Lauren Perillo LIS 698: Seminar and Practicum August 2, 2012

1. Re-arrangement and Description: Utilizing Archival Theory to Improve Access to Collections at the South Street Seaport Museum Lauren Perillo LIS 698: Seminar and Practicum August 2, 2012

2. South Street Seaport Museum • Founded in 1967 • Museum’s collections include artwork, memorabilia, and historical objects related to shipping and the Seaport District • Library’s collections include primary and secondary materials related to general maritime history and history of the Seaport District • Museum of the City of New York assumed management this fall

3. South Street Seaport Museum Library and Archive

4. Nature of Work • Inventory of audio visual collection and marine survey reports • Cleaning and rehousing of ship plans • Arrangement and description of several small collections • Captain Abram Gurnee Decker Papers • Captain William Behrens Papers • James Minor Lincoln Papers • Johnson & Higgins Collection http://mcnyblog.org/category/south-street-seaport-museum/

5. Project: “Re-arrangement and Description: Utilizing Archival Theory to Improve Access to Collections at the South Street Seaport Museum” • Several collections had previously been “arranged” and cataloged, but not following archival principles of arrangement and description • My task: “re-arrange” collections to reflect principles of archival theory and create finding aids to improve access to collections

6. Analysis and Evaluation My experience at the South Street Seaport Museum reinforced the following: • The importance of using archival theory to guide arrangement and description of archival collections • The importance of having well-defined policies and standards