Lutz, Valerie
INFO 520
Dr. Martha Smith
August 15, 2005
Developing Online Access to the Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection at the
American Philosophical Society Library
Introduction
The American Philosophical Society Library seeks assistance with a project that will
enable online access to items of historical significance that are currently housed in the
Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection at the American Philosophical Society Library.
Access is currently provided only by entries in an in-house manuscripts card catalog and
chronological shelf list for the collection and the existing arrangement of the collection
obscures the historical significance and interrelatedness of the items with each other and
with other collections at the American Philosophical Society Library.
We plan to make these items more accessible online by entering catalog card data into a
database, identifying and removing items more appropriately housed in existing APS
collections and integrating these items into those collections, identifying items that could
be assembled into new collections and developing online finding aids for these
collections, importing item-level data on all remaining non-collection items into the
library OPAC at the item level, and attaching thumbnail images of selected items of
historical significance to the finding aids and catalog records.
The American Philosophical Society Library
An eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, the American
Philosophical Society promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through
excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources,
and community outreach.
The Library is a major national center for research in the history of science and
technology, as well as general U.S. history to 1840. It houses over 200,000 volumes and
bound periodicals, seven million manuscripts, and thousands of maps and prints. Many of
its long series of American and foreign scientific publications are not easily available
elsewhere. Rare books include first editions of Newton's Principia, Franklin's
Experiments and Observations, and Darwin's Origin of Species.
Outstanding manuscript collections range from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
natural history and linguistics to the modern life sciences, physics, and computer
development. Papers from Rockefeller Institute scientists document the organization of
early twentieth-century medical research. Genetics and quantum physics collections
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include taped oral histories by founders of the fields. Among the most frequently used
collections are the Benjamin Franklin Papers, the papers of the artist Charles Willson
Peale and family, and the papers of Franz Boas, founder of modern American
anthropology.
Many scholarly conferences and seminars are hosted by the Library, which also has
served as a home to special research projects such as the Society's History of Genetics
Project, The Papers of Charles Darwin, and The Papers of Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
Library grant programs promote graduate study of North American Indians, and the
history of physical sciences. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowships support
bibliographical projects by both young and senior historians. Printed guides and a
national computerized catalogue encourage the use of the Library by scholars from
around the world.
For nearly a half-century, the Library has supported a formal conservation program
staffed by highly qualified professionals. Neutral paper folders were first employed in
1930 when the Archives and the Miscellaneous Manuscript Collection were catalogued,
and the Society was one of the first institutions to microfilm its collections for purposes
of record, preservation, and security. A major contribution to community outreach is the
Conservation Workshops conducted by the Library staff each year.
Statement of Need
The Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection consists of approximately 3,600 individually
catalogued items that date from the 17th through the 20th century. Among the items are
17th century deeds, letters from the founders of the United States, documents relating to
the early history of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, and letters from scientists from the
19th through the 20th century.
Assembled over the years as the APS received various items that did not appear to fall
within the scope of existing collections, the collection is a microcosm of the collections at
the American Philosophical Society in that it includes a wide variety of items of interest
to researchers in early American history, Indian-white relations, anthropology, and the
history of science. Correspondents include Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, William Penn
and other members of the Penn family, physician and signer of the Declaration of
Independence Benjamin Rush, Anthony Wayne, secretary of the Continental Congress
Charles Thomson (particularly significant owing to the relatively few papers that exist, as
he destroyed his own papers), discoverer of oxygen Joseph Priestley, Thomas Edison,
Albert Einstein, and President Warren G. Harding.
Among the collection’s significant items is a contemporary (1754) description of the
Albany Plan, designed to foster alliances with the Indians and forestall their possible
alliance with France, and one of the first calls for union of the American colonies, written
at the time of its proposal. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Albany convention delegates,
would later write that approval of this plan could have prevented the American
Revolution. Others include letters and documents by William Penn and the Penn family
regarding Indian lands and attacks on Indians; letters from William Penn’s secretary, land
agent, and chief negotiator with the Indians James Logan; letters to and from Benjamin
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Franklin’s daughter Sarah Franklin Bache, letters from Franklin’s sister Jane Mecom, and
letters from Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen.
Over the years items by or to particular persons have been removed as the APS acquired
collections or a number of items relating to those persons. A survey of the Miscellaneous
Manuscripts collection revealed that it includes many that could be removed and
integrated into existing collections or assembled into new collections of related material.
Items that could be absorbed into existing collections include the Penn items (Penn
Papers), the Logan items (Logan Papers), Sarah Franklin Bache items (Sarah Franklin
Bache Papers), and Joseph Priestley items (Joseph Priestley Papers).
