Modern Archival Management Tips for the Novice
or
“I Have Twenty-One Boxes of Historic Files Arriving On the Loading Dock
This Morning and Don’t Know Where to Begin!”
Janet Bishop
Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections
Colorado State University Libraries
October 14, 2005—WestPac Conference, Seattle
The Archival Terrain: Overview questions that we will address…
“What do archivists do? “
“How is this profession different from librarianship?”
“What can I learn from this profession that will help me
organize, store, describe, and provide access to the
historic materials we have at our library/organization?”
The Activities of an Archivist
Part I:
IDENTIFY and ACQUIRE records, papers, artifacts, audio/visual,
photographic and electronic materials of enduring value (evidential,
informational, intrinsic).
Part II:
ARRANGE, DESCRIBE and PRESERVE archival materials.
Part III:
Make archival materials AVAILABLE and ACCESSIBLE to patrons and
our institutional constituencies; both physically and intellectually.
Provide reference service, outreach and education about holdings.
With a nod to Gregory S. Hunter, Archivist extraordinaire
The archival profession makes distinctions between two types of materials…
Records
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Materials created by an institution,
corporation or government agency
(e.g., University of Washington,
United States Steel, USDA).
Traditional title of oversight position:
“Archivist”
Traditionally housed in Archives
Kept to meet the needs and
operations of the creating
organization. Part of preserving the
“Institutional Memory” of the
organization
Manuscripts
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The papers and collateral materials
of an individual or family (e.g., James
Joyce, James Madison)
Traditional title of oversight position:
“Manuscript Curator”
Traditionally housed in Repositories
“Kept to foster the study of the
subject about which the repository
collects”. Also: To document the
activities of socially, politically or
historically significant individuals
and groups
Saint Lawrence
Patron Saint of: Archivists, Comedians, Cooks, Schoolchildren, Seminarians and Winemakers…
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintl02.htm
Libraries
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Secondary Source Material
Items are classified and collected at
individual level
Weeding decisions, typically, can be
reversed
Items are described and classified
according to pre-existing national/
international classification schemes
(i.e., LC, AACR2R) and the
judgment of catalogers and
metadata specialists. Description
standards codified
Libraries are often dependent on
acquisitions budgets and approval
plans to build print collections.
Archives
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Primary Source Material
Items are classified and collected in
aggregate
Weeding decisions are, typically,
irreversible
Items are arranged and described
according to the rules of
provenance, hierarchy, original
order, and judgment of processing
archivists and archival metadata
specialists. Description and content
standards for Finding Aids only
recently established (i.e., DACS)
Archives are often dependent on
parent institution transfer or donor
base to build collections
The Activities of an Archivist
Part I:
IDENTIFY and ACQUIRE records, papers, artifacts,
audio/visual, photographic and electronic materials of enduring
value (evidential, informational, intrinsic).
“IDENTIFY and ACQUIRE”
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Conducting Surveys
Appraisal
– Intrinsic Value? Preserve “as is”? (considerations: aesthetic; association
with prominent people, places, things; historic; legal)
– Temporary or Permanent Retention?
Acquisitions and Accessioning
– Institutional Transfer
– Individual Donors and Deed of Gifts
– Copyright
– Informed Consent Forms
Surveys and Appraisal: Sample Question
“The files, drawers and closets in our back offices
are filled with photographs and papers going
back at least seventy-five years. I know some of
our own institutional material should be saved
and is of historic value, but it’s hard for me to
tell whether a document is of value to us or
not…Where do I begin?
Value
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Evidential Value: Materials that document organization, function,
policies, actions, decisions (i.e., presidential diaries, organizational
charts, minutes). Best evidence? Highest level? Most complete?
(final draft, main committee report rather than sub-committee)
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Informational Value: Materials that document people, places, things,
events. Importance? Researcher value? Uniqueness? (i.e., student
newspapers, Sanborn maps)
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Intrinsic Value: Materials linked with fame, important event, artistic
merit, uniqueness of format, high monetary value (i.e., Declaration of
Independence, glass plate negatives)
Permanent Retention Tips
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Subject Correspondence
Minutes, Proceedings, Reports (Administrative, Committee and Departmental)
Material generated by and unique to your institution: Awards, Brochures, Certificates,
Course Listings, Newsletters, Newspapers, Pamphlets, Press Releases, Syllabi (both
printed and electronic format)
Literary productions of individuals connected with your institution: Manuscripts,
Memoirs, Research notes, Reminiscences, Speeches and Lectures
Legal and administrative documents: Deeds, Mortgages, Titles, Policy and Charters
Photographs, Slides, DVDs and other audio/visual materials produced by your
organization
Scrapbooks and ephemera that document your activities
Maps, charts, diagrams and blueprints
Important Tip to Remember: Take into account your “born digital” materials and where they reside (Hard Drive,
Network, Web, E-Mail, CD)
Temporary Retention Tips
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Bank statements, voided checks, check stubs and check register tapes
Purchase records: orders, payment vouchers authorizing payment to vendors and
vendor invoices.
