A L E X A N D R A K R E N S K YP R O J E C T A R C H I V I S T

D C A F R I C A N A A R C H I V E S P R O J E C T

F R A N K L I N R O B I N S O NA R C H I V I S T

N A T I O N A L M U S E U M O F A M E R I C A N H I S T O R Y A R C H I V E S C E N T E R

A L I S O N O S W A L DA R C H I V I S T

N A T I O N A L M U S E U M O F A M E R I C A N H I S T O R Y A R C H I V E S C E N T E R

S C J O H N S O N C O N F E R E N C E C E N T E RJ U N E 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

Processing and Finding Aids

Introductions

Alex Krensky DC Africana Archives Project @ GWU Libraries Project Archivist akrensky@email.gwu.edu

Franklin Robinson Archives Center @ National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution Archivist robinsonf@si.edu

Alison Oswald Archives Center @ National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution Archivist Process and acquire invention/sci-tech related collections, EAD unit rep, internship coordinator oswalda@si.edu

Archival Processing

-the activities of appraising, arranging, describing, and preserving archival materials

There are many types of archival collections, including the personal papers of an individual, the papers of a particular family, and the organizational records of a corporation or organization. Archival collections can also be a group of materials that were collected or assembled by a person or organization that did not create the materials. Every collection comes with its own unique challenges; however, an archivist’s approach to processing an archival collection is always guided by the basic principles and standards of the profession.

What Do Archivists Do?

“Archivists are intermediaries between the creator of a collection of manuscripts and the present and future users of the papers. Archivists… are among those charged by society to decide which portions of the enormous quantity of records become part of the permanent historical record of our culture. Our task is to preserve these materials and to make them accessible to researchers who study and tell the stories of our past … The papers we process will soon become the “stuff” of history. Each one of us is a link in the long chain of knowledge that stretches from the lives of the men and women who created the papers to the eventual users of the manuscripts.”

--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

http://www.lib.unc.edu/wikis/archproc/index.php/How_to_Proceed:_Introduction

Processing Basics

Minimal ProcessingProvenance

Original OrderArrangementDescription

Housing

Minimal Processing

Designed for late 20th Century institutional records

Arranging and describing archival collections at a less intensive level than is considered standard in order to make the collections available for use.

Generally, no preservation work is completed and arrangement and description within series and folders is limited.

Minimal Processing, cont….

Minimal processing is not just for late 20th century papers Ability to minimally process a collection results more from its order than

from its age

Collections may not be flawlessly arranged; however, better intellectual and physical control of collections is absolutely achieved, and materials are made more accessible.

Minimal processing is NOT sloppy processing By creating and demanding adherence to standards, minimal processing

effectively provides physical and intellectual access to collections Minimal processing makes collections available for research much

faster than full processing. This is our ultimate goal!

Provenance

Provenance is a fundamental principle of archives, referring to the individual or organization that created the items in a collection. According to the principle of provenance, records of different origins (provenance) must be kept separate to preserve the context in which they were created.

Each collection is distinct and should NEVER be interfiled or combined with other distinct collections.

Original Order

The organization and sequence of records established by the creator of the records. Original order maintains the creator’s organizational structure, which can be useful to researchers studying the material. It also makes processing easier!

For original order to apply, there needs to be an identifiable and useful order in existence. Sometimes items are stored in a haphazard way or order was lost in transit to the archives. In this case, you will have to impose an order.

Provenance and Original Order

Duke Ellington Collection

Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials

Edward and Gaye Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials

Arrangement

“1. The process of organizing materials with respect to their provenance and original order, to protect their context and to achieve physical or intellectual control over the materials.

2. The organization and sequence of items within a collection.”

-Society of American Archivists, Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology

Intellectual & Physical Arrangement

Intellectual and physical arrangement are directly related but may not look the same.

Items that intellectually belong together may not be housed together because of differences in format or size.

A series is not defined by its physical location, nor does the intellectually created series determine the physical arrangement of the collection. Series may span multiple boxes, and a new series may begin in the middle of a

box

Physical location is necessary to help researchers obtain access to material

No Series

Housing

According to Full Processing: Archivists transfer records to new archival folders and boxes. Archivists unfold and smooth ALL papers; remove staples and paperclips; take steps to

preserve acidic paper

According to Minimal Processing: All collections will be housed in archival boxes (not necessarily new) All loose items will be placed in archival folders or boxes. Non-archival folders will be replaced only if existing folders are damaged or do not fit in

archival boxes—folders don’t all need to match! It is OK to leave acidic paper in acid-free folders Metal fasteners will be removed only if they are causing damage to the collection.

