Historians’ Use of Archival Sources: Promises and Pitfalls of the Digital Age

Abstract

The paper reports on a mail questionnaire survey that gathered information about historians’ use of archival resources in the process of researching historical material. The survey population consisted of all faculty members (1185 prospective participants) in history departments of degree-granting institutions in Canada. Based on responses from 52 percent of the survey population, the findings indicate that historians rate finding aids, footnotes, and archivists very highly as sources for becoming aware of and locating information in their research. In addition, the overwhelming majority of historians want to see and use historical sources in their original format. However, the study also indicates that electronic access and digital reproductions have great, untapped potential.