The purpose of this study is to inform special collections and archives professionals about the perceptions and needs of a previously understudied group – members of the general public who are not already actively using archives and special collections. Survey methods are used to capture societal values and public expectations about archival outreach, processing metrics and care for culturally sensitive materials.
A survey was utilized to quantify public sentiment on archival practice, with two blocks of experimental randomized questions fielded to determine the effect of two treatments on members of the general public in the United States (N = 800). Block one was used to determine perceptions on resource expenditures, while block two gauged attitudes regarding archival outreach.
Results show a strong preference among the public for the preservation of cultural heritage items over business records, as well as an overwhelming willingness by the public to engage in archival outreach if provided the opportunity.
Despite paradigm shifts that realigned institutional archives with public engagement and outreach, there have been few, if any, empirical studies of perceptions of archives by members of the public who are not already engaged with archives. In order for archival institutions to truly engage and serve the public, archival professionals and scholars need to understand how the public actually views archives and their work. While this survey study cannot provide nuanced insights into individual user needs and experiences, it quantifies questions asked in past qualitative studies on archival participation and provides new paths for future research.
