"Finding aid" is a generic term for guide to a repository, group of records, or a collection of papers. Finding aids are often called "registers," "inventories" or "guides".

While there are standard formats for finding aids, these standards have only evolved in the recent past and you may find a wide variety of finding aids even within one institution. Many finding aids will be no more than a list of what is in each box while others may run to 100 pages or more. Standard finding aids generally have some or all of the following components:

Creator of the Collection:

This usually includes the name, dates (birth and death) of the person or institution represented in the collection, and the dates covered by the documents in the collection

Collection or Record Group Number.

Collection or record group numbers will vary from institution to institution, but are likely to be represented by a notation similar to: RG 25, MS 65, Mss 32.

Size of the collection:

This might be in linear feet, square feet and/or number of boxes.

Processing Statement

This usually consists of a statement regarding when the materials were processed and by whom they were processed.

Source of Acquisition:

The Sources of Acquisition generally provides information on how and from where the records or papers were acquired.

Access:

The access statement should say whether the records are restricted in anyway and should explain the restriction or tell you whom to consult to have the restriction explained.

Copyright:

As with restrictions this should give you information regarding the status to the records under current copyright law, or should direct you to someone who can provide you with this information.

Biographical Sketch or Institutional History:

The Biographical Sketch/Institutional History should be a short biography of the life or a history of the creator of the materials. If the creator is an individual it will, at minimum, give you birth and death dates and any known background regarding parents, spouses and children. It will also touch on all of the major known highlights of the persons life, i.e. degrees received, positions held, books written, etc.

If the materials are institutional records the sketch will usually outline the history of the institution or division of the institution covered in the records. The history generally includes founding dates, major changes in direction or philosophy, and the names of individuals who were influential in its foundation and development.

On occasion the sketch or history may take the form of, or have as an addendum, a timeline.

Scope and Content Note:

The purpose of this note is to give the researcher enough information to be able to tell if the collection has research potential for them. The Scope and Content Note explains what you can expect to find in the collection. It will usually give you some idea of the types of documents you are likely to find in the collection; diaries, correspondence, financial records, reports, etc. It should also tell you about what types of information you can find in the materials. For instance, if the records are the personal papers of an individual, it should indicate if the material is predominately personal or professional or a mixture of both. There should be some detail about what kinds of information is available in a diary or journal and any unusual information that you might not expect to find in the collection should also be noted. Many scope and content notes will also provide a list of significant correspondents.

Series List:

Archives generally organize the materials within a collection into groupings called series. A series is a group of materials that have been brought together because they relate to a common topic, subject, or activity or are of a common type (diaries, correspondence, writing, etc.). The series list is usually a list of series titles represented within the collection.

Series Descriptions:

Series descriptions are short scope and content notes detailing the types of document and information that can be found in each series. The descriptions often include the date range of the materials within the series and a statement indicating how the materials have been arranged. (arranged by subject, arranged chronologically).

Container List:

The container list is also often referred to as a box and folder list (perhaps a more accurate description). This is simply a list of all the boxes in the collection with a list of folder titles found within the boxes.

Indexes and Other Tools: