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Arrangement and Description: Special Formats

Audiovisual

The following guidelines apply to audiovisual (AV) material found within manuscript and records collection accessions (exceptions may include donor institution collections, or highly valuable materials).

Note

Collections predominantly containing AV materials are processed in the AV department according to separate guidelines.

AV material is defined as the following:

  • Photographic prints, negatives, and slides
  • Audio recordings (phonographic records, magnetic tape, digital tape)
  • Motion picture film
  • Video recordings (magnetic tape, digital tape)
  • Graphic art (posters, drawings, prints, architectural plans, signs, banners, textiles)
  • Fine art (paintings, sculpture)

Arrangement

Regardless of the processing level, AV material is not kept in the same folders or boxes as documents. In cases where an AV item is significantly tied to surrounding documents, a photocopy can be left in the folder it was originally found. If existing folder headings or informative textual material filed with the AV item is the only identification of that item, photocopy accompanying documents or otherwise make a notation to accompany the AV item.

Determination must be made upon separation, whether to shelve AV material boxes alongside the manuscript or records boxes or transfer them to the AV Department for storage and access. Use the following format-specific guidelines to make your determination:

  1. Photographic prints or any other positive image paper-based materials (i.e., graphic art) are shelved alongside the rest of the collection.

Exceptions are:

  • Legal-size (or smaller) items that constitute less than a ½ manuscript box. These are given to the AV Dept. to be placed in the small collections hanging files.
  • Oversize items that will not adequately fit in the largest available flat box (approx. 30" x 40"). Contact the AV Dept. for storage options.

Note

For additions to collections, check with the AV Dept. before foldering or boxing to see whether legacy material is already being housed separately.

  1. Photographic negatives or slides are transferred to the AV Dept.
  2. Audio, film, or video recordings are transferred to the AV Dept.
  3. Fine art or sculpture are transferred to the AV Dept.

Mechanics

Regardless of final stacks destination, house the material according to format.

  • If transferring boxes to the AV Dept., label the boxes (leave AV location blank*).
  • If transferring folders or single items (including oversize) to the AV Dept., either label (if applicable) or write the collection title, accession #, and item # on the folder tab, lightly penciled on the back of the item(s), or written on a separate sheet of paper and attached to the item(s) with a paperclip.*
  • If material is to be shelved alongside the collection, place legal-size (or smaller) items upright in manuscript boxes; oversized materials in flat boxes. Do not place AV items in the same box as documents – start a new box and use spacers if needed. In addition to the collection label, boxes need a blue “AV Material” label.

*Once the collection is processed and transferred items have been delivered to and stored by the AV department, location(s) will be added to the abstract node and/or the ASpace Resource Record by an AV Archivist.

Description

AV material is described according to level of processing.

  • Regardless of final stacks location, AV material are added to the collection inventory either as the last series (level I & II only) or the last items listed (level III).
    • If single folders (unboxed) are being transferred to the AV Dept., use “AV” in lieu of box number in the <container> tag for boxes.
    • If single items (unboxed) are being transferred to the AV Dept. use “AV” in lieu of box number in the <container> tag for boxes and change “Folder” to “Item” in the <container> tag for folders.
    • If boxes are being transferred to the AV Dept., continue sequential numbering (i.e., do not start over with Box 1).
    • Do not inventory at the item level (unless you only have a couple of items), but instead provide a general statement. Information (gleaned from related documents or notations on the items themselves) such as dates, formats, subjects, events, amounts, sizes, etc. can be used. For example:
      • 10 oversize posters and awards, undated
      • Photographs; Detroit Protests, 1967
      • 8 color slides, 1979
      • Negatives; Family portraits, 1930-1989
      • Audiocassette tapes; Conferences, 1960-1969
  • Important information about any AV material, such as their original location, is included in the collection or series scope and content note.
  • If material is transferred to the AV Dept. describe the material transferred (complete with box numbers) in the Resource Record in Notes > Separated Material. For example:
    • Slides and photographic negatives (Box 10) have been transferred to the AV Dept.
    • 1 film (Box AV) has been transferred to the AV Dept.

Oral Histories

Oral history materials at the Reuther can be part of papers or records collections, duplicates of material at another archives used for reference purposes, or discrete projects conducted by Reuther staff, donors, or other related parties in accordance with the library’s mission. The following guidelines address all oral history materials from accessioning to access.

