著者

加藤 諭

出版者

日本薬史学会

雑誌

薬史学雑誌 (ISSN:02852314)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.58, no.1, pp.5-9, 2023 (Released:2023-08-10)

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Research into the history of pharmacy often makes use of materials held by university archives. This paper analyzes the difference between the role of historical research and that of archives. An important role of archiving is to appraise which records to keep and which to discard. University archives have been established for the purpose of preserving materials from institutions that have emerged in the past, as well as those materials collected in the process of compiling university histories. The first university archives in Japan was established at Tohoku University in 1963. This was followed by others at The University of Tokyo, Kyushu University, and Nagoya University in the latter half of the 20th century. The role of archives has been strengthened by law since the 21st century. The number of university archives has also increased. Currently, there are 12 institutions with functions equivalent to those of the National Archives of Japan. On the other hand, the operation of university archives often requires expertise in the field of history. University histories also need to be compiled on a regular basis. For this reason, university archives need to cooperate with institution administrations, libraries and museums, and archivists are required to have a deep knowledge of university history.