Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part IV)

This four-part series first appeared on the blog in October of 2008.

Ah, the collection is finally finished. Everything is put away in folders and boxes. It is all labeled and the finding aid is completed.

The next step is to move all of the boxes into the compact storage shelving on the 2nd floor of the Arkansas Studies Institute. A copy of the finding aid goes into the black binders in the research room and another gets sent off to be put online.

Now step back and admire the handy-work. Excellent!

Well, that is a short explanation of how we process the collections that come into the Butler Center. After admiring our work for a short time, we start back at the beginning with a new collection. Any questions?


Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department

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Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part III)

This four-part series first appeared on the blog in October of 2008.

Labeling a collection is the easy part. When we get to this point, everything has been sorted, arranged, and put into its individual folders. Every folder needs to have a few things on it:

1) Title. What is in this folder? Who/What is it about? What time period is it from?
2) Collection Name. For example, “Dave Wallis Papers.”
3) Collection Number. For example, MSS 05-14.
4) Series Number, Subseries Number, Box Number, File Number.

Okay, let me explain that last one. Box and File are easy; each file is a particular number in a particular box (i.e. File 10 in Box 2). Series and Subseries can be a bit more complicated and not every collection will have these numbers. If a collection is fairly straightforward it might just be Box 1, Box 2, Box 3. But if a collection is more complicated or larger, it can be broken down into series and even subseries.

For example, this imaginary collection is a set of Smith Family papers and we have decided to organize it by family member. Mama Smith is Series I. Papa Smith is Series II. Baby Smith is Series III. Second-Cousin-Twice-Removed Smith is Series IV. If we thought this organization was enough, we could continue on to number boxes within the different series (Series I, Box 1; Series II, Box 1). But let’s pretend that Baby Smith was a pack rat who kept copies of every piece of paper he came into contact with. In that case, we might want to break Series III down even further. We could end up with something like this: Series III Baby Smith, Subseries I Correspondence, Subseries II Photographs.

All of this Series and Subseries mumbo-jumbo comes into play on the finding aid to make it easier for a researcher to find the information they need. I’ll talk about the finding aid in just a moment.

When we have labeled all of the files, we end up with something that looks a lot like this:


Pretty nice, huh?

Earlier I mentioned the finding aid. If you have ever researched in an archive, you have probably had some contact with a finding aid. The Butler Center manuscript finding aids are online. All of our finding aids contain some of the same information:

1) Collection name, number, and inclusive dates.
2) Donor name and date.
3) Size of the collection.
4) Processing completion date and processor name.
5) Biographical Sketch/Collection Description (to explain who/what the collection is about and what kind of documents it contains).
6) Description of arrangement.

After this information, the finding aid has what we call a “container list.” Basically, it lists file by file what is contained in the collection. So, going back to our above example, you might see something like this:

SERIES III – Baby Smith
SUBSERIES I – Correspondence
BOX 1
File 1: Correspondence to Jane Smith, 1905.

Or

Using the finding aids, researchers can find exactly what files they need to look at and not waste time digging through a lot of information not useful to their project.

Now all that is left is to stand back and savor the finished product . . . next week.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department

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Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part II)

This four-part series first appeared on the blog in October of 2008.

To begin processing a collection we really just have to jump right into it. We already have some idea of what is waiting in the boxes; we might even have a detailed inventory. The point is there is nothing left to do except start.
So, we open the first box and start sorting. If we are lucky, the items already have some sort of useable organization or grouping that we can work with. If not, we just have to start making piles (topically, chronologically, alphabetically, color-coordinated . . . whatever suits our fancy).

Carolyn (now retired) processing a collection.

As we sort through these documents, we do a number of things to help insure their preservation. For example, this is a good time to remove staples, rubber bands, tape, etc. We can clean the documents by removing dirt with a brush or pad or even wash the documents if safe to do so (WARNING: Do not try this at home. Seriously). This is also the time to identify any documents that might need to be repaired or might need more extensive conservation work.

We do all of this while we sort through the boxes and after a while, it becomes apparent how the collection should be arranged for researchers. No, really; I’m serious. We have all done our fair share of research projects and can approach the collection from both the researchers and the archivists’ point of view. It usually doesn’t take us very long to see what should go where.

When we get to this point, we start putting the documents into their folders (if we hadn’t started that earlier) and into their boxes. Photographs are matched up with negatives if possible and tucked away in their own cozy sleeves. Any objects that might have come in with the collection (being a archive we don’t actively solicit objects, but sometimes it make sense to accept them with the collection) get boxed up in their own special boxes too. Basically, everything gets tucked away.

