation has simplified the methods to conductassured provenance, where automated metadata shows therelationships of the information to function and process. Theessay also debates the difficulties that appear when digitalinformation are being organized in different ways thananalogue information, and how this fact requires a newinterpretation of the principle of provenance.The researcher concludes that the investigated archives,ensure respect des fonds when it concerns the content of thearchives, but not when it comes to the whole content of theinformation management. The result of the study also showsthat the respect of original order as a reflection of theorganization, has to be understood throughout all content ofthe management and its logical order, rather than the visiblecontent that the archives embrace. Furthermore the thesisobserves the importance of proactivity, regarding theclarification of the relationships between the information andthe processes that produce and use them. This could beachieved with early application of metadata and developmentof systems that keep metadata trough all processes. Theconclusion of the essay is that this is not pursued in theextension that is required.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Afrikaans text / Die doel van hierdie studie was om argivale inligtingontsluiting en -herwinning aan die einde van die 20ste eeu te ondersoek, verai met betrekking tot ernstige historiese navorsing. Inligting is op die volgende wyses ingesamel: ‘n uitgebreide literatuurondersoek, onderhoude met argivarlsse in beide staats- en privaatargiefbewaarpiekke en ‘n empiriese ondersoek deur middel van ‘n vraelys wat aan hoofsaaklik ernstige historiese navorsers versprei is. Die navorser het argivale vindmiddels soos inventarisse, gidse en indekse, sowel as die gerekenariseerde argivale databases, persoonlik ondersoek ten einde eerstehandse kennis van die voordele en nadele van hierdie navorsings- hulpmiddets te verkry. Daar is gevind dat tegnologiese ontwikkelings die aard van argiefbewaarplekke en argivale bronne verander het. Die impak van rekenaarnetwerke op die argivale milieu, sowel as die voor- en nadele verbonde aan die hantering van elektroniese argivale rekords en mondelinge geskiedenisargiewe, is gevolglik in besonderhede bespreek, Hoewel die ontsluiting van argivale bronmateriaai steeds op die beginsels van herkoms en oorspronklike orde gebaseer is, is sekere aanpassings noodsaaklik. Tog is geen toegang tot argivale inligtingbronne sonder hie rdie prosesse moontlik nie, Doeltreffende argivale inligtingherwinning kan slegs verwesenlik word indien genoeg fondse en opgeleide, ervare personeel beskikbaar gestel word. Vervolgens Is die veranderende aard van historiese navorsing belig, verat wat die keuse van ondemverpe betref. Moderne tendense ten opsigte van die geskiedenis van benede, of die geskiedenis van die aiiedaagse lewe, en die geskiedenis van vroue, in teenstelling met tradisionele historiese nadruk op politieke figure en gebeure, is bespreek. Die studie het verder aangetoon dat toeganklikheid tot argivale inligtingbronne die belangrikste behoefte van die historiese navorser is. Die beduidende rol wat die argivaris en argivale vindmiddels in historiese navorsing speel, is beklemtoon. Gedurende die empiriese fase is 'n ontleding van die antwoorde van respondente ten opsigte van navorsingsbesoeke aan argiefbewaarplekke gedoen, Historiese navorsers se ondervinding met betrekking tot argivale vindmiddels, gerekenariseerde argivale netwerke en leeskamerpersoneel is bespreek. Die ondersoek word afgesluit met beiangrike bevindings en 'n aantal aanbevelings rakende historiese navorsing as ‘n argivale aktiwiteit in 'n veranderende inligtingwereld. / The purpose of this study was to investigate archival information organisation and retrieval at the end of the 20th century, especially with regard to serious historical research. Information was collected by the following means: an extensive literature survey, interviews with archivists in both state and private archives and an empirical survey by means of a questionnaire distributed amongst mainly serious historical resea rchers.The researcher personally examined archival finding aids such as inventories, guides and indexes, as well as the computerised archival database, for firsthand knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of these research aids. It was found that technological developments had changed the nature of archives and archival sources, the most important adjustment being to electronic information sources and oral history archives. The impact of computer networks on the archival milieu, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of dealing with electronic archival records and oral history archives, was subsequently discussed in detail. Although the organisation and description of archival source material are still based on the principles of provenance and original order, certain adaptations are necessary. Without these processes no access to archival sources is possible. Effective archival information