Processing Archival Records

Accessioning is the processes by which we examine, analyze, stabilize, and document our knowledge about a grouping of archival materials upon their arrival in order to confirm our stewardship of them. - Society of American Archivists

Physical Security

Intellectual Control of Records

Finding Aids

Assess condition of physical records - ID materials that need preservation

Inventory and labeling

Arrangement (if needed)

Access and Use Restrictions

Physical Control of Records

Preservation Needs Management

Records are turned over for archiving and appraisal

Processing and Accessioning Archival Records

Making items of historical importance discoverable

Access and Use Restrictions

• Materials identified in inventory as needing specific preservation are documented and steps taken to ensure preserveation is possible

• Use restrictions could be caused by
• Special handling requirements
• Physical security
• Restrictions put in place by the donor
• Fragile condition of materials
• Informational security

Physical Control of Records

• Items are carefully labeled and stored so items are able to be found
• May also include:
• Reboxing
• Interleafing
• Proving new folders
• Adding them to a container that will conserve space

Preservation Needs Managed

• Ensure preservation steps identified have been taken
• Items encapsulated if necessary to prevent damage
• What protections do they need if on exhibit
• Do they need a particular temperature for storage
• Do documents need buffer paper or interleaving
• Is legacy equipment available to access content
• Cassette tape player
• DVD player
• Old computers, etc
• Digitize content that cannot be preserved in its original format
• Certain types of paper
• Audiovisual items
• Damaged items

Finding Aid

• Finding aids are created by archivists to make items discoverable
• Can be in many forms
• Website
• Paper

Arrangement If Needed

• Best practice is to preserve the original order of the documents as they were created or donated
• Document the way in which the materials were used and the activities from which the materials derived
• Correct misfiles or clarification, and ease of understanding
• If the collection doesn't have a discernble order, use alphabetical or chronologial order
• Group by activites and order according to chronology, not by material type
• Archivists are trained to figure out the best way to arrange and describe groups of records in a meaningful way

What Do You Have?

• Sometimes the records or items are donated or turned over with a full inventory - it is checked for accurary
• Some records or items are turned over with a partial or no inventory.
• Records are inventoried and labeled

Turnover/Donation and Appraisal

• Records are either turned over by an institution via its records management policy or the materials are donated by an invidual or group.
• Archival staff determine if the material is worth committing the resources of the archives to its preseravation, storage, and access (sometimes this is defined by law or policy)
• Items may have value (personal, institutional, evidential, etc.) and it still may not fall within the scope of the archives collections.

Determine is this material that is worth committing the resarchings of the organization to add it ot the archives. collection policy gives youg uidelines for what you collect and don't and why. outlines who the govrening authorities are, what the process is for inquiring about it. just cause the donor thinks the material is valuable it it might not be int he scope of the directing policy of the insitution which is tailored for their collectin plan, etc.

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Physical Assessment

• Assess the physical condition of items
• Identify preservation needs
• Determine if some items cannot be preserved and if the content is important how that content should be saved in a different format

Intellectual Control of Records

• Process by which records and items are made discoverable
• Like making a catalog record for a book
• Writing descritions so they can be searched
• Level of detail available for description is based on:
• Rarity
• Condtion of materials
• Resources (including time) available
• What will serve the item and the patrons who want to use it

Physical Security

• Records or items may:
• Be rare or one of a kind
• Historically valuable
• Monitarily valuable
• Have evidentiary value
• Physical security must always be maintained after the transfer of records and items