Usually we don’t label the folders until the very end when we have seen all of the collection. Who wants to have to keep erasing and relabeling the entire time? Sticky notes help us keep track of everything. After we finish the sorting, cleaning, and arranging, we are left with something like this:


And we are ready to move on to the next step—labeling the folders/boxes and creating the finding aid. Stay tuned.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.

Read more...

Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part I)

This four-part series first appeared on the blog in October of 2008.

Processing* is the term archivists* use for arranging and describing a collection*. It can be a very long or very short process depending on the size and scope of the collection. Currently, the Butler Center has two staff members devoted to processing (and a manuscripts coordinator who wishes he still had the time to process).

The first step in processing is getting the collection. Usually this involves a donor approaching us interested in donation or Butler Center staff soliciting a donation from a likely donor. (A third way—purchasing through dealers and places like eBay—is less common for the large full scale collections I am talking about now.) With the new collection coming in, we must get the proper forms signed and then assign an acquisition/accession number. Most archives and museums follow a similar procedure. Here at the Butler Center, our collections are numbered MSS Year-Collection; for example, MSS 01-01 would indicate the first collection donated in 2001. With a number assigned, the collection is moved to our storage (and into archival boxes if necessary) until processing.

The wait in processing depends on a number of factors including the availability of staff and supply resources, the research possibilities of the collection, the storage space available, and the relation to the mission of the Butler Center.

When collections arrive at the Butler Center, they tend to be fairly messy. Typically these boxes have been stored in an attic or basement with little to no arrangement (or sometimes, an arrangement known only to the now-deceased donor and a riddle to the rest of us). When a staff member starts to process a collection, we will do a quick look through the boxes to see what might need to be done. This is what we are normally greeted by:

On a larger collection, we might look through all of the boxes and put together a preliminary or box inventory*. Depending on the complexity of the collection, we could do a quick listing of items in a box (for example: Box 1 contains correspondence; maps; political memorabilia) or a more detailed listing of box or folder contents (for example: Box 1 contains correspondence from John Doe to Jane Doe, 1910-1918; memorabilia from the 1912 Democratic National Convention. Folder 1 contains one world map circa 1920 showing travels of John Doe). Doing an inventory like this is good for a couple of reasons—1) it helps you know what you have and what kind of arrangement you might need to impose on the collection 2) it allows you to easily find items before the collection is processed and the finding aid* created 3) it cuts down on the time spent staring into the boxes wondering what to do next. However helpful an inventory like this can be, it is often more time effective on a smaller collection to just jump right in and start arranging.

Okay, so the collection has been donated. A number has been assigned and inventory completed if necessary. The collection has bided its time in storage and is finally ready to be processed. Staff has inspected the boxes to make a game plan for what to do next. So, what happens?

To be continued next Monday. .

Important archival terms. Yes, there will be a test.
*Processing: n. ~ 1. The arrangement, description, and housing of archival materials for storage and use by patrons. – 2. The steps taken to make the latent image on exposed photographic or microfilm materials visible; see archival processing.
*Archivist: n. ~ 1. An individual responsible for appraising, acquiring, arranging, describing, preserving, and providing access to records of enduring value, according to the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control to protect the materials’ authenticity and context. – 2. An individual with responsibility for management and oversight of an archival repository or of records of enduring value.
*Collection: n. ~ 1. A group of materials with some unifying characteristic. – 2. Materials assembled by a person, organization, or repository from a variety of sources; an artificial collection.
*Preliminary Inventory: n. ~ A listing of the contents and condition of a collection made before processing.
*Finding Aid: n. ~ 1. A tool that facilitates discovery of information within a collection of records. – 2. A description of records that gives the repository physical and intellectual control over the materials and that assists users to gain access to and understand the materials.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.

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Meet the Staff: Frances Morgan

Frances Morgan is Manager of the Bill Clinton State Government Project. She graciously agreed to answer a few questions about being an archivist.

What is an archivist?

An archivist is a professional who appraises, arranges, preserves, describes and makes available to researchers information determined to have long-term value.

What made you want to be an archivist? How did you get into this line of work?

I love history! My undergrad major was history and when I learned of the graduate degree program in Public History at UALR I decided to enter. My graduate assistantship was in the old Arkansiana Room at CALS and it was there that I became interested in archival management.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

My staff and I spend most of our day processing the materials in the Clinton Project. I’ve found that I’m enjoying learning about how Arkansas government works. I was never interested in political science before, but I’m seriously considering getting another undergrad degree in that discipline.