Sales records: invoices, monthly statements, remittance advisories, shipping and
mailing papers.
Travel and entertainment records: account books, expense statements.
Monthly financial statistics and statements used for internal purposes.
Routine form letters and correspondence
Statistics compiled for office reports.
Important Tip to Remember: The Intrinsic Value of an item may make it worth
keeping. (Linked with fame or a famous individual, an important event, artistic merit,
uniqueness of format, high monetary value.)
Materials That Usually Need No Retention Period
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Duplicates
Miscellaneous notes or memos that do not relate to the functions of your organization
Preliminary Drafts (unless showing a significant change or reversal of policy)
Published reference materials (working files)
Routine memos or forms used to request or respond to requests for information,
forms, mailing lists, etc
Routing Slips
Extra stocks of publications
Important Tip to Remember: The Intrinsic Value of an item may make it worth
keeping. (Linked with fame or a famous individual, an important event, artistic merit,
uniqueness of format, high monetary value.)
The Life Cycle of Records
Creation
?
Final Disposition
Archive, Transfer, Migrate, Reformat, or Destroy?
Storage
On site or remote?
Distribution and Use
Classification and Filing
By-Products of an organizational archival survey and inventory
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Knowing what kind of records and information predominates your organization-Who
needs it, uses it, and what purpose it serves. Understanding “Creation Patterns”
and the culture of your organization (what you need to document).
Gauging your organization's future ability to accession historic materials from other
institutions and organizations.
Practice in identifying types of materials that will aid you with organizing other
historic collections.
Gathering the information to create a preliminary retention schedule for your active
records if you do not have a records management system in place.
In reviewing the archival materials that your organization has, you will
have made the first big step in retaining your Institutional Memory!
Legal Issues in Accessioning Materials: Sample Questions
“The local women’s legal rights association has offered us
their materials from the ’70’s. Should we take it? What
if they want it back later?”
“A donor just said he wanted me to give a monetary value
to a collection he just gave to our library. Should I do
this?”
Things to Consider in Accessioning Archival Materials
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Was the material originally generated by my institution? (Separated at
birth and now reunited)
If not, does this collection fit with my institution’s mission and collecting
policy (look at your collections policies for circulating subject
materials?) Does it complement the collections we already have?
Do we have the space to house these materials?
Do we have the person-power to do base-level organization and
processing of these materials?
Can we get a grant to process these materials or is there funding
attached to the donation? What stipulations are attached to donation
funding?
Forms Used in Accessioning Archival Materials
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Internal Transfer Form (Institutional Records)
Deed of Gift (Manuscript/Audio-Visual Collections)
Informed Consent Form (i.e., oral history projects)
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Sound Model Project (CDP)
Consider future copyright, reproduction rights, and future digitization
projects.
Donors
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Create a contact file for donors where you record each contact meeting. This
creates the bases of an accession file (containing Deed of Gift, background
information on materials, etc.). Sometimes you may have to work in tandem
with your development, marketing or public relations departments if they exist in
your organization.
Learn about your donor through background research, one-on-one
conversations. Expect an ongoing relationship with a donor.
Do not give a monetary value to donated collections—this indicates a conflict of
interest! Encourage your donors to go to a professional appraiser
Make sure you understand the donor’s stipulations for their collections. Are the
materials to be closed access? Be wary of deposited—rather than deeded-materials
Legal Issues in Acquisitions and Accessioning
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Nazi-era materials
NAGPRA (Native American Grave Protection and Reparation
Act)
UNESCO convention on illegal import, export, transfer of
ownership of cultural property
“Replevin”: Old English phrase for recovering personal property
(i.e.: Dr. King’s estate v. Boston University—contested validity
of pledge made in 1964)
The Activities of an Archivist
Part II:
ARRANGE, DESCRIBE and PRESERVE archival materials.
“ARRANGE and PRESERVE”
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Arrangement of Materials
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Physical Order
Intellectual Order (See also Description and Access)
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Finding Aids
Preservation
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Acid free folders
Re-housing (Hollinger and Records Center boxes)
Temperature and Humidity Control
Security Issues
Reformatting
Physical and Intellectual Order: Sample Question
“I have twenty boxes and three shopping
bags from Judge Smith sitting on our
loading dock, donated by the judge’s
family. The boxes are crammed with his
letters, diaries and photos and need to be
organized. What should I do?”