Oral History (OH) material is defined as any combination of the following:

  • Analog audio and video recordings (film, magnetic, or optical)
  • Digital audio and video files (mp3, mp4, wav, etc.)
  • Transcripts (paper copies and/or electronic files)

Arrangement

Regardless of how an OH is acquired, if it entails any type of recording, in addition to transcripts, there could be a physical separation of materials due to preservation concerns and access. Use the following guidelines to determine where to store materials:

  1. Hard copy, machine-dependent media such as reel-to-reel, film, cassette, VHS tapes, Hi-8 tapes, digital Hi-8 tapes, CDs and DVDs are to be transferred to the AV Dept.

  2. Born digital recordings are to be uploaded to the server and backed up on shared hard drives.

    1. If a transcript(s) is part of a unique accession or accrual to a unique accession (this includes discrete projects and duplicates): Hard-copy(s) are to be boxed and shelved at 3N-F-1. Single transcripts are to be placed in the last available individual oral histories box and specific arrangement statement added to the resource record.
    2. Digital-copy(s) are to be uploaded to the server.

  3. If the transcript(s) is part of a papers or records collection:

    1. They stay with the collection regardless of format.

    2. If digital (e.g., stored on CDs) within an analog collection, then duplicates should be made for the sake of preservation, and uploaded to the server; original media can then be disposed

    3. If digital within an entirely digital collection, they will be stored with the rest of the digital content.

  4. If the transcripts and/or recordings are digital:

    1. First name the materials using the following conventions that apply to both born-digital and digitized oral history recordings and transcripts. For consistency, "OH" is added to the file name, immediately following the accession number, regardless of whether or not OH is already part of the accession number prefix. Three digit counter numbers are then added, beginning with 001 and increasing up to 999 (if needed). Counter numbers represent individual recordings and transcripts, disambiguating items in larger oral history collections and providing machine readability. Recording and transcript numbers are automatically differentiated by file name extension (e.g. recordings may end in mp3, mp4, wav, etc., and transcripts will end in .pdf).
    2. Continue to use established numbering conventions for corresponding physical materials. These numbers may parallel the numbering for digital materials, but will not be identical to it (e.g., LOH002210.1 for physical recordings and physical transcripts).

Recordings

File Name: AccessionNumber_OH_Counter#_TapeSide (if applicable)

For recordings on tape, always use “A” or “B” to denote TapeSide. If there is a recording only on one side of the tape, always use “A” to denote TapeSide, even if the recording was started on side B.

Examples:

File Name Description
LOH002210_OH_001_A.wav an oral history recording on side A of a tape, or an oral history recording from a tape only recorded on a single side
UR000501_OH_024_B.mp3 an oral history recording on side B of a tape from a records collection
UOH000037_OH_007.wav an oral history recording from a CD or born digital

Transcripts

File Name: AccessionNumber_OH_Counter#

Examples:

File Name Description
LOH002210_OH_001.pdf an oral history transcript
UR000501_OH_024.pdf an oral history transcript from a records collection

Additional Project Materials

Use the following convention for additional project materials such as project documentation, draft transcripts, biographical sketches, resumes, etc.

File Name: AccessionNumber_OH_Counter#_Counter#

Examples:

File Name Description
LOH001952_OH_000_001.doc a project-level file #1, e.g. project proposal
LOH001952_OH_000_002.doc a project-level file #2, e.g. final budget
LOH001952_OH_001_001.doc interview #1 draft transcript
LOH001952_OH_001_002.doc interview #1 additional case file materials, interviewee resume, etc.

Much of the above materials will go in the case file, but some project-level and/or related files may be placed in Access and Preservation folders in the Digital Hold, such as introductory essays, interviewee biographies, and the like.

Next, arrange the materials using the following guidelines for arranging born digital/digitized oral history transcripts and recordings.