What is the oddest/most interesting thing/etc. you have found in a collection?

Over ten years ago, I worked on the Jay Miller Aviation Collection. A couple of my most interesting finds were a box of dirty, tattered T-shirts with various aviation logos on their fronts and, in another box, all sorts of in-flight snacks that included dried-up and melted chocolate. But the MOST interesting find was the World War I hand-held bomb. That type of bomb was held over the side of the airplane and dropped on the target by hand!

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Caring for Historical Documents: What Not To Do

Tip #1: Do not use rubber bands.

Rubber bands can bend and tear the documents they are holding together. As they age, rubber bands can become sticky and attach to other nearby documents. Eventually, rubber bands become hard. Trying to remove a hard rubber band stuck to a document can cause breakage and staining.

This is the end result:

Damage to an envelope caused by a rubber band. MSS 07-52 Barnett Brothers Mercantile Company Business Records (currently in processing).

It is fairly common for us to find stacks of documents, particularly from the early twentieth century, held together this way. If you are caring for documents of your own, try to remove any rubber bands you encounter.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department. Suggested and photographed by Shirley Schuette, Manuscripts Department.

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Archivists in Action

Here are some more photos to go along with our series on processing archival collections.

Recently a collection came into the Butler Center that was pretty dirty and in need of some new boxes. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to it:

Brian Robertson, Manuscript Coordinator, contemplating the collection.

Carolyn Cash, manuscripts department, sorting through the boxes.

The finished product, now ready to be stored until further processing.


Click here to see a few more.

These photographs were taken by Shirley Schuette from the manuscripts department. They show archival staff working on the fifth floor of the library.

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Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part IV)

Ah, the collection is finally finished. Everything is put away in folders and boxes. It is all labeled and the finding aid is completed. Now we only need to tie up some loose ends.

For starters, the collection needs to be put on the shelves. The shelves are arranged by collection number and the boxes are shelved in order. Shelving requires a little bit of creativity: some items might need to be moved around to fit into its allotted space (or we might have to shift some of the already processed collections to make room) and often we have to perform miracles to fit the oversized boxes in with the rest of the collection. Here at the Butler Center, our Manuscripts Coordinator usually does the shelving. I’m not sure if this is because he wants to help us out or if it is because he is afraid we won’t do it the way he wants. Either way, it is one less thing we have to do so we don’t complain.

A copy of the finding aid goes into the black binders in the research room and another gets sent off to be put online.

Now step back and admire the handy-work. Excellent!




















Well, that is a short explanation of how we process the collections that come into the Butler Center. After admiring our work for a short time, we start back at the beginning with a new collection. Any questions?

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department

Read more...

Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part III)

Labeling a collection is the easy part. When we get to this point, everything has been sorted, arranged, and put into its individual folders. Every folder needs to have a few things on it:

1) Title. What is in this folder? Who/What is it about? What time period is it from?
2) Collection Name. For example, “Dave Wallis Papers.”
3) Collection Number. For example, MSS 05-14.
4) Series Number, Subseries Number, Box Number, File Number.

Okay, let me explain that last one. Box and File are easy; each file is a particular number in a particular box (i.e. File 10 in Box 2). Series and Subseries can be a bit more complicated and not every collection will have these numbers. If a collection is fairly straightforward it might just be Box 1, Box 2, Box 3. But if a collection is more complicated or larger, it can be broken down into series and even subseries.

For example, this imaginary collection is a set of Smith Family papers and we have decided to organize it by family member. Mama Smith is Series I. Papa Smith is Series II. Baby Smith is Series III. Second-Cousin-Twice-Removed Smith is Series IV. If we thought this organization was enough, we could continue on to number boxes within the different series (Series I, Box 1; Series II, Box 1). But let’s pretend that Baby Smith was a pack rat who kept copies of every piece of paper he came into contact with. In that case, we might want to break Series III down even further. We could end up with something like this: Series III Baby Smith, Subseries I Correspondence, Subseries II Photographs.

All of this Series and Subseries mumbo-jumbo comes into play on the finding aid to make it easier for a researcher to find the information they need. I’ll talk about the finding aid in just a moment.

When we have labeled all of the files, we end up with something that looks a lot like this:


Pretty nice, huh?

