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total archives

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archives

n. ~ A strategy to document the historical development and all segments of a community by acquiring both official administrative records as well as related personal papers and corporate records.

Notes: 

Total archives was developed in Canada. It emphasizes collecting a wide range of materials, including architectural drawings, maps, microfilm, and other documentary forms.

Citations:
†(Hayworth 1993, p. 56) The concept is articulated as an 'attempt to document all aspects of historical development, seeking the records not just of officialdom or of a governing elite but of all segments of a community,' and 'combining official administrative records and related private files, architectural drawings, maps, microfilm, and other documentary forms all touching on the development of the organization or region. . . ." [Citing Canadian Archives, Report to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, 1980), pp. 63–64. ]