Different types of archival institutions exist in the United States to preserve the wide range of documents that inform our history. When thinking about what kinds of collections might exists to help your research, knowing the types of institutions that exist and their likely collecting missions is very helpful.
The United States has a rather decentralized system for preserving historical documents. The list below provides several types of archival institutions that exist across the country. As with many things, the institutions that exist and their responsibilities can differ from state to state. In some cases, an institution may fulfill the role of multiple types of institutions below. For example, the Minnesota State Historical Society fulfills a wide range of roles including housing the government archives, the papers of the historical society, and supporting other state and local historic preservation efforts. For more information on types of archival institutions, see the Society of American Archivists list.
Government Archives
Governments at all levels need to preserve records documenting the decisions made by various bodies and agencies. In addition, Government agencies often produce records, reports, and other information upon which its decisions are based making government archives a rich source of historical information. A well known example of a government archives is the National Archives. Government archives only collect records produced by government offices, leaving a large bodies of historic records under the care of other institutions.
College and University Archives
Most colleges and universities in the United States run a university archives, which houses historic documents created by the home institution, as well as a body of collections on topics of regional and national importance. In order to guide collecting decisions, college and university archives often form collecting policies or missions.
For example, Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library actively collects in Western Americana, amongst other areas. In her history of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, historian Laurie Arnold consulted collections at Yale, as the geographical focus of the history falls within Yale's collecting scope.
Historical Societies
Typically historical societies play a non-governmental collecting role within a state or region. For example, the Eastern Washington Historical Society collects personal, family, and organizational records on the history of eastern Washington that do not fall under the Washington State Archives collecting scope. In some cases, a historical society may also house govenmental records, but these records are usually managed separately. Historic societies can also support other efforts, such as the historical preservation of buildings.
Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
Federally recognized tribes in the Untied States operate as sovereign nations in many ways. As part of their service to their citizens, tribal nations support programs that support the history and heritage of their people. Historic documents managed by tribal entities may be preserved by institutions that can vary from archives to library to cultural resources department. Collections managed by tribal institutions encompass a rich and growing source for American history. Access to collections can sometime require approval by a unit of tribal government, so advance planning is advisable.
Religious Archives
Churches have organized a range of important services and can serve as the center for different ethnic and, obviously, religious communities. Many older churches in the United States have a robust collection of church documents, including missionary records that describe early Euro-American settlement of the American West.
Corporate Archives
Large corporations often maintain archives to help form a narrative of the company and its role in a community or the nation. If one visits the Museum of Flight in Seattle, one can see the use of Boeing's archives in the various exhibits, as well as a reading room through which researchers may view requested collections from Boeing's corporate archives.
Community Archives
Historically, archives have documented the histories of communities and individuals with more status and resources, which has created a gap in our historical understanding of communities that have played a crucial role in society. In response, community archives have formed to preserve collections by and about marginalized communities. One example is the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, which preserves collections on Asian American history in the Northwest. Some community archives exist as primary online collections such as the Densho Foundation archives, also based in Seattle.