Term: Archival bond

Characteristic that, in archival science, is essential and fundamental in distinguishing an archive from a mere collection or assemblage (see Collection). The records that constitute an archive, placed within a formal order that responds to logical and functional requirements, are linked by an archival bond. This means that reading an individual document cannot be separated from its position within a network of relationships. An archival document “lives” within a context, and it is knowledge of both the document and its context that produces information.