retrieval can only be achieved if sufficient funds are made available and well-trained, experienced staff are appointed. Subsequently the changing nature of historical research, especially with regard to the choice of research topics, was discussed. Modern tendencies such as history from below, or the history of everyday life, and the history of women, were investigated, in opposition to traditional historical emphasis on important political figures and happenings. Research further showed that accessibility to archival information sources is of paramount importance to the historical researcher. The important role of the archivist and archival finding aids, is emphasised. During the empirical phase the answers of respondents about their visits to archives were analysed. The experiences of historical researchers with regard to archival finding aids, computerised archival networks, and reading room staff, are discussed. The study is concluded with important findings and a number of recommendations pertaining to historical research as an archival activity in a changing information world. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Memento Mori, Latin for “remember thy death,” implores us to be mindful that death is both inevitable and inescapable. What of the records created during the process of dying and about death? Based upon wide-ranging archival research into primary documents, this thesis explores the rich sources of both official, public records, and personal, private ones, relating to mortality on the small-town Canadian frontier before 1950. The community of Red Lake, Ontario, which was established on the frontier as the result of the Red Lake gold rush of 1926, is the subject of a case study. Rather than merely cataloguing sources, this thesis illustrates that by adapting aspects from such archival appraisal methodologies as macroappraisal and documentation strategy, one is able to make available to researchers a wider range of sources relevant to the themes of dying and death. Specifically, by employing a documentation strategy methodology to identify and illuminate the records of human activities surrounding the functions of dying and death, archivists can offer to researchers the opportunity to locate relevant records wherever they may physically be. Since this is an Archival Studies thesis, it does not provide an historical analysis of dying and death, but is an archival study of the types of records related to the theme of mortality on the Canadian frontier: how those records were created, their character, and their capture and preservation in a small community. This thesis is organized into three chapters and a conclusion. Chapter One explores some relevant trends in the secondary literature of three fields: archival appraisal and description, small town or local development on the frontier, and dying and death as human activities. Chapter Two sets the context in which the thesis analyzes mortality on the frontier by outlining the relevant history of the Red Lake District of Northwestern Ontario and its pioneers. The focus is especially on the gold-mining boom years from the mid-1920s until shortly after the Second World War. The heart of the thesis, Chapter Three, is a case study of the various records creators, human activities, and resultant records related to mortality. It is organized according to three phases or functional categories surrounding dying, death, and memorialization. The conclusion summarizes the usefulness of the case study, in light of the literature review in Chapter One. It also suggests areas of further research, including aspects not covered herein, of the records of dying and death on the Canadian frontier. The documentation strategy, adapted from the original methods employed by archivists Helen Samuels and Richard Cox, was found to work best when deployed as a research and descriptive tool for exploring and documenting the records of mortality, more so than its original purpose as an acquisition tool. The strategy has wide-ranging usefulness discovering and then describing a “virtual” documentation universe relating to record-generating human functions and activities. / February 2008

Memento Mori, Latin for “remember thy death,” implores us to be mindful that death is both inevitable and inescapable. What of the records created during the process of dying and about death? Based upon wide-ranging archival research into primary documents, this thesis explores the rich sources of both official, public records, and personal, private ones, relating to mortality on the small-town Canadian frontier before 1950. The community of Red Lake, Ontario, which was established on the frontier as the result of the Red Lake gold rush of 1926, is the subject of a case study. Rather than merely cataloguing sources, this thesis illustrates that by adapting aspects from such archival appraisal methodologies as macroappraisal and documentation strategy, one is able to make available to researchers a wider range of sources relevant to the themes of dying and death. Specifically, by employing a