total 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
Haworth 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. ]
