ABSTRACT
Archival and other existing records are underutilized data sources in public administration research. The purpose of this chapter is to define these types of data sources and explore how they could be better incorporated in public administration research. These records include textual records, microforms, electronic records, still pictures, motion pictures, sound and video recordings, and cartographic and architectural records. Archives are ‘‘important organizational records preserved permanently because they reflect what an organization did and how it went about doing it’’ (National Archives and Records Administration, 2004, p. 5). Other existing records include those that are not permanently preserved or archived but nonetheless may be valuable to researchers.
