Archives An archive is a special collection of inactive record as well as other documents that have been isolated to be of special historical value. Archives contain special sources to be referred to for research and other historical concerns. Archives have a great social value because they represent the record of people, culture, and historic events as well as tell the story of the organization or community they represent preserving their identity. The target audience for archives depends on the type of information stored. However, public archives are open for all representing the true spirit of democracy where information flow is unrestricted. Archives represent the recorded information to be passed on from generations to the next (Cox, 2011). For this reason, the major challenge faced by archives is a loss of information either through fires, other natural disasters or theft, and vandalism. Major ethical concern faced by archives is the sharing of information. There are documents of government information which at times may require restriction yet this creates a contradiction with the principles of democracy and transparency (Jimerson, 2006). A national code of ethics for archives have been developed to help solve such dilemmas in national archives. Archives have to protect the integrity of the records while ensuring the records serve their intended purpose. History is preserved by records and documentation thus making the institutions that store these records important. Archives code of conduct represent the principles of those working in those institutions to ensure privacy is secured and the records are not biased in any way. For the sake of future generations, archives should be highly secured and the principles guiding the archiving and referencing be clearly established. References Cox, R. J. (2011). Appraisal and the future of archives in the digital era. The Future of Archives and Recordkeeping: A Reader, edited by J. Hill, 213-237. Jimerson, R. C. (2006). Ethical concerns for archivists. The Public Historian, 28(1), 87-92.

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