Earlier I mentioned the finding aid. If you have ever researched in an archive, you have probably had some contact with a finding aid. The Butler Center manuscript finding aids are online. All of our finding aids contain some of the same information:

1) Collection name, number, and inclusive dates.
2) Donor name and date.
3) Size of the collection.
4) Processing completion date and processor name.
5) Biographical Sketch/Collection Description (to explain who/what the collection is about and what kind of documents it contains).
6) Description of arrangement.

After this information, the finding aid has what we call a “container list.” Basically, it lists file by file what is contained in the collection. So, going back to our above example, you might see something like this:

SERIES III – Baby Smith
SUBSERIES I – Correspondence
BOX 1
File 1: Correspondence to Jane Smith, 1905.

Or

Using the finding aids, researchers can find exactly what files they need to look at and not waste time digging through a lot of information not useful to their project.

Now all that is left is to stand back and savor the finished product . . . next week.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department

Read more...

Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part II)

To begin processing a collection we really just have to jump right into it. We already have some idea of what is waiting in the boxes; we might even have a detailed inventory. The point is there is nothing left to do except start.
So, we open the first box and start sorting. If we are lucky, the items already have some sort of useable organization or grouping that we can work with. If not, we just have to start making piles (topically, chronologically, alphabetically, color-coordinated . . . whatever suits our fancy).

Carolyn processing a collection.

As we sort through these documents, we do a number of things to help insure their preservation. For example, this is a good time to remove staples, rubber bands, tape, etc. We can clean the documents by removing dirt with a brush or pad or even wash the documents if safe to do so (WARNING: Do not try this at home. Seriously). This is also the time to identify any documents that might need to be repaired or might need more extensive conservation work.

We do all of this while we sort through the boxes and after a while, it becomes apparent how the collection should be arranged for researchers. No, really; I’m serious. We have all done our fair share of research projects and can approach the collection from both the researchers and the archivists’ point of view. It usually doesn’t take us very long to see what should go where.

When we get to this point, we start putting the documents into their folders (if we hadn’t started that earlier) and into their boxes. Photographs are matched up with negatives if possible and tucked away in their own cozy sleeves. Any objects that might have come in with the collection (being a archive we don’t actively solicit objects, but sometimes it make sense to accept them with the collection) get boxed up in their own special boxes too. Basically, everything gets tucked away.

Usually we don’t label the folders until the very end when we have seen all of the collection. Who wants to have to keep erasing and relabeling the entire time? Sticky notes help us keep track of everything. After we finish the sorting, cleaning, and arranging, we are left with something like this:


And we are ready to move on to the next step—labeling the folders/boxes and creating the finding aid. Stay tuned.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.

Read more...

Processing: Behind the Scenes (Part I)

Processing* is the term archivists* use for arranging and describing a collection*. It can be a very long or very short process depending on the size and scope of the collection. Currently, the Butler Center has three staff members devoted to processing (and a manuscripts coordinator who wishes he still had the time to process).

The first step in processing is getting the collection. Usually this involves a donor approaching us interested in donation or Butler Center staff soliciting a donation from a likely donor. (A third way—purchasing through dealers and places like eBay—is less common for the large full scale collections I am talking about now.) With the new collection coming in, we must get the proper forms signed and then assign an acquisition/accession number. Most archives and museums follow a similar procedure. Here at the Butler Center, our collections are numbered MSS Year-Collection; for example, MSS 01-01 would indicate the first collection donated in 2001. With a number assigned, the collection is moved to our storage (and into archival boxes if necessary) until processing.

The wait in processing depends on a number of factors including the availability of staff and supply resources, the research possibilities of the collection, the storage space available, and the relation to the mission of the Butler Center.

When collections arrive at the Butler Center, they tend to be fairly messy. Typically these boxes have been stored in an attic or basement with little to no arrangement (or sometimes, an arrangement known only to the now-deceased donor and a riddle to the rest of us). When a staff member starts to process a collection, we will do a quick look through the boxes to see what might need to be done. This is what we are normally greeted by:

On a larger collection, we might look through all of the boxes and put together a preliminary or box inventory*. Depending on the complexity of the collection, we could do a quick listing of items in a box (for example: Box 1 contains correspondence; maps; political memorabilia) or a more detailed listing of box or folder contents (for example: Box 1 contains correspondence from John Doe to Jane Doe, 1910-1918; memorabilia from the 1912 Democratic National Convention. Folder 1 contains one world map circa 1920 showing travels of John Doe). Doing an inventory like this is good for a couple of reasons—1) it helps you know what you have and what kind of arrangement you might need to impose on the collection 2) it allows you to easily find items before the collection is processed and the finding aid* created 3) it cuts down on the time spent staring into the boxes wondering what to do next. However helpful an inventory like this can be, it is often more time effective on a smaller collection to just jump right in and start arranging.

