Transcript Thanks for Your Photos and Plow—Now What? Preserving Local History Materials in Small Public and Academic Libraries Susan Hamburger, Ph.D. Penn State University Libraries PaLA Conference,

Thanks for Your Photos
and Plow—Now What?
Preserving Local History Materials in
Small Public and Academic Libraries
Susan Hamburger, Ph.D.
Penn State University Libraries
PaLA Conference, Pittsburgh, PA - November 15, 2006
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Archival Collections
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Collecting/Acquiring
Arranging and Describing
Housing
Preservation
Reformatting
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Acquisition
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Mission Statement
Collections Policy
Deed of Gift
Accessioning and Deaccessioning
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Mission Statement
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Defines the vision for the archival
program and its place within the larger
institution
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Why was the archival program initiated?
What groups, activities, or experiences
does the archives document?
What does the archives collect?
What groups or interests does the archives
serve?
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Collections Policy
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Statement of purpose
Indication of user community
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Topics of research
Exhibits
Outreach
Publications
Clientele served by the collection
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Collections Policy (cont.)
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Priorities and limitation of the collection
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Present identified strengths
Present collecting level
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Basic, minimal, support K-12, research, comprehensive
Present identified weaknesses/growth areas
Desired level of collecting to meet all program
goals – documentation strategies
Geographical, chronological, topical areas
collected
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Collections Policy (cont.)
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Cooperative agreements with other archival
repositories regarding collecting or
documentation strategies
Statements concerning resource sharing
Summary of the deaccessioning policy
Procedures or policies affecting the collecting
policy
Procedures for monitoring the progress and
reviewing the collection development policy
guidelines
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Deed of Gift
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Identifies the donor
Transfers legal ownership of the materials to
the repository
Establishes provisions for their use
Specifies ownership of intellectual property
rights in the materials
Indicates what the repository should do with
unwanted materials
Consult an attorney to be sure language is
binding
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Accessioning and
Deaccessioning
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Accessioning
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Recording, for legal purposes, what you have
received and from whom
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Name of collection, brief description, quantity, date
received
Donor information: name, address, phone, email
Accessions system
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Sequential numbering (1001, 1002, 1003)
Year-based numbering (1998-0001, 1998-0002)
Alpha-numeric (M-0001, P-0001, A-0001)
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M=manuscript P=photos A=archives
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Accessioning and
Deaccessioning (cont.)
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Deaccessioning
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Out-of-scope materials
Not historically significant materials (bank
statements, checkbook registers, greeting cards,
newspaper clippings not about or by creator)
Multiple copies (theater programs, memos)
Artifacts (toys, clothes, paintings)
Disposal (return to donor, discard, donate)
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Arrangement:
Definitions
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Provenance
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Materials from one records
creator/compiler should not be intermixed
with those of another records
creator/compiler despite similarities in
subject matter
Record Group
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Body of organizationally-related materials
established on the basis of provenance
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Arrangement:
Definitions (cont.)
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Record Series
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Group of materials which are organized or
maintained by a records creator/compiler
as a unit because of similar subject
content, origin, or ease of use
Arrangement
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Intellectual and physical organization of
records with regard to archival principles
such as provenance and original order
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Arrangement
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Five levels of arrangement
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Repository
Record Group / Collection
Series (sub-series)
File Unit (Folder, Volume, Reel of Magnetic
Tape or Film, etc.)
Item
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Arrangement (cont.)
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Look over the whole collection
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Is there an apparent arrangement?
Examine documents to get a sense of content
Initially keep collection in original order
Take notes
Write organization plan
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Follow original order
Impose logical order on unorganized collection
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Arrangement (cont.)
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Sort the collection by series or type
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Series: For a family collection, each person would
be a Subgroup and the series under each
Subgroup would be the individual’s personal
papers (sub-series: diaries, correspondence,
photographs), business records, professional
papers, etc.
Type: Correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs,
literary manuscripts, awards, etc.
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Preservation
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Proper storage conditions
Basic conservation
Protective enclosures
Staff and patron training
Reformatting
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Proper Storage Conditions
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Storage facility
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Clean
Dry
HVAC
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Stable temperature
Air-conditioned
Humidity controlled
Secure
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Basic Conservation
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Do no harm
Do nothing that cannot be undone
Remove all pins, rusty paperclips, twine, and rubber
bands
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Place loose pages together in a separate folder
Plastikips vs. folded paper sleeve
Unfold and uncrease papers
Put fragile documents in Mylar/Melinex sleeve
Separate photographs and negatives from each other
and from other paper documents
Keep bound items separate from loose papers
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Cleaning Documents
Recommended tools include:
1. Brushes with fine, natural or synthetic hair for
removing surface dirt are the safest. Use softer
artist’s brushes, not draftsman type.
2. Cotton material for light dusting.
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Soft cotton diapers, clean cotton sheets, or muslin cloth.
Don’t smudge any written markings on the document while
attempting to remove the dust/dirt.