Project Materials

  1. Ensure all files follow oral history naming conventions (recordings, transcripts, project materials).
  2. First determine if the file is access or preservation:
    1. Access: PDF, MP3, JPEG, MP4
    2. Preservation: PDF/A, WAV, TIFF (If the material does not exist in a preservation format, put the original file in the preservation folder, e.g., JPEG.)
  3. Next, determine if the oral history is from a donor organization, or an individual project.
  4. Based on this information, the file is arranged as follows:
    1. Access file, OH is part of an organization: Digital Hold > OH > Access > [organization] > [accession #]
    2. Access file, OH is not part of an organization: Digital Hold > OH > Access > Projects > [accession #] OR Digital Hold > OH > Access > Individual > [accession #]
    3. Preservation file, OH is part of an organization: Digital Hold > OH > Preservation > [organization] > [accession #]
    4. Preservation file, OH is NOT part of an organization: Digital Hold > OH > Preservation > Projects > [accession #] OR Digital Hold > OH > Preservation > Individual > [accession #]

Case File Materials

  1. Create a case file for the oral history if one does not already exist: Digital Hold > Central > Collections > Collection_Management_Tools > Accessions > Casefiles > Oral Histories > [Accession #]:
  2. Add the following materials to the oral history’s digital case file. Ensure all files follow oral history naming conventions.
    1. Original unedited/non-finalized transcripts (MS Word or PDF)
    2. Closed audio or video records

Example

  • Donor organization level folder: SWE
  • Project/Collection Level Folder: LOH002110
  • File Name for an oral history transcript: LOH002110_OH_001.pdf
  • File name for an oral history recording from a CD: LOH002110_OH_008.wav
  • Therefore, file locations are:
    • Digital Hold > OH > Access > SWE > LOH002110 > LOH002110_OH_001.pdf
    • Digital Hold > OH > Preservation > SWE > LOH002110 > LOH002110_OH_008.wav

Mechanics

  1. Media transferred to the AV Dept. should be labeled with the full accession number (including the unique identifier for multiple interview projects).
  2. Digital files of any format (audio, video, transcripts) should be named following the file naming convention (see Section VI below).
  3. Hard-copy transcripts should be foldered by interview. Folder should be labeled with box:folder number, interviewee name, and date. If a single transcript, the folder should also list the accession number.
  4. Once the collection is processed and transferred items have been delivered to and stored by the AV department, location(s) should be added to the resource record.
  5. If an oral history(s) is part of a papers or records collection, the box labels containing recording media will reflect the accession number of the entire collection, and each individual tape should still be labeled with the accession number plus the unique identifier.

Description

Oral histories should receive the same level of description as do papers and records collections so that they may be discoverable during a search of the Reuther's complete holdings.

  1. If an oral history(s) is part of a papers or records collection it should be listed in the box: folder listings either as part of a larger series or its own series (quantity alone may dictate this approach) in Level I or II description; or listed at the end of the box: folder listing in Level III description.
    1. All formats (AV and transcript) should be noted either in the series title or after each interview listed. Transcripts and media will need to be listed separately to physically account for all material.
    2. If the collection is only being described at the top collection level, the oral history(s) should be mentioned in the abstract and the box inventory, if applicable.
    3. All machine-dependent media being physically transferred to the AV Dept. should be noted in the resource record under Separated Material.
  2. If an oral history(s) is part of a unique accession or accrual to a unique accession (this includes discrete projects and duplicates) either a new resource record is created or an existing one is amended (for accruals). Size of the accession will dictate whether description is collection level, box level, or folder level. In any case, the name of the interviewees should be noted either in an abstract, scope and content note, or a box or folder listing.
    1. All machine-dependent media being physically transferred to the AV Dept. should be noted in the resource record under the Separated Material note.
    2. All formats (AV and transcript) should be noted in the abstract and scope & content note, or box or folder listing, depending on level of description (collection vs. item level). Transcripts and media will need to be listed separately to physically account for all material.
  3. Unique identifiers for each interview do not need to be recorded in the resource record notes. They will only be accounted for in a box:item inventory, if included.

Examples

Examples are given to help illustrate above points. Refer to oral history notes in ArchivesSpace: Resource Records for full description procedures.

Example 1:

In a 5-series manuscript collection, OH material is arranged in the last series (2 boxes) and described. Box 83 contains transcripts that stay with the collection. Box 84 contains tapes physically transferred to the AV Dept.

  1. The Separated Material note of the resource record states the transfer:

Separated Material

Oral history audiotapes (Box 84) were transferred to the AV Dept.