documentation strategy methodology to identify and illuminate the records of human activities surrounding the functions of dying and death, archivists can offer to researchers the opportunity to locate relevant records wherever they may physically be. Since this is an Archival Studies thesis, it does not provide an historical analysis of dying and death, but is an archival study of the types of records related to the theme of mortality on the Canadian frontier: how those records were created, their character, and their capture and preservation in a small community. This thesis is organized into three chapters and a conclusion. Chapter One explores some relevant trends in the secondary literature of three fields: archival appraisal and description, small town or local development on the frontier, and dying and death as human activities. Chapter Two sets the context in which the thesis analyzes mortality on the frontier by outlining the relevant history of the Red Lake District of Northwestern Ontario and its pioneers. The focus is especially on the gold-mining boom years from the mid-1920s until shortly after the Second World War. The heart of the thesis, Chapter Three, is a case study of the various records creators, human activities, and resultant records related to mortality. It is organized according to three phases or functional categories surrounding dying, death, and memorialization. The conclusion summarizes the usefulness of the case study, in light of the literature review in Chapter One. It also suggests areas of further research, including aspects not covered herein, of the records of dying and death on the Canadian frontier. The documentation strategy, adapted from the original methods employed by archivists Helen Samuels and Richard Cox, was found to work best when deployed as a research and descriptive tool for exploring and documenting the records of mortality, more so than its original purpose as an acquisition tool. The strategy has wide-ranging usefulness discovering and then describing a “virtual” documentation universe relating to record-generating human functions and activities.

Memento Mori, Latin for “remember thy death,” implores us to be mindful that death is both inevitable and inescapable. What of the records created during the process of dying and about death? Based upon wide-ranging archival research into primary documents, this thesis explores the rich sources of both official, public records, and personal, private ones, relating to mortality on the small-town Canadian frontier before 1950. The community of Red Lake, Ontario, which was established on the frontier as the result of the Red Lake gold rush of 1926, is the subject of a case study. Rather than merely cataloguing sources, this thesis illustrates that by adapting aspects from such archival appraisal methodologies as macroappraisal and documentation strategy, one is able to make available to researchers a wider range of sources relevant to the themes of dying and death. Specifically, by employing a documentation strategy methodology to identify and illuminate the records of human activities surrounding the functions of dying and death, archivists can offer to researchers the opportunity to locate relevant records wherever they may physically be. Since this is an Archival Studies thesis, it does not provide an historical analysis of dying and death, but is an archival study of the types of records related to the theme of mortality on the Canadian frontier: how those records were created, their character, and their capture and preservation in a small community. This thesis is organized into three chapters and a conclusion. Chapter One explores some relevant trends in the secondary literature of three fields: archival appraisal and description, small town or local development on the frontier, and dying and death as human activities. Chapter Two sets the context in which the thesis analyzes mortality on the frontier by outlining the relevant history of the Red Lake District of Northwestern Ontario and its pioneers. The focus is especially on the gold-mining boom years from the mid-1920s until shortly after the Second World War. The heart of the thesis, Chapter Three, is a case study of the various records creators, human activities, and resultant records related to mortality. It is organized according to three phases or functional categories surrounding dying, death, and memorialization. The conclusion summarizes the usefulness of the case study, in light of the literature review in Chapter One. It also suggests areas of further research, including aspects not covered herein, of the records of dying and death on the Canadian frontier. The documentation strategy, adapted from the original methods employed by archivists Helen Samuels and Richard Cox, was found to work best when deployed as a research and descriptive tool for exploring and documenting the records of mortality, more so than its original purpose as an acquisition tool. The strategy has wide-ranging usefulness discovering and then describing a “virtual” documentation universe relating to record-generating human functions and activities.