"Archives are those records, created or received by a person, a family, an organization, a business or a government in the course of their life and work, which merit preservation because they provide enduring value: because they provide evidence of or information about either the functions, responsibilities, actions or transactions of the creator or about the life and times in which the creator conducted his or her affairs and the society in which he or she lived and worked."

Why Archival Materials are Saved  - Margot Note, Creating Family Archives

• As long term memory, providing access to history and knowledge
• As a means to access the expertise of others
• As instruments of accountability and legitimacy, facilitating social interaction and cohesion
• As a source for understanding and identification of ourselves, our communities and our society
• As vehicles for communicating political, social, and cultural values
• As evidence of continuing rights and obligations, such as a contract or a marriage license