This valuable resource provides information on best practices and solutions to successfully establish an archival programme; it uses a practical approach, without the use of technical or theoretical jargon. Additionally it serves as a companion text in a theoretical archival course. The book provides easy-to-follow advice on how to assess the information needs of any institution and the greater community for which the archives were created to serve. Guidelines for achievable goals are provided for starting an archives programme in an environment where a small budget or even a 'no budget' can threaten the future of the archives. - First book that attempts to de-mystify archives - Practical approaches without the use of technical jargon - Easy to follow Plans of Action

Marisol Ramos has been involved with archives and libraries since 2000 as a librarian's assistant and archival processor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, she is working as a research librarian at the Virginia Reid Moore Marine Research Library at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California.

Introduction; First steps; Archival roadmap: practical considerations when writing archival policies; Getting to the core: You created your archives - now what?; The fine art of donor relations; Workspace and preservation with limited or no budget; Archives 101: arrangement, processing, description and finding aids; Access, archival reference and outreach; Conclusion.