History Associates is a historical consulting firm that provides a wide range of services. We can research and write your company history, preserve and manage your records, develop content for exhibits and historical site displays, or conduct specialized historical research. http://www.historyassociates.com/

1. Why Using Archival Services Will Ease Your Historical
Research Needs
You open the door and step in to the horror. Hidden behind
that door is decades of documents, photos, news clippings,
blueprints, and quotes from your company’s history. You
stand there staring at box after box of documents stuffed
on the shelves. How are you ever going to find the
information you need? Historical research without a proper
archival system is a nightmare.
How Much Time Can You Dedicate to Sorting It All Out
The problem with these treasure troves of information is the inability to find anything. Your company
may have blueprints, sketches, and copyright documentation which are worth hundreds of thousands of
dollars hidden in that room, but if no one can find them it is just wasted paper.
The time it takes to sort, organize, and cross-reference all the material is daunting for any average
person. The good news is there are companies who specialize in exactly this type of work. Archival
services do not see a disaster behind that door. They see an adventure waiting for them to organize it.
Top archival services employ people who specialize in organization, categorization, and preservation of
your information.
Many of the top archival services employ historians who value the history hidden inside those boxes.
They understand the gentle touch older papers and photographs may require. Many archival services
offer restoration services, too. They can take materials which have great value and work to preserve
and restore them for safe keeping.
Historical Research Can Be Fast and Simple
The most important job of an archival service is to prepare for your future historical research. When
they are finished with that room every item will be organized, indexed, cross-referenced, and
documented. Often this data is saved in a database allowing you to search for materials right from your
desktop PC. Some archival services will even digitize papers, photographs, and other materials to allow
you to utilize digital copies while the originals remain safely stored.
An archivist is going to give you advice on proper storage, or may even recommend off-site storage for
better protection. They know the longer your critical documents remain in imperfect
storage conditions the faster they will decay and become unusable.
Long Term Savings through Short Term Investing
You are probably starting to wonder how your company could ever afford this kind of
service. You need to start asking better questions. How long can you continue to lose
money by not finding important documentation? How important could it be to your company to find

2. documents proving your rights to a process, product, or idea? How much would your company pay for a
few employees to dig through all of those papers and most times come back empty handed?
You will discover the cost of your historical research decreases dramatically once everything is
organized. You may discover your storage requirements decrease dramatically, also. The reality is over
time you will save money by having your historical records properly cared for. Archival services often
seem unimportant until the moment you really need to find those historical facts. Then you will be
wishing you had made the investment years ago.