  1. The Arrangement note of the resource record states a general description:

Arrangement

Papers are divided into 5 series:

Series V: Linden NJ Plant interviews, 1980s-1990s

  1. The inventory states formats of the interviews:

Inventory

Series V
Box 83
1.  Bob Jones; transcript, 1988
2.  Jim Taylor; transcript, 1985

Box 84
1.  Bob Jones; audio cassette tape 1 of 2, 1988
2.  Bob Jones; audio cassette tape 2 of 2, 1988
3.  Jim Taylor; audio cassette tape, 1985

Example 2:

In a records collection, OH transcripts are arranged in the last box and described. A few audiotapes (less than a box) are physically transferred to the AV Dept.

  1. The Separated Material note of the resource record states the transfer:

Separated Material

Oral history audiocassette tapes were transferred to the AV Dept.

  1. The Arrangement note of the resource record details how the formats are listed in the inventory:

Arrangement

Oral history interviews are listed at the end of the inventory (Box 83). Transcripts only can be found in Box 83. Recordings are listed under AV Materials.

  1. The inventory states formats of the interviews:

Inventory

Box 83
1.  Publications, 1990-2010
2.  Linden NJ Plant interviews; Bob Jones transcript, 1988
3.  Linden NJ Plant interviews; Jim Taylor transcript, 1985

AV Materials
1.  Oversize poster
2.  Linden NJ Plant interviews; Bob Jones audio cassette tape 1 of 2, 1988
3.  Linden NJ Plant interviews; Bob Jones audio cassette tape 2 of 2, 1988
4.  Linden NJ Plant interviews; Jim Taylor audio cassette tape, 1985

Example 3:

In a discrete oral history project, hard-copy transcripts are boxed and shelved at 3N-F-1. The box: folder listing reflects their order as per normal arrangement & description procedures. Audiotapes (less than one box) are physically transferred to the AV Dept.

  1. The Separated Material note in the resource record states the transfer:

Separated Material

Oral history audiotapes were transferred to the AV Dept.

  1. The Arrangement note in the resource record details how the formats are listed in the inventory:

Arrangement

Oral history transcripts are listed alphabetically. Recordings are listed under AV Material.

  1. The inventory states formats of the interviews:

Inventory

Box 1
1.  Bob Jones; transcript, 1988
2.  Jim Taylor; transcript, 1985

AV Materials
1.  Bob Jones; audio cassette tape 1 of 2, 1988
2.  Bob Jones; audio cassette tape 2 of 2, 1988
3.  Jim Taylor; audio cassette tape, 1985

Example 4:

In a discrete digital oral history project, transcripts and audio files are uploaded to the server and backed up on the external drives.

  1. The Access note reads:

Access

An audio recording of each interview may be accessed on site at the Reuther Library.

  1. The Arrangement note explains the digital file order:

Arrangement

Oral history interviews are arranged alphabetically, which corresponds to their unique identifier, and then by format.

  1. The inventory lists formats of each interview:

Inventory

LOH001000_OH_001.mp3    Bob Jones; audio recording, 1988
LOH001000_OH_001.pdf    Bob Jones; transcript, 1988
LOH001000_OH_001.mp3    Jim Taylor; audio recording, 1985
LOH001000_OH_001.pdf    Jim Taylor; transcript, 1985

Newspaper Clippings

In large amounts, these present a special problem for the processor. Clippings aren’t prime research material and excessive time should not be devoted to them. For Level I processing: they should be trimmed down as much as possible. No clippings should be photocopied unless they have some real value, or if they are in a deteriorating state. If known, write the name of the newspaper and the date in pencil on the clipping. Segregate the clippings from the rest of the collection, foldering them separately or interleaving acid-free bond paper.

Oversize Items

Material such as charts, maps, diplomas, and certificates should usually be removed from the main body of the collection. Oversized clippings can be folded to fit in the folders. If it is appropriate, a slip of bond paper with a penciled or typed notation of its disposition should be placed in the folder in which the item would belong if it were not oversized.

  1. The items should be unrolled or unfolded and placed in oversized folders labeled, and placed in an oversized box or communal oversized box, depending on quantity. If the item(s) are too big to be housed in an OS box, contact the AV Department for possible storage in a map drawer.

