Archives vs. Libraries
A library is organized by subject for readers. An archive is organized by origin for accountability, governing how you use one.
The governing principle is respect des fonds: records stay grouped by the body that created them, in their original order. Reorganizing papers by topic destroys evidence because how an institution filed something is a historical fact.
| Library | Archive |
|---|---|
| Organized by subject | Organized by creator (fonds) |
| Many copies exist | Usually unique |
| Itemized cataloguing | Series-level description |
| Search by topic | Reason to creating body |
Pitfall: Beginners search archives by topic and find nothing. You must reason about which office generated the record.
Paleography and Reading Obstacles
Paleography is the study of historical handwriting. Scripts change systematically, making a hand a dating and localizing instrument.
European sequence: Roman scripts Carolingian minuscule (c. 800, clear lowercase) Gothic/textura (12th c., angular) Humanist hands (revived Carolingian, becoming modern roman type).
Reading fails on four obstacles:
- Abbreviation: Scribes contracted words using macrons.
- Ligatures: Joined characters and obsolete forms (long s looks like f).
- Language: Administrative dialects of specific centuries.
- Formulae: Predictable boilerplate.
Pitfall: Formulae deviations are evidence. A charter departing from standard clauses signals an exceptional event.