How to Use KYVL - tutorial

Kentuckiana Digital Library: Finding Aids

What is a Finding Aid?

Many libraries and museums have departments or entire branches dedicated to the preservation of historic and rare materials. These departments and branches are often referred to as "Special Collections" or "Archives." A special collections department provides access to materials that have historic value and are rare or one of a kind. Often these materials are deteriorating due to age, exposure to the environment, and overuse. The types of materials that are often located in a special collection or archive are unpublished diaries, letters, personal papers, photographs, and manuscripts, and published materials that are of advanced age, were published in very small batches, or have special historic significance for the institution or the city or region.

The materials that are donated to a special collection or archive are inventoried and cataloged, but are not reorganized. For example, if a box of letters and photographs are donated to an archive, the materials aren't separated into a box of letters and a box of photographs. The letters and photographs are maintained in the collection in the exact same order as when donated. If you wanted to look at a particular photograph in this box, you would have to look through the entire box to find the photograph, making sure not to disturb the order of the items as you looked. Now, imagine that this collection of letters and photographs was made up of 100 boxes instead of just 1 box. It would take a very long time to find the item that you seek.

A finding aid is the answer to this problem. The finding aid acts as a road map to a collection of materials in a special collection or archive. The finding aid will tell you exactly where the photograph is located in those 100 boxes.

How do I use the Kentuckiana Digital Library to browse finding aids?

Click on Archival Finding Aids Collection to browse a list of finding aids available through the Kentuckiana Digital Library.

Choose an institution from the list of institutions with finding aids available through the Kentuckiana Digital Library. The small camera icon next the the name of the institution means that some of the institution's finding aids contain links to photographs.

Select a collection from the list of collections available from the chosen institution.

Once you have chosen the collection that you would like to access, you will see a screen that looks like this:

© Kentucky Virtual Library, 1024 Capital Center Dr. Suite 320, Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-573-1555, Fax: 502-573-0222, TT: 877-545-6177

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