  2. Notes should be kept about the existence of these oversized materials so that they can be listed in the finding aid in the following locations:

    1. Extent – separated by comma from the linear feet of manuscript or storage boxes (alternately, if included in total linear footage use a parallel expression in parentheses to note the existence of special-sized material).
    2. Related Material – if items are to be stored in the audiovisual department, indicate their transfer in this section
    3. Box/Folder listing – if items are to be shelved along with the rest of the collection in the main stacks, include a list of their contents in this section, where appropriate (e.g. as part of a series or as their own stand-alone series).

Born-Digital Materials

Born-digital material may comprise the entire collection or be only a portion of the collection (i.e., a hybrid collection). Additionally, born-digital materials may have been accessioned as such (transferred or directly captured) and already transferred into the Reuther's digital backlog, or born-digital materials such as electronic storage material may be found later during processing. This section provides procedures to accommodate both situations.

For hybrid collections, it is ideal for born-digital material to be processed in parallel with paper-based material, with the materials integrated in both description and intellectual arrangement.

Electronic Storage Media

Material such as hard drives, floppy disks, optical discs (CDs and DVDs), and flash drives should have their contents transferred off of the storage media and evaluated in the same manner as analog material.

  1. If the electronic storage media was not transferred during Accessioning:
    1. Transfer the digital materials.
    2. Obsolete storage media should be discarded post-processing.
  2. If the collection is “hybrid” (contains both paper and electronic storage media):
    1. For small amounts of digital material found within folders, separate it from the body of the collection, noting any accompanying records for context. If appropriate, a slip of bond paper with a penciled or typed notation of its disposition should be placed in the folder in which the item would belong.
    2. Electronic media found loose in the collection (i.e., not in a specific folder), treat the same as the paper material, integrating the materials in the intellectual arrangement and description.
  3. Proceed to the All Digital Materials section below to create the AIP in Archivematica.

All Digital Materials

For both electronic media and transferred born digital material, use Archivematica to preserve and create an accessible copy of the digital materials available via ArchivesSpace.

At this point, the digital materials were previously transferred into Archivematica.

When the materials are ready to Ingest (i.e., no physical arrangement necessary, or it was previously done):

  1. Create the AIP:
    1. Select: “Ingest”
    2. Job: Approve SIP Creation- Select: “SIP Creation Complete”
    3. Job: Reminder: add metadata if desired: Add the metadata.csv file.
      1. Select “Metadata icon” (blue paper icon with pencil)
      2. On the Metadata Screen, select “Add Metadata Files”
      3. Select: “Browse”
      4. Choose the metadata.csv file to add, select “add”
      5. Select: “Add Files”
      6. Select: “Ingest”
    4. On the Ingest screen, Job: Reminder: add metadata if desired: Select: Actions - “continue”

AIP is created.

  1. [STOP FOR NOW. CANNOT CONTINUE DUE TO INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES AS OF SEPTEMBER 2018]. Create and Upload the DIP:
    1. Job: Upload DIP: Select: Upload DIP to ArchivesSpace
    2. Pair DIP objects to ArchivesSpace resource record inventory items. To complete these steps, there must be an inventory in the ArchivesSpace resource record.
      1. Search for the collection the digital objects will be paired to:
        1. In the title field enter: [DACS Collections Title]
        2. In the Identifier field enter: [Accession number]
        3. Select: “Search”
      2. Select: [Collection title]
      3. Within the collection, continue drilling down the hierarchy until the series and or files that need to be mapped with the digital objects are displayed.
        1. Select:” Assign DIP objects to this level of description”
      4. Under the “Objects” heading, Select: one or more objects.
        1. Under the “Resources” heading, Select: a title
        2. Select “Pair” (top right)
        3. Continue steps i-ii until all pairs are matched
      5. Select: “Review Matches”
      6. Select: “Finish Matching” 7 Job: Choose Config for ArchivesSpace DIP Upload: Actions – ArchivesSpace Config
      7. Job: Store DIP? Actions – Store Dip
      8. Job: Store DIP Location: Actions – Store DIP in Standard Archivematica directory

Metadata.csv File

Archivematica provides the capability to include descriptive metadata via the metadata.csv file. From the Archivematica website:

