A groundbreaking text designed to simplify and demystify archival and recordkeeping theory and its role in modern day practice. Its great strength is in articulating the core principles and issues that shape the discipline but also the impact and relevance they have for the 21st century professional. It will outline and explore what practitioners do as well as why they do it and how critical this underlying rationale is to their success using an accessible approach. Key topics covered include: * what is a record? nature and characteristics * appraisal and the value of archives * theoretical approaches to arrangement and description * the role of recordkeeping in society * the impact of philosophy and postmodernism * ethical issues This is essential reading for students and educators in archives and recordkeeping and invaluable as a guide for practitioners who want to better understand and inform their day-to-day work. It is also a useful guide across related disciplines in the humanities such as history, philosophy and literary studies.