About the ArchiveForge Approach
Observe Before You Rearrange
ArchiveForge treats archival work as a sequence of careful decisions. Beginners first survey the records, identify creators, dates, formats, and existing order, then decide how arrangement, description, storage, or digitization should proceed.
Evidence Before Categories
Exercises begin with what the records reveal. Learners examine provenance, folder patterns, record types, and relationships before inventing new series or subject groups.
Separate Each Archival Task
Surveying, arranging, describing, rehousing, and digitizing are practiced as connected but distinct tasks, reducing confusion between physical order and intellectual description.
Record Every Important Decision
Decision logs, reference codes, date conventions, and clear folder titles make changes traceable and help another person understand how the collection was organized.
Practice With a Manageable Collection
A small set of paper records or digital folders gives enough material to compare series, rewrite vague labels, build an inventory, and test retrieval without creating unnecessary complexity.
Learn Where Basic Methods Stop
Course notes explain ordinary handling and storage checks while showing when mold, severe damage, privacy concerns, unstable media, or legal questions require specialist guidance.