Archives Glossary

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Accession

To legally and physically take archival records into the Archives for permanent preservation and storage. Also used to refer to archival records that are transferred to the Archives as a unit at the same time.

Appraisal

The process of determining the value and disposition of records based on their administrative, legal and fiscal use; their evidential and informational or research value; and their relationship to other records. See also Reappraisal.

Last Updated: October 2026