  • The first row of the csv file consists of field names. Field names must not include spaces.
  • Dublin Core field names must contain the “dc” element in the name, eg “dc.title”. Note that the Dublin Core is not validated - this is up to the user.
  • Each subsequent row contains the field values for a single directory [e.g., collection, series, or subseries level metadata] or file [i.e., item-level metadata].
  • As of version 1.4, both directory and object level metadata is allowed in the metadata.csv.
  • For multi-value fields (such as dc.subject), the entire column is repeated and each column contains a single value (i.e. there should be multiple dc.subject columns if there are multiple subject terms).
  • Empty columns can be deleted, if you prefer.
  • If the metadata are for simple objects, the csv file must contain a “filename” column listing the filepath and filename of each objects: eg “objects/BrocktonOval.jp2”
  • If the metadata are for compound objects, the “filename” column is instead called “parts” and contains the names of the directories containing the items that form the compound object (i.e. “objects/Jan021964”).
  • Note that filenames can be duplicates of filenames in other subdirectories if desired. For example, the name “page01.jp2” can occur in multiple subdirectories.

Fill out the metadata.csv template which provides template text for simple digital objects: Note that metadata is only being added for the archival material and is provided at the folder level.

  1. Filename: This is mandatory and lists the file or directory (if providing only collection, series, subseries, etc. metadata) name that is described in the subsequent columns.
  2. dc.title: Item-level (or, if describing a directory, the collection, series) metadata, Title of the digital object.
  3. dc.coverage: Item-level (or, if describing a directory, the collection, series) metadata, date(s) of creation
  4. dc.description: Item-level (or, if describing a directory, the collection, series) metadata, description of item.
  5. dc.format: Digital file format (item-level, leave blank for directories)
  6. dc.identifier: File name
  7. dc.source: Collection-level. Collection title.
  8. dc.creator: Collection-level. Collection creator
  9. dc.subject: Collection level. LC / Reuther subject or agent common to the entire collection. If multiple subjects/agents are to be applied to a single item (or collection/series/subseries/etc.), an additional dc.subject column must be added for each one.
  10. dc.publisher: “When this material is shared, credit shall read: Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University”
  11. dc.relation: “Digital master record”

Reingest

This is not typically a necessary step, and only needs to be followed if the presence of PII needs to be determined or reviewed after the SIP and AIP are created:
1. Reingest the Collection: 1. Select: “Archival storage” 1. In the AIP column, select the Collection to reingest, or use the search bar to search and select the Collection. 2. Select: “Download” (only if the material needs to be reviewed prior to arranging) 2. Select: “Re-ingest” 1. Select: “Full re-ingest” 2. Select: “Re-ingest” button 3. Transfer 2. Check and review PII 3. Weed and remove discards 4. Create the SIP: 1. Select: “Create SIP” 2. Pop-up boxes states SIP is created, Select “OK”

Naming Conventions for Born-Digital Materials

The following guidelines are based on ISO standards and best practices. They apply only to born-digital materials or materials digitized prior to accessioning. For paper-based analog materials that are digitized here at the Reuther, follow the naming conventions in How to Digitize Analog Manuscripts and Records.

For Serials and Publications

Folder Title: Accession Number

File Name: AbreviatedTitle_YYYY_v0001_i0001 (where v = volume and i = issue)

Examples:

Example 1

Folder Title: LR005555

File Name: AmSerEmp_2012_v0020_i0010

(Accession #: LR005555, Publication Title: American Service Employee, Publication Year: 2012, Volume: 20, Issue: 10)

Example 2

Folder Title: UR005556

File Name: UrObs_1970_v0001i0103

(Accession #: UR005556, Publication Title: Urban Observer, Publication Year: 1970, Volume: 1, Issue: 103)

Library Materials

ALUA

The following items should remain with ALUA collections:

  • Labor periodicals, newspapers, and newsletters (runs and scattered issues )
  • Urban-related serials published by organizations whose records we collect (runs and scattered issues)
  • Labor agreements/contracts and supplements (final draft only, and no more than 3 copies)
  • Constitutions and bylaws
  • Convention proceedings
  • Books and other publications with a flat, sewn-in or glued spine
  • Pamphlets, booklets, and other printed material with a folded, stapled spine or spiral binding
  • Publications related to a topic that reflects the interests of the donor
  • Items all related to the same topic, the removal of which would destroy the collected body of information

WSU

The University Archivist determines the disposition of the following items found in University collections:

  • Annual reports
  • University Council minutes (runs)
  • Board of Governors minutes (runs)
  • Academic Senate minutes (runs)
  • The South End
  • Inside Wayne State

  • Library items should be left as found within the collection (Level III), placed with existing corresponding records series (Level I or II), or grouped together as a library series (Level I or II), depending on the collection. They can be boxed along with non-AV collection materials.