A significant portion (about 1/5) of the collection includes letters to and from John
Vaughan, long-time Librarian of the American Philosophical Society, protégé of
Benjamin Franklin, and friend of Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Priestley, and other persons
instrumental in the development of the early United States and its culture. These items
will be removed and integrated into the existing John Vaughan Papers.
Items that could be assembled into new collections include items related to early
Pennsylvania history and letters and documents relating to early Indian-white relations.
Among the Pennsylvania items are several early Pennsylvania Surveyor General’s Office
documents including lists, sketches, and surveys of lots from the first eighteen years of
Quaker settlement in Philadelphia (1682-1700), one of two existing copies of the original
Charter of Privileges of Pennsylvania (1701); and the proposed charter of the city of
Philadelphia (1706). Documents relating to Indian-white relations include a 1722 report
“of evidence taken at Conestogoe…about the murder of an Indian”; two letters from
Charles Thomson from 1758 regarding Indian affairs, news of the war, and celebrating
the fall of Louisburg; a 1759 “list of Indian nations, their place of abode, and chief
hunting grounds” written by George Croghan, trader, land agent, and Deputy
Superintendent of Indian Affairs under Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian
Affairs; a 1762 letter to Johnson from Richard Peters regarding the Indian treaty at
Lancaster and the “schemeing of the Quakers,” and a 1766 letter by Johnson relative to
the purchase of Indian lands.
The items that do not readily fit into existing collections and are not numerous enough to
comprise new collections are often interesting in their own right, mostly because they are
relatively unique and/or unusual. These include a ca. 1695 document outlining the
“reasons for laying on additional duty of a penny a pound upon all tobacco imported from
Virginia &c;” a 1707/08 receipt from Benjamin Franklin’s father Josiah; advice on
writing from Aaron Burr to his young daughter Theodosia, who would disappear
mysteriously with a ship off the coast of North Carolina eighteen years later; a 1768
manuscript with the first and last surahs of the Quran written in Arabic by “Charno,
Negro slave of Captain David Anderson,” and a 1771 order from John Hancock to admit
a Mary Thompson and her child to the alms house.
For most manuscript collections, OPAC records at the collection level suffice, as the
collection finding aids provide more than adequate access to items within collections.
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For the items that will remain in Miscellaneous Manuscripts after some are removed and
assigned to other collections, however, item-level access is needed, as the existing
collection description does not provide sufficient access:
Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection
Papers, 1668-1983. ca. 3500 items.
There is no other way to describe these manuscript letters, essays, and other papers that are contained presently in 49
boxes. For the most part they are items which have not fallen readily into existing Library collections, although, from
time to time, as individuals come to be represented in the Miscellaneous Manuscripts by a significant number of pieces,
these are removed and a separate collection begun under the individual's name. Many of the letters have considerable
biographical, historical, or scientific interest. Although the manuscripts date from 1668, three-quarters of the collection
is of the period between 1750 and 1850. The manuscripts are arranged chronologically, but each is entered in the
general catalogue in the Manuscripts Room. The following names of correspondents have been selected at random:
Louis Agassiz, Sir Joseph Banks, Thomas Cooper, Elliott Coues, Georges L.C.F.D. Cuvier, William Darlington,
Thomas A. Edison, Albert Einstein, Edward Everett, John Fitch, Frederick A. Genth, Asa Gray, Horace Greeley,
Warren G. Harding, Simon Newcomb, Sir Isaac Newton, Joel R. Poinsett, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Rush, Henry
R. Schoolcraft, Adam Seybert, Jared Sparks, Herbert Spencer, Henry Stevens, Thomas Sully, Charles Thomson,
Charles Waterton, Anthony Wayne.
A researcher reading this description would have no way of knowing that the collection
includes not only correspondence from Benjamin Rush, but in particular a letter from
Rush written to Patrick Henry two weeks after the signing of the Declaration of
Independence in which he discusses the future of the country. Nor would he or she know
that there is not merely material related to John Fitch, but the original document signed
by persons who pledged funds toward the development of Fitch’s steamboat. Thousands
of items are missed entirely by this description, including all of the items described
earlier.
Although online finding aids will provide sufficient access to the items separated into
other existing collections and new collections, a finding aid for the items that remain
within Miscellaneous Manuscripts will alone not provide sufficient access to these items.
Each item will require assignment of different subject headings, difficult to assign within
EAD finding aids. Over ¾ of historians responding to a survey indicated that 65 percent
used OPACs of institutions other than their own to find archival and manuscript material
(Tibbo 2002). One could argue that item-level records of all manuscript items would
better enable researchers to focus their search, but for the Miscellaneous Manuscripts
collection in particular, item-level cataloguing is crucial, as the existing collection-level
description provides little information about the actual contents of the collection.
