A Comparative Study of Appraisal Methods in the National Archives of Iran and Canada

The purpose of the present research, carried out as a descriptive survey, is to improve the appraisal methods in Iran's archives by analyzing the process of appraisal in the National Archives of Iran and Canada. The appraisal activity is studied in two aspects i.e. the "Process of Appraisal" and the "Criteria for Appraisal". The percentage of indicators met regarding the process of appraisal in Iran’s National Archives yields a frequency of 30.80 percent in comparison to that of Canada’s National Archives with a frequency of 84 percent, and so leaves a lot to be desired. Considering the criteria for appraisal in the functional analysis index, the National Archives of Iran with a frequency of 33 percent in comparison to that of Canada with a frequency of 100 percent is, again, far from the optimum condition. Yet both institutes have fully developed criteria for appraisal in content analysis index and are well organised.