Documenting sites of creation

Abstract

Meaning is lost when records are moved from the sites in which they were made and kept to archives. This paper weighs the significance of that loss by identifying different kinds of context that may be found in sites of creation. Should archivists emulate archaeologists and document sites before they disturb them? What difficulties arise? This paper finds that, even though physical contexts cannot be perfectly captured or wholly preserved, there is still value in documenting sites where there is a strong connection between environment, records and creator. Furthermore, that documentation can then be used as a powerful tool to enhance access.