MPLP Preservation

All collections will be housed in archival boxes (not necessarily new!)

All loose items will be placed in archival folders or boxes.

Non-archival folders will be replaced ONLY if existing folders are damaged or do not fit in archival boxes.

Volumes with damaged bindings will be tied up and/or foldered and placed in boxes.

Metal fasteners will be removed ONLY if they are causing damage to the collection.

Preservation photocopies will NOT be made.

Folded items will NOT be unfolded.

MPLP Presentation, cont’d.

Refolder this…

Not that!

MPLP Preservation, cont’d.

Material in folders and unfoldered material should be identified and placed in archival folders. Use information from the box, folder, or surrounding materials to get folder names and date ranges.

Custom Housing

Handling Archival Materials

Even though the collections are receiving minimal processing, it is important to remember that they are irreplaceable.

Depending upon their storage and the care they received prior to arriving at the repository, these collections may not be good condition.

We are not paper doctors, but like doctors, our mantra should be: “First do no harm.”

When carrying large or oversized materials, hold onto top-right corner and bottom-left corner.

If you have to unfold materials, be very careful of brittleness (items folded and unfolded many times are weakest at the fold line)

If items are sticking together, call for help, do not risk ripping materials.

Bound volumes should be placed in the boxes, SPINE DOWN.

Do not eat or drink near archival collections.

Never use pens, ONLY pencils (everything we do should be reversible).

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

DACS is built on generally accepted archival descriptive and arrangement principles. It was officially approved in 2004 by SAA as a new content standard for the description of archival collections.

The standard is an output of rules for describing archives, personal papers, and manuscript collections.

DACS assumes that you are describing either at the single level (collection level record) or multilevel (includes collection level and descriptive information and a hierarchical arrangement and component levels).

DACS Second Edition 2013 is available online and each element provides examples.

What is a finding aid?

A tool that facilitates discovery of information within a collection of records. A description of records that gives the repository physical and intellectual control over the materials and that assists users to gain access to and understand the materials.

(Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology, Society of American Archivists)

General characteristics of a good finding:● successfully assists researchers in locating needed materials;

● designed for quick reference and rapid comprehension, regardless of the complexity of materials they describe;● easy to use with the assistance of an archivist;● provides sufficient enough information to suggest scope of materials without irrelevant details;● the description should be complete, concise and not repetitive;● written in clear understandable language devoid of jargon, baffling acronyms and abbreviations

Anatomy of a Finding Aid

Key Pieces Collection Title/Dates Biographical/Historical Note: A concise essay or chronology that

places the materials in context by providing information about their creator(s). It includes significant information about the life of an individual or family or the administrative history of a corporate body.

Provenance/Immediate Source of Acquisition: Use this note to record the provenance of the materials being described, and the date of acquisition. This includes information about any additions.

Finding Aid, cont’d.

Conditions Governing Access: If there are restrictions on access to any portion of the

Conditions Governing Use: Check the collection file or consult with your supervisor to be sure that this statement is accurate.

Scope and Content Note: A prose statement summarizing the range and topical coverage of the described materials, often mentioning the form and arrangement of the materials and naming significant organizations, individuals, events, places, and subjects represented. The purpose of the scope and content note is to assist readers in evaluating the potential relevance of the materials to their research. It may highlight particular strengths of, or gaps in, the described materials and may summarize in narrative form some of the descriptive information entered in other parts of the finding aid.

Finding Aid Examples--EAD

Finding Aid—EAD (container list)

Finding Aid Example-EAD at Online Archive of California

Finding Aid Example--HTML

Finding Aid Example—PDF

Finding Aid Example-PDF (container list)

Workflow for Each Collection

• Research and write biographical note• Create processing plan

• Make any special recommendations for the collection• Write up any notes that give more context to the collection

• Refolder and rebox items where necessary• Create container list

• Create intellectual arrangement for collection• Generate finding aid, uploaded and put on the web

Questions?