The Value of Archives/Written Sources to a Researcher, and How to Approach Them

Abstract

"Written documents are a crucial source, but they too must be interrogated by minds that do not take things for granted" (Tosh, 1984). This article attempts to assess the validity of the above assertion made by a prominent historian, Professor John Tosh. In a way, the article takes a historical perspective to assess the value that is attached to archives as a source of historical information. It begins by briefly giving an explanation as to what sources are. This is followed by an account that attempts to explain why archives, or better still, written documents, are very crucial to the writing of history. But they present challenges to researchers. After adressing the challenges, the article ends by elaborating on how one (a researcher in any archival institution) subjects archival sources to a reasonable amount of criticism before their full potential is successfully exploited.


ESARBICA Journal Vol.21 2002: 49-55