  • Items should be foldered in groups by subject heading rather than individually, whenever possible. Alternately, folder by publication title if amount so warrants (i.e. there is at least one folder).

  • Once the collection is processed, if it contains publications that directly correspond to serial runs already in the library (not duplicates, but missing issues), tag the abstract node and/or the EAD guide with the appropriate format access term.

  • Regardless of level of processing, library materials should be only minimally inventoried. Use of the materials may dictate further processing, such as an inventory by publication title, at a later date.

  • All library items should be listed in the box folder inventory as found in the collection, as placed with existing series or as a library series immediately preceding any audio-visual series, if any. Include necessary information such as subjects, dates, amounts, formats, etc., and titles where applicable (i.e. the folder title is the publication title).

Microfilm and Microfiche

Microfilm and microfiche are described and the format noted in the finding aid. Microfiche remains physically stored with the collection (stored in a separate folder or box), but microfilm is separated, placed into specialized housing and stored in the reading room microfilm cabinet.

  1. Describe microfilm and microfiche in context as it is found in the collection. Where the microfilm or microfiche is a duplicate of paper material, do not describe twice.

  2. Place separated microfilm reels in a microfilm box, found in the Audiovisual Department. Like photographs, microfiche in small quantities may be left in its original place in the collection where appropriate.

  3. Indicate the presence of microfilm material in the finding aid.

    1. Use the “Copies” field to denote that the microfilm is a duplication of other material in the collection (i.e. paper materials). Also indicate which material is the use copy.
    2. Use the “Related Material” field to denote that the microfilm is unique material that has been transferred.
    3. List the quantity of microfilm reels in the extent.

  4. Transfer microfilm to the microfilm cabinet in the Reuther Library reading room. Assign the reel a location following the last documented reel in the cabinet. This location will begin with 3R-A-2, followed by the microfilm box number (i.e., 3R-A-2(29).

  5. Include the microfilm’s location in the collection’s abstract on the Reuther website.

Sensitive Materials

  1. As much as possible, identify any documents of a very personal nature such as:
    • Personnel or “Personnel Committee” files, including performance evaluations
    • Student records
    • Grievance files
    • Legal case files
    • Police or prison records
    • Social work case files
    • Medical (including psychiatric) records
    • Military records
    • Financial records
    • Intimate personal correspondence
    • Intimate diary passages
    • Interviews, or any documents that contain statements which may be libelous
  2. Decide if items should be discarded, given back to the donor, restricted, or kept in the collection.
    1. IF KEPT IN OPEN COLLECTION:
      1. Add minimal description in the finding aid (i.e. use general term to encompass several folders or boxes of material instead of listing each folder title).
      2. Photocopy anything that might have intrinsic value (e.g., the correspondence of famous people, cartoon drawings) and folder the originals for transfer to the vault. The folder(s) should reference where the copies are (Box:Folder) and completely state the collection title and accession number. The folders are then stored in the available accumulated SB in the vault. Include statement of transfer in the Separated Materials note of the resource record, statement of access in the Access note, and vault shelf location in the abstract node and the Location note of the ArchivesSpace record.
      3. Include statement in the box folder list referring researchers to the use restriction statement at the front of the guide (for levels II & III) or indicate whether a Restricted Use Form (generally limited to collections where material may not be quoted or cited; names and other personal information, which might identify an individual, cannot be cited; material is confidential, etc.) should be signed before access is granted.
      4. Mark boxes containing restricted material with “Restricted Use” label.
    2. IF DISCARDED: Make a listing of items removed from the collection and add it to the case file. Generally, this can be accomplished in the Resource Record Collection Management subrecord. Material should be shredded after the collection is fully arranged and described.
    3. IF CLOSED: In cases where portions of the collection are to remain closed for a while, do not list them in the body of your finding aid. Create a Temporarily Closed event linked to the resource record, so these items can be added when opened. Make a separate list that will be kept in the case file.