To minimize the amount of outside funding required, the APS will not seek funds for
supplies such as boxes and folders, as the current acid-free folders and archival boxes
provide more than adequate protection for these items. Most of the items are in good
condition because of previous care taken and for any items that might require
conservation treatment, the APS has its own in-house conservation lab. In addition, APS
staff will provide their time as an in-kind contribution. Because tasks such as selecting
items for integration into existing collections, assembling new collections, and assigning
subject headings will be most efficiently and inexpensively undertaken by experienced
staff familiar with the collections, the bulk of the actual rearrangement, re-cataloguing,
and conversion of data into encoded archival description finding aids and, when
necessary, MARC catalog records, will be done by APS staff. We request funding only
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for a grant project assistant who will enter data from Miscellaneous Manuscripts catalog
cards for review by APS staff, remove catalog cards for items that the head of
manuscripts processing has assigned to other collections and assembled into new
collections, record changes on cards and folders, and interfile cards into main card
catalog.
Proposed Program
The funding sought is for a grant project assistant to enter data from catalog cards,
remove cards and folders for items reassigned to other collections, record changes in
collection names on cards and folders, re-file cards and folders, and scan selected items.
In-kind contributions from existing staff will include the following:
1. The head of manuscripts processing will identify items for reassignment to
existing collections, will assemble new collections from related items currently
housed in Miscellaneous Manuscripts and develop finding aids for these
collections, and re-catalogue items remaining in Miscellaneous Manuscript,
researching authority forms of names and assigning Library of Congress subject
headings to all items.
2. The assistant librarian for technology will assist with encoding of finding aids and
importation of data into MARC records and the head cataloguer will review
authority forms of names and Library of Congress subject headings.
3. The manuscripts librarian will assist with tracking of items requested before,
during, and after the project and will oversee work on the project.
4. The head librarian will administer project funds and serve as the primary liaison
with the foundation.
Project Plan
1. The grant project assistant will enter main entries, titles, dates, and descriptive
information from Miscellaneous Manuscripts catalog cards into a Word table
under the appropriate Encoded Archival Description headings.
2. The head of manuscripts processing will simultaneously review entries, compare
entries with catalog cards and original manuscripts to ensure accuracy and
presence of all items, correct entries if necessary, and compile a list of items to be
scanned by the project assistant.
3. The head of manuscripts processing will review entries for names of persons
whose collections APS holds, compile a list of items to be removed from
Miscellaneous Manuscripts to other collections, add information on these items to
existing finding aids, and compile a list of items to be removed and assembled
into new collections.
4. Using lists compiled by the head of manuscripts processing, the project assistant
will remove selected items from the Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection,
remove catalog cards for selected items, record changes in collection names on
cards and folders, and file cards and folders.
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5. The head of manuscripts processing will assemble removed items not assigned to
existing collections into new collections such as Pennsylvania history, Indianwhite relations, the American Revolution, natural history, mathematics, and 19th
and 20th century science, and will use data entered by the project assistant to
develop encoded archival description finding aids.
6. The project assistant will scan items of particular historical interest selected by the
head of manuscripts processing along with others that he or she finds of interest.
7. The assistant librarian for technology will assign the corresponding MARC fields
to EAD fields and import basic information for items to remain in Miscellaneous
Manuscripts into the cataloguing module of the library management system
software to facilitate item-level access.
8. The head of manuscripts processing will research authority forms of names,
changing when necessary and assign Library of Congress subject headings to each
MARC record, using original manuscripts as guide.
9. The head cataloguer will review MARC records for compliance with cataloguing
standards.
10. Ongoing: The manuscripts librarian and/or head of manuscripts processing will
keep track of all requests for Miscellaneous Manuscripts items for six months
before the project begins and six months after it ends.
Time Required
The Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection shelf list consists of approximately 3600
catalog cards (about 1200 per drawer). Average time estimated per entry is one minute,
with some cards requiring less time and others more time because of lengthy descriptive
information. Time required to enter one drawer of cards would be 1200 minutes, or 20
hours (60 cards per hour) for a total of 60 hours to enter all cards. As data entry is
tedious and the project assistant will be engaged in other tasks throughout the project, we
have developed the projected schedule below:
Projected scheduling of time per day for project assistant
Data entry:
Scanning:
Retrieving of manuscripts from collection:
Revising card and folder data:
Re-filing cards and folders:
3.0 x 20 days=60 hours
2.0 x 20 days=30 hours
0.5 x 20 days=10 hours
1.0 x 20 days=20 hours
0.5 x 20 days=10 hours
Total hours:
7 hours per day x 20 days=140 hours
The project assistant will work two full days or four half-days per week: As APS staff
will be devoting 10 to 25 percent of their time to this project, we have scheduled the time
of the project assistant to coincide with times during which APS staff members are
available to work on the project to ensure maximum efficiency in the use of the
assistant’s time at the APS. We also anticipate that the person hired for a short-term
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summer project such as this will likely be a student intern or someone with other time
commitments who will be available only part-time.
