Archivists start work on this material after evaluating its archival value and acquiring it for the archives. Its contents are catalogued – recently mostly on databases. For the majority of record groups, only traditional finding aids such as inventories or card indexes are available. As research topics and interests change over the years, the records’ contents is summed up so that it is open to various and differing interpretations.
The archivists also play a role in analyzing the records by producing articles and by researching and teaching Mecklenburg’s history; for example, through contributions to exhibitions, guided tours through the archives or their own publications.