Things We Learned From the French and Prussians…
Provenance
(sacrosanct)
The materials generated by one individual, organization or department should
not be mixed or combined with the materials of another.
Original order
(not always sacrosanct for the Modern Archivist )
Materials should be kept and arranged in the order in which they were originally
created, maintained or used.
Material Series Types
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Subject Correspondence (Incoming and Outgoing)
Minutes, Proceedings, Reports (Administrative, Committee and Departmental)
Awards, Brochures, Certificates, Course Listings, Newsletters, Newspapers,
Pamphlets, Press Releases, Syllabi
Manuscripts, Memoirs, Research notes, Reminiscences, Speeches and Lectures
Deeds, Mortgages, Titles, Policy and Charters
Photographic material
Scrapbooks
Maps, charts, diagrams and blueprints
Artifacts and ephemera
Preservation: Sample Question
“I’ve started to go through Judge Smith’s twenty boxes
and three shopping bags and have come up with a
preliminary arrangement scheme. But I’ve started to
notice that many of the items are torn and crumpled
and the photographs fading. Now what should I do?”
The Archivists motto at NARA:
“Preservation is what I can do. Conservation is what I have to send out
for someone else to do.”
The National Archives, Washington, D.C.
“What is Past is Prologue”
Basic Preservation
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Paper clips or metal fasteners
removed
Folded items flattened
Acidic materials interleaved with
acid-free paper and tissue
Re-housing original in acid-free
folder or mylar sleeve
Acid-free spacers used in
storage boxes that are not full
Preservation surrogate copy
made
Scanning and digitization of
original to provide public access
surrogates and eliminate further
handling of original
Conservation
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Photograph sent out to
conservation lab to repair tears
and creases in image
Tape and adhesive residue
chemically removed from surface
Remember: Conservation refers to
all those activities that stabilize
collections chemically or
strengthen collections physically
(washing, de-acidification, tape
removal, stain reduction, mending,
and lining.)
Quick Tips
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Wash hands often and avoid lotions
Use gloves when handling photographic materials
Mantra: “My pencil is my best friend”
Shun scotch tape, paper clips, markers, and rubber bands.
Not every supply marked “archival quality” is archiva
Avoid placing collections on floor, under pipes, against outer walls, in
front of windows
Study your institution to see care and maintenance patterns and
potential problems (i.e., wooden shelves and off gassing, lack of fire
suppression systems)
Check to see if insurance riders are in place for your archival materials
of high value
Rotate archival collections if materials are put on display
The Activities of An Archivist
Part III:
Make these materials AVAILABLE and ACCESSIBLE to patrons
and our institutional constituencies; both physically and
intellectually. Provide reference service, outreach and
education about holdings.
“MAKE AVAILABLE”
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Description
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Indexes and Finding Aids
o Print Guides
o EAD
Access and Reference
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Patron and Institutional Queries
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Digital Projects
Outreach and Promotion
Classes
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Conferences and Seminars
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Press Releases/Articles
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Events (Alumni Gatherings)
Access and Outreach: Sample Question
“If I can’t let our archival materials circulate,
how can I let people know about and have
access to the historic materials we have? “
Typical Elements of a Finding Aid
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Administrative History or Biography
Scope and Content Notes
Series Arrangement and Description
Special Restrictions to Access?
Folder-level Listing
http://vulture.library.colostate.edu/archives/ag/html/acfa.html
Other outreach and access activities
•E-mail and phone reference
•Online digital collections and collaborative digitization projects
•Displays
•Events celebrating completion of processing significant collections,
Lectures, “Behind the Scenes” Tours, Fundraisers (i.e., “Tables of Content” at
CSU)
•K-12 teaching modules
•Community Oral History projects
http://lib.colostate.edu/generalinfo/digital.html
International Poster Exhibition
http://www.cdpheritage.org/
CDP
Supplies, Training and Hiring: Sample Questions
“Where can I get archival training in preservation and basic
archival techniques? “
“Where can I hire an archivist—given the budget
limitations we have—to help out with some of our
materials?”
Organizations
 Society of American Archivists (SAA)
 Local Archival Societies (i.e., Seattle Area Archivists)
 ARMA
Training
 Modern Archives Institute
 WPI
Supplies
 Hollinger Company
 Metal Edge
 Light Impressions
Grants
 National Endowment for the Humanities
 IMLS Institute of Museum and Library Services
 National Historic Publications and Records Commission
Thank You!
Janet Bishop
Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections
Colorado State University Libraries
Janet.Bishop@colostate.edu
970-491-7787