Proposed weekly project schedule, weeks one through five:
1. Data entry of 120 cards per week by project assistant.
2. Review of entries by head of manuscripts processing and identification of items to
be removed.
3. Removal of folders, revising of card and folder data, and refiling of cards by
project assistant.
4. Integration of items into existing collections and assembling of new collections by
head of manuscripts processing.
5. Scanning of selected items by project assistant.
Proposed weekly project schedule, weeks six through ten:
1. Data entry of 120 cards per week by project assistant.
2. Review of entries by head of manuscripts processing and identification of items to
be removed.
3. Removal of folders, revising of card and folder data, and re-filing of cards by
project assistant.
4. Development of online finding aids for new collections by head of manuscripts
processing.
5. Scanning of selected items by project assistant.
6. Importation of data into cataloguing module of library management system by
assistant librarian for technology.
7. Researching authority forms and assigning Library of Congress subject headings
to MARC records by head of manuscripts processing for items remaining in
Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection.
8. Review of encoded finding aids by assistant librarian for technology and review
of MARC records by head cataloguer.
9. Links to thumbnail and low-resolution images by assistant librarian for
technology.
Proposed Budget
Grant project assistant:
Computer:
Scanner:
Miscellaneous supplies
Total funds requested:
$2,100 (7 hours per day x $15 per hour x 2 days per
week x 10 weeks
$731
$136
$33
$3,000
In-kind contributions
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Staff members will provide the following percentages of their time as 2/3 to 1/3 in-kind
contribution to match two for one the funds appropriated for the project:
Head of manuscripts processing—20 percent of time for 11 weeks: ($42,000 + $26,157
benefits) x .20 of time x .21 of year=$2,863
Assistant librarian for technology—20 percent of time for three weeks: ($50,000 +
$31,237 benefits) x .20 x .06 of year=$975
Head cataloguer—10 percent of time for three weeks: ($60,000 + 26,157 benefits) x .10 x
.06 of year=$517
Manuscripts librarian—5 percent of time for ten weeks: ($50,000 + 31,237 benefits) x .05
x .19 of year=$772
Head librarian—5 percent of time for ten weeks: ($75,000 + 26,157 benefits) x .05 x .19
of year=$961
Total funds provided by APS:
$6088
Evaluation
The manuscripts librarian and head of manuscripts processing will track requests for
items for six months prior to the commencement of the project, during its progress, and
for six months following its completion, noting the number of times that items involved
in the project (whether integrated into existing collections, assembled into new
collections, or catalogued at the item level in the APS OPAC) are requested. As a means
of determining whether patrons discovered the items due to online availability of
information about them, staff will ask persons requesting these items where they obtained
information about the items to determine. To prevent any potential reduction in the
number of requests due to online availability of digital images, thumbnails will not be
attached to finding aids and catalog records until the tracking and surveying is complete.
Conclusion
The Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection consists of historically significant and/or
interesting items that are currently accessible only through the American Philosophical
Society’s in-house manual card catalog and chronological shelf list. To enable offsite
patrons to access information about these items and to improve access to this information
by in-house researchers and APS staff, the American Philosophical Society requests
funding for a project assistant and for the purchase of a computer and a scanner. The
APS seeks a 1/3 contribution of funds toward this project and will provide the remaining
2/3 in the form of in-kind contributions of staff time.
Bibliography
Burton, P. and Boccaccio, M. AutoMARC: Manuscript control at East Carolina
University using Excel and Visual Basic [Electronic version]. Information Technology
and Libraries, 16(3), 135-138.
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DeMeule, M. and Gregory, G. Reconcilable differences: archivists, catalogers, and
manuscript materials. http://www.checs.net/checs_98/papers/Marah.html.
Downloaded 8/13/2005.
Gabriel, C. Subject access to archives and manuscripts collections: an historical
overview. Journal of Archival Organization, 1(4), 53-63
Gray, B. Cataloguing the special collections at Allegheny College [Electronic version].
Library Resources and Technical Services 49(1), 49-56.
Henthorne, E. Digitization and the creation of virtual libraries [Electronic version].
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Keith, C. Using XSLT to manipulate MARC metadata. [Electronic version] Library Hi
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[Electronic version]. Proceedings of the Second ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital
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