Archive Vs Museum Vs Library

 

Archives	Museums	Libraries
Identify, appraise, preserve, and make available documentary materials of long-term value (essential evidence) to the organization or a public that the archives serve	Identify, acquire, preserve, and exhibit unique, collectable, or representative objects	Identify, acquire, preserve, and provide access to the world’s published knowledge
Ensure the accountability of government by preserving public records and making them available to the citizenry as is legally and ethically appropriate	Promote cultural, community, and familial identity and understanding	Promote equity of access to information
Ensure the accountability of nongovernmental institutions to their shareholders, boards, and other constituents	Provide experiences where visitors can make connections between content and ideas	Promote intellectual freedom
Preserve unique or collectable documents	Serve as memory institutions for a culture	Support education and continuous learning and research
Serve as memory institutions for a culture	Support formal and informal learning and research	Support the development of information literacy in society
Support scholarly, administrative, and personal research	Serve as focal points for communities and promote community interests	Serve as focal points for communities and promote community interests
Source: Gilliland-Swetland, Anne, 2000. Enduring Paradigm, New Opportunities. The Value of the Archival Perspective in the Digital Environment. Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources.