ARCHIVE Archives are vital for preserving the fabric of human experience and knowledge. They serve as a bridge between the past and the present, ensuring that history is not lost but used to inform and enrich the future. Archives hold significant value across multiple domains for several reasons. Archives safeguard original records and documents vital to understanding the past. They provide a reliable source of information about historical events, decisions and cultures; allowing future generations to study and learn from the past. Archives are repositories of a society’s cultural heritage, including manuscripts, photographs, maps, artefacts and other records. They help preserve the cultural identity of communities, nations and civilisations. Archives store legal documents, government records and administrative files as evidence in legal disputes, governance and policymaking. They provide continuity and accountability by maintaining records of laws, regulations and decisions. Archives are essential resources for researchers, historians and scholars. They provide primary source materials crucial for academic research, enabling the study of specific events, trends and individuals with authentic evidence. For individuals and communities, archives serve as a collective memory, helping to maintain a sense of identity and continuity. They offer insight into personal and communal histories, fostering a connection to the past.

Archives provide rich materials for media production, documentaries and educational purposes. They offer authentic content that can be used to create accurate representations of historical events and cultural phenomena. Archives support transparency by preserving records of governmental and institutional activities. This ensures that officials, organisations and individuals can be held accountable for their actions, contributing to ethical governance and public trust. Archival records often contain information crucial to protecting individual and collective rights. For instance, land ownership records, birth certificates, and other personal documents preserved in archives are essential for asserting legal rights. Archives maintain institutional memory within organisations by keeping records of policies, decisions and significant milestones. This helps to understand the organisation’s evolution and informs future decision-making. Archives inspire innovation by providing access to past designs, ideas and solutions. Creative professionals often draw upon archival materials to develop new art, design, literature and architecture concepts. Archives play a crucial role in the recovery process after a disaster by providing essential records to restore services, rebuild communities, and reestablish normalcy.