Arrangement and Description

1. Arrangement and Description A brief introduction to archival arrangement and descriptive standards November 10, 2006

2. History: Archives v. Manuscripts Archives and Records • Dutch Manual - Provenance and Original Order • Jenkinson: Manual of Archival Administration "sanctity of evidence"

3. History: Archives v. Manuscripts Archives and Records • US early 20th century “Public Archives“ • Public Records - land deeds, vital records • Professional Historians • Description – National Archives descriptive inventories based on Provenance

4. History: Archives v. Manuscripts • Oliver Wendell Holmes: Five Levels of arrangement for National Archives • Hierarchical scheme: • Depository • Record Group/Collection • Series • File Unit • Item

5. History: Archives v. Manuscripts Manuscripts Tradition • In US practices for handling mss developed earlier and separately. • Preserving "greater and lesser deeds of great men" • Collecting and publishing.

6. History: Archives v. Manuscripts • 1st cataloging rules for MSS developed in 1888 at Mass. Historical Society. • Leadership by Library of Congress MSS division • practices focused on item-level cataloging and analysis of use of card catalogs for access that paralleled emerging bibliographic standards for books.

7. History: Archives v. Manuscripts • Through 1970s archivists and manuscripts librarians maintained separate approaches. • Introduction of computers as access tools and introduction MARC • MARC AMC - 1983 • APPM – 1983

8. History: Standards • 1990s: Internet and mounting of Finding Aids • EAD mid-late 1990s • Structure but still no real content standard

9. History: Standards DACS - 2004

10. DACS Principle 1 Records in archives possess unique characteristics.

11. DACS Principle 2: • The principle of respect des fonds is the basis of archival arrangement and description.

12. DACS Principle 3: • Arrangement involves the identification of groupings within the material.

13. DACS Principle 4: • Description reflects arrangement.

14. DACS Principle 5: • Description applies to all archival materials regardless of form or medium.

15. DACS Principle 6 • The principles of archival description apply equally to records created by corporate bodies and by individuals or families

16. DACS Principle 7: • Archival descriptions may be presented in a variety of outputs and with varying levels of detail.

17. DACS Principle 7.1: • Levels of description correspond to the levels of arrangement.

18. DACS Principle 7.2: • Relationships between levels of description must be clearly indicated.

19. DACS Principle 7.3: • Information provided at each level of description must be appropriate to that level.

20. DACS Principle 8: • The creators of archival materials, as well as the materials themselves, must be described. • Except when the Collector is the Repository.

21. Level or units of description • Subgroup • Series • Subseries • File • Item

22. Levels of description • Subgroup • A body of related records within a record group or a collection, each corresponding to an administrative subdivision in the originating organization.

23. Levels of description • Series • Files or documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they relate to a particular subject or function, result from the same activity, have a particular form, or because of some the relationship acting out of their creation, receipt, or use.

24. Levels of description • Subseries • A subseries defined as an aggregate of files units within a series, readily separable in terms of physical class, type, form, subject, or filing arrangement. • Large series often subdivide into subseries; subseries may be further split into files or (or filing units).

25. Levels of description • File • An organized group of documents gathered together because they relate to the same subject, activity, or transaction. • Files should not be confused with folders, which are physical units. • A file may contain several folders or one folder.

26. Levels of description • Item • A single item or document.

27. Arrangement • Arrangement into series is key step. • Function • Subject/Topic • Result from same activity (writings, teaching, etc, may also be specific positions/occupations for - Secretary of State ) • Have a particular form/genre

28. Arrangement: Original Order • For organizational records (and many collections of personal papers) preserving original order is ideal: • Preserves context • Doesn’t screw things up for future processors • Less Work!

29. Arrangement: Original Order • What if there is no original order? • Represent Admin. Structure/Hierarchy of the organization. • Ideally, represent different functions of the organization.

30. Arrangement: Original Order • Personal Papers: • Can be more challenging at first glance • But there are common document types

31. Arrangement: Standard Series • Biographical • Correspondence (or other types of communication) • Financial/Medical Information • Writings (or other "Creations") • Roles, Occupations, Activities • Research Files/Subject Files/Field Notes/ • Topical Files/Miscellaneous • Format - Photographs/AV/Size • (Chronological Arrangement May Also Work)

32. Arrangement: Standard Series • Other "Standard" Series for other types of collections?

33. Arrangement Strategies: • Survey entire collection first, break down into categories. • Do an arrangement list and processing plan. Share with your supervisor (or Curator?) • Avoid over-thinking and re-thinking: • Give yourself a time-frame, make informed decision (to the best of your ability), then stick to them.

34. Arrangement examples/Scenarios? • Frank Notestein • Ragnar Nurkse • Development and Resources Corporation • Don’s examples

35. Arrangement • Greene/Meissner and others: • After arranging into series, then you’re done! • If Arranging below the series level: • Continue with hierarchy: subseries, file, or item