Appraisal of Architectural Records in Practice: The Northwest Architectural Archives

The Northwest Architectural Archives was established in 1972 as a comprehensive regional repository to acquire and preserve architectural records of building and landscape architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, and other professional organizations in architectural fields. The appraisal of records by the Northwest Architectural Archives is based in part on its comprehensive collections development strategy as well as criteria regarding the record creators, completeness, age, current and potential users, subject matter, and how such material fits with existing collections. Underlying most appraisal decisions is the expert knowledge of the curatorial staff regarding architectural records. Preservation and conservation actions are based on condition and value of the materials. The Northwest Architectural Archives' appraisal of the contents of the Minneapolis Plan Vault demonstrates some of the factors that influence appraisal decisions. However, architectural records have their own unique appraisal questions, many of which cannot be decided globally, but must be decided at the local level based on local user and research needs.