A thorough inventory of research resources in American repositories, the Guide lists collections in the history of chemistry and chemical engineering, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and a number of related chemical process industries and businesses, from personal and professional papers of chemical scientists and engineers to business records of the chemical process industries.

National Archives store materials relating to the history of a nation, usually operated by the government of that nation. This is the first ever comprehensive source of information about national archives around the world covers the national archives of all 195 countries recognized by the United Nations (the 193 member states and the 2 that non-member observer states: The Holy See and the State of Palestine) as well as Taiwan (Republic of China). Of the 196 countries, 54 are in Africa, 49 in Asia, 44 in Europe, 33 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 14 in Oceania, and 2 in Northern America. All countries maintain a repository for government and historical records; whether all allow public access will be determined through research for this work. The National Archives of all 196 countries will be included in this work (see Appendix A). Each entry contains: general information about the archive and when it is open to researchers (if applicable), historical information about the institution and how it developed, information about the archives today (its mission, functions, organization, services, and a description of its physical and digital infrastructures), and a current focus section spotlighting one part of the collection’s holdings.

Reference and Access: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections explores how archives of different sizes and types are increasing their effectiveness in serving the public and meeting internal needs. The book features twelve case studies that demonstrate new ways to interact with users to answer their questions, provide access to materials, support patrons in the research room, and manage reference and access processes. The featured case studies are Building Bridges: Closing the Divide between Minimally Processed Collections and Researchers Managing Risk with a Virtual Reading Room: Two Born-Digital Projects Improvements on a Shoestring: Changing Reference Systems and Processes Twenty-First Century Security in a Twentieth-Century Space: Reviewing, Revising and Implementing New Security Practices in the Reading Room Talking in the Night: Exploring Webchats to Serve New Audiences A Small Shop Meets a Big Challenge: Finding Creative Ways to Assist the Researchers of the Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages The Right Tool at the Right Time: Implementing Responsive Reproduction Policies and Procedures Going Mobile: Using iPads to Improve the Reading Room Experience Beyond “Trial by Fire”: Towards A More Active Approach to Training New Reference Staff Access for All: Making Your Archives Website Accessible for People with Disabilities No Ship of Fools: A Digital Humanities Collaboration to Enhance Access to Special Collections Websites as a Digital Extension of Reference: Creating a Reference and IT Partnership for Web Usability Studies Each of these case studies deconstructs reference and access services into their essential elements: interacting with people who have questions, providing access to materials that meet researcher needs, assisting researchers as they use materials, and managing the processes needed to support reference and access. The volume will be useful to those working in archives and special collections as well as other cultural heritage organizations, and provides ideas ranging from the aspirational to the immediately implementable. It also provides students and educators in archives, library, and public history graduate programs a resource for understanding the issues driving change in the field today and the kinds of strategies archivists are using to meet these new challenges.

Intended to provide the basic foundation for modern archival practice and theory.

A report of an OCLC Research survey of library special collections holdings and practices at selected institutions in the United States and Canada. Numerous charts and tables summarizing responses are included. Recommendations for best practices are also provided.