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Afrikaans text / Die doel van hierdie studie was om argivale inligtingontsluiting en -herwinning aan die einde van die 20ste eeu te ondersoek, verai met betrekking tot ernstige historiese navorsing. Inligting is op die volgende wyses ingesamel: ‘n uitgebreide literatuurondersoek, onderhoude met argivarlsse in beide staats- en privaatargiefbewaarpiekke en ‘n empiriese ondersoek deur middel van ‘n vraelys wat aan hoofsaaklik ernstige historiese navorsers versprei is. Die navorser het argivale vindmiddels soos inventarisse, gidse en indekse, sowel as die gerekenariseerde argivale databases, persoonlik ondersoek ten einde eerstehandse kennis van die voordele en nadele van hierdie navorsings- hulpmiddets te verkry. Daar is gevind dat tegnologiese ontwikkelings die aard van argiefbewaarplekke en argivale bronne verander het. Die impak van rekenaarnetwerke op die argivale milieu, sowel as die voor- en nadele verbonde aan die hantering van elektroniese argivale rekords en mondelinge geskiedenisargiewe, is gevolglik in besonderhede bespreek, Hoewel die ontsluiting van argivale bronmateriaai steeds op die beginsels van herkoms en oorspronklike orde gebaseer is, is sekere aanpassings noodsaaklik. Tog is geen toegang tot argivale inligtingbronne sonder hie rdie prosesse moontlik nie, Doeltreffende argivale inligtingherwinning kan slegs verwesenlik word indien genoeg fondse en opgeleide, ervare personeel beskikbaar gestel word. Vervolgens Is die veranderende aard van historiese navorsing belig, verat wat die keuse van ondemverpe betref. Moderne tendense ten opsigte van die geskiedenis van benede, of die geskiedenis van die aiiedaagse lewe, en die geskiedenis van vroue, in teenstelling met tradisionele historiese nadruk op politieke figure en gebeure, is bespreek. Die studie het verder aangetoon dat toeganklikheid tot argivale inligtingbronne die belangrikste behoefte van die historiese navorser is. Die beduidende rol wat die argivaris en argivale vindmiddels in historiese navorsing speel, is beklemtoon. Gedurende die empiriese fase is 'n ontleding van die antwoorde van respondente ten opsigte van navorsingsbesoeke aan argiefbewaarplekke gedoen, Historiese navorsers se ondervinding met betrekking tot argivale vindmiddels, gerekenariseerde argivale netwerke en leeskamerpersoneel is bespreek. Die ondersoek word afgesluit met beiangrike bevindings en 'n aantal aanbevelings rakende historiese navorsing as ‘n argivale aktiwiteit in 'n veranderende inligtingwereld. / The purpose of this study was to investigate archival information organisation and retrieval at the end of the 20th century, especially with regard to serious historical research. Information was collected by the following means: an extensive literature survey, interviews with archivists in both state and private archives and an empirical survey by means of a questionnaire distributed amongst mainly serious historical resea rchers.The researcher personally examined archival finding aids such as inventories, guides and indexes, as well as the computerised archival database, for firsthand knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of these research aids. It was found that technological developments had changed the nature of archives and archival sources, the most important adjustment being to electronic information sources and oral history archives. The impact of computer networks on the archival milieu, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of dealing with electronic archival records and oral history archives, was subsequently discussed in detail. Although the organisation and description of archival source material are still based on the principles of provenance and original order, certain adaptations are necessary. Without these processes no access to archival sources is possible. Effective archival information retrieval can only be achieved if sufficient funds are made available and well-trained, experienced staff are appointed. Subsequently the changing nature of historical research, especially with regard to the choice of research topics, was discussed. Modern tendencies such as history from below, or the history of everyday life, and the history of women, were investigated, in opposition to traditional historical emphasis on important political figures and happenings. Research further showed that accessibility to archival information sources is of paramount importance to the historical researcher. The important role of the archivist and archival finding aids, is emphasised. During the empirical phase the answers of respondents about their visits to archives were analysed. The experiences of historical researchers with regard to archival finding aids, computerised archival networks, and reading room staff, are discussed. The study is concluded with important findings and a number of recommendations pertaining to historical research as an archival activity in a changing information world. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)