A calendar (sometimes historically spelled kalendar) is, in the context of

archival science Archival science, or archival studies, is the study and theory of building and curating archives, which are collections of documents, recordings and data storage devices. To build and curate an archive, one must acquire and evaluate recorded m ...

textual scholarship Textual scholarship (or textual studies) is an umbrella term for disciplines that deal with describing, transcribing, editing or annotating texts and physical documents. Overview Textual research is mainly historically oriented. Textual scholars s ...

, and archival publication, a descriptive list of

document A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" or ...

s. The verb ''to calendar'' means to compile or edit such a list. The word is used differently in Britain and North America with regard to the amount of detail expected: in Britain, it implies a detailed summary which may be used as a substitute for the full text; whereas in North America it implies a more basic inventory.

Etymology

The term "calendar" derives from a (now somewhat archaic) word meaning a list or register of any kind. Although the documents in a calendar are generally arranged in chronological order, the term has no direct relationship to a table of dates.

British tradition

In the British tradition, the word normally implies a full descriptive summary (often published) in which each document is the subject of a "carefully controlled, rigorously consistent précis".Harvey 2001, pp. 56–59. All significant elements in the text are recorded, so that the great majority of researchers will be spared the need to consult the originals: the completed calendar effectively becomes a substitute for the archival documents, and is often treated as a

primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...

in its own right. Trivial or incidental elements ("common form and unnecessary verbiage") are omitted; but all names, dates and significant statements are noted, and passages which appear to the editor to be of particular interest or importance may be quoted in full. Documents in archaic or foreign languages (particularly Latin) are normally calendared in the modern vernacular, but significant or ambiguous terms or passages may be given in the original language. A calendar is therefore less detailed or comprehensive than a series of full transcripts or translations; but considerably more detailed than an archival list or other

finding aid A finding aid, in the context of archival science, is an organization tool, a document containing detailed, indexed, and processed metadata and other information about a specific collection of records within an archive. Finding aids often consist o ...

. Calendars are at their most useful when published, giving remote users access to the contents of archival records. Well-known series of published calendars of British medieval and early modern sources include the '' Calendar of Charter Rolls'' (1903–1927); the '' Calendar of Close Rolls'' (1900–1963); the '' Calendar of Patent Rolls'' (1891–); the ''Calendars of State Papers'' (Domestic and Foreign) (1856–); the ''Calendars of Treasury Books and Papers'' (1868–1962) (all from material now in

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

); the ''Calendars of Entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland'' (published by the

Public Record Office The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...

1896–1960, and by the

Irish Manuscripts Commission The Irish Manuscripts Commission was established in 1928 by the newly founded Irish Free State with the intention of furthering the study of Ireland's manuscript collections and archives. Its foundation was primarily motivated by the loss of many h ...

1978–); the ''

Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII ''Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII'' (full title: ''Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII: preserved in the Public Record Office, the British Museum, and elsewhere in England''; often abbreviated in citat ...

'' (1864–1932); and the "Reports and Calendars" series on privately held archives published between 1869 and 2004 by the

Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (widely known as the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and abbreviated as the HMC to distinguish it from the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England), was a United Kingdom Royal Com ...

. One advantage of calendars in the era of print publishing was that a précis of a text took up less space than a full transcript or

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...

. This reasoning carries less weight in the age of electronic publishing; but calendars still have a role in providing readers with an accurate, comprehensive and accessible summary of a document which may be more readily comprehensible than a more faithful and complete version of the original. In Irish historiography, the destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

means that calendars made before 1922 are often the most complete surviving records. Roy Hunnisett writes: Similarly, Paul Harvey emphasises that the editorial task of calendaring "is not the soft option that editors have sometimes assumed"; and that the process of summarising accurately without error or distortion can be "significantly harder than straightforward editing".

North American tradition

In the North American tradition, a "calendar" generally implies a briefer and more summary list or inventory than in Britain, arranged chronologically. Its intention is to provide a succinct indication of the documents' date, origin and subject-matter, but little more; and it is designed as a

to locate the originals, not as a substitute for them.Stevens and Burg 1997, pp. 67–69.

References

Bibliography

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