3. Artgum erasers for marks and dirt.
Do not use canned air; the liquid released is damaging.
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Information Sources
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Guide to Collections Care: Paper, Photographs,
Textiles, & Books (Syracuse, N.Y.: Gaylord Bros.,
2005) http://www.gaylord.com/images/2005022%20Pathfinders%20PDF.pdf
Van der Reyden, Dianne. “Paper Documents,” in
Storage of Natural History Collections: A Preventive
Conservation Approach Vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.:
Society for Preservation of Natural History
Collections, 1992-1995), p. 327-353.
http://www.si.edu/mci/downloads/RELACT/
paper_documents.pdf
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Protective Enclosures
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Folders
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Use the size of folder most appropriate for
all of the unfolded materials; don’t mix
legal and letter size folders in a box
Discard old manila folders after noting any
relevant information on them
Archival folders are scored to create a flat
bottom
Do not overfill folders
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Protective Enclosures (cont.)
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Folders (cont.)
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Newspaper clippings
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Photocopy onto acid-free paper
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Keep clippings in separate folder
Books
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copy several clippings onto one sheet
include date and title of newspaper
discard clippings
Ledgers, diaries: put in separate folder from loose papers
Oversized materials
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Use folder slightly larger than item
Do not fold
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Protective Enclosures (cont.)
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Folders (cont.)
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Label each folder uniformly in pencil
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Collection title
Short description of contents
Date span of the material in the folder
Number of items in folder
Accession or collection number
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Protective Enclosures (cont.)
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Boxes
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Put folders in acid-free, lignin-free boxes
according to arrangement plan
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Choose box size to fit folders
Do not overfill or underfill boxes
Use archival spacers for an underfilled box
When folders are in their final order, make an
inventory of the collection
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List each folder in each box
Number each folder sequentially within each box
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Protective Enclosures (cont.)
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Boxes (cont.)
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Label each box
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Collection name and date span
Accession / Collection number
Box number
Shelf location
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Staff and Patron Training
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Proper handling
In-room security
Have rules sheet for patrons to read
and sign
Archival materials do not circulate
Rules for photocopying, scanning
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Reformatting
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Photocopying
Microfilming
Digitizing
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When is it appropriate or necessary?
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Microfilm
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Pros:
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Only preservation medium
Can be duplicated easily and inexpensively
Can be loaned
Can be read without expensive equipment
Cons:
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Readability dependent upon condition of
original and quality of filming/processing
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Digitizing
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Pros:
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Wide dissemination over the Internet
Highlight segments of collections
Cons:
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Not archival preservation
Unstable medium prone to obsolescence
Need expensive hardware and software to see
Lose control of future use of images by others
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Description:
Definition
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Development of written information
concerning archival materials, such as
the context in which records were
created and the content of the records
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Descriptive Products
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Level
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Product
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Repository
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Collection
Series
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File Unit
Item
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Guide to all holdings;
Brochure
Inventory, Guide
Description of
contents
Folder list
Calendar
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Sample Topical or Subject Guide
Women's Literary Papers and Manuscripts
Selected Primary Sources
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/guides/wmnlit.htm
Mss 99 F252 Sara Teasdale Letters to Orrick Johns, 1909-1914, 44 items.
Letters from the American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) to fellow poet and
literary editor (of The Mirror), Orrick Johns. Teasdale praises and critiques
Johns's poetry, and discusses her own writing and her work in general.
Mss 105 Emily Holmes Coleman Papers, 1852-1988 (bulk 1930-1970), 50 linear
ft.
Papers of the American expatriate writer. During the 1920s, Emily Coleman
(1899-1974) was associated with the group of writers in Paris who contributed to
transition magazine; in the latter decades of her life she was actively involved
with Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker. In addition to Coleman's manuscripts,
personal notebooks and diaries, family correspondence, and memorabilia, the
papers include extensive literary and personal correspondence from such
figures as Djuna Barnes, Antonia White, Peggy Guggenheim, George Barker,
Kathleen Raine, Dylan Thomas, and others.
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Finding Aid
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Components of a good finding aid
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Name, address, contact info of repository
Identification of the creator/compiler
Title of collection, inclusive dates
Amount of materials (size of collection in linear
feet, cubic feet, or number of items)
Arrangement note
Restrictions on access or use
Name of person who processed the collection and
the date
Language represented in the collection
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Finding Aid (cont.)
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Biographical or administrative history
note
Scope and content note
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Summary of contents of collection
Highlights of important subjects,
correspondents
Controlled vocabulary subject headings
Container list
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Catalog record
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All the components of the finding aid
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Shorter biographical note
Summarized scope and content note
Without container list
Contributed to OCLC, NUCMC, local
OPAC, consortial catalog
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Exhibits
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Cases
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Don’t overcrowd
Provide identification labels
Lighting
Originals vs. reproductions
Length of time on display
Where does the stuff go back to?
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Questions?
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Contact
Susan Hamburger
[email protected]
814-865-1756
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/x/sxh36/
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