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Using Archives at MSU

A guide for using primary sources and archives available at Montana State University

What is a Finding Aid?

A finding aid is a document written by archivists to describe the contents of an archival collection. A finding aid describes the history of a collection and the arrangement of material, and an inventory to help researchers locate items in the collection

Each collection in the archives has its own finding aid. Most finding aids have a regular structure and will look similar from one collection to the next. Once you learn to understand the parts of a finding aid, you should be able to navigate the collections of most archival institutions. 

Parts of a Finding Aid

A finding aid is divided into two sections: 

Front Matter - This part of the finding aid describes the collection as a whole and includes a summary of the contents, arrangement, and historical information

 

Inventory - This portion provides an outline that identifies the series, boxes, folders, and items within the collection. The inventory helps researchers identify specific items within the collection.