Okay, so the collection has been donated. A number has been assigned and inventory completed if necessary. The collection has bided its time in storage and is finally ready to be processed. Staff has inspected the boxes to make a game plan for what to do next. So, what happens?

To be continued next Monday. .

Important archival terms. Yes, there will be a test.
*Processing: n. ~ 1. The arrangement, description, and housing of archival materials for storage and use by patrons. – 2. The steps taken to make the latent image on exposed photographic or microfilm materials visible; see archival processing.
*Archivist: n. ~ 1. An individual responsible for appraising, acquiring, arranging, describing, preserving, and providing access to records of enduring value, according to the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control to protect the materials’ authenticity and context. – 2. An individual with responsibility for management and oversight of an archival repository or of records of enduring value.
*Collection: n. ~ 1. A group of materials with some unifying characteristic. – 2. Materials assembled by a person, organization, or repository from a variety of sources; an artificial collection.
*Preliminary Inventory: n. ~ A listing of the contents and condition of a collection made before processing.
*Finding Aid: n. ~ 1. A tool that facilitates discovery of information within a collection of records. – 2. A description of records that gives the repository physical and intellectual control over the materials and that assists users to gain access to and understand the materials.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.

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Coming Soon. . .

On a recent trip to Dallas, I visited the Sixth Floor Museum. While trying to entertain my five year old who wasn't in the mood to appreciate anything except for the various buttons to push, I noticed a small section of the exhibit dedicated to the collection/preservation of the artifacts, photographs, and oral histories. Upstairs on the seventh floor rotating exhibit space, there was an area describing how to preserve home movie film. Later in the gift shop as I wandered around waiting for my child to spend her allotted $10 (luckily, every boring place mom wants to go has a gift shop), I saw that the theme was continued with archival boxes and supplies available for sale.

Watching a group of visitors oh-and-ah over the supplies reminded me of how little is known about the behind the scenes work in archives and museums. In a previous post, I gave you a little taste of what a typical day was like for an archivist. This time, I'm going to give you a little look into the behind the scenes work here at the Butler Center.

Throughout October this blog will be running a special series of posts detailing the ins and outs of processing an archival collection. Complete with photographs! This four part weekly series starts next Monday. Be sure to stay tuned to see some behind-the-scenes processing action.

How do you get from


to


?

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.

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A Day in the Life of an Archivist. . . or. . . I read your mail.

Okay. Maybe not your mail exactly. But your parent's mail or your grandparent's mail or maybe even the mail of your great-uncle's second cousin twice removed. The point is—I read mail. Even those steamy love letters your great-grandmother kept in a box under her bed; nothing is off limits.

I don't just do this for fun or out of some odd desire to live vicariously through your letters. I don't covet the identities of others for a multi-level credit card scheme either, if that was what you were thinking. No, it is all part of my job; the job that they pay me to do.

Here at the Butler Center when I’m not laboring over this blog for you, the illustrious readers, I’m working as one of our Archival Assistants (sometimes known as a processing archivist). When I tell people where I work, they usually follow up with a variation of “what kind of job is that” or “so you’re a librarian.” My standard explanation sounds a lot like, “It is my job to take the boxes and boxes of stuff donated to us and mold it into a usable and researchable collection.” But that really doesn’t do the job justice.

Every day I come into work and immerse myself into someone else’s life. I sift through the documents, pulling them out of whatever dusty box they were stored in while in the attic/basement/closet/etc. to arrange and label them in archival quality files and boxes to help ensure their preservation. And I do all this to put together an image of what made this person tick. If it is a particularly large and/or time-consuming collection, I start to recognize family and friends in photographs and get pretty good at estimating a date and location for those that are unlabeled. Occasionally, my unlucky husband even gets to listen to me tell a story I discovered in the documents that day as if it happened to me.

I’m right there along with them for all the major events—birth, marriage, divorce, successful ventures and epic failures—and by the end I have a pretty good idea of who this person/family/organization was, whether it be a small fragment or an entire lifetime. Eventually I finish. Maybe it is a couple of days later, or a couple of months, or a couple of years even, but I finish. Then I put it down and start all over again.

This job is one of the most important jobs here, if I do say so myself (and I just did), but also one of the least understood and most overlooked. Now you must be asking yourself, “If your job is as interesting and important as you say it is, why doesn't anyone know about you, huh?”

In reality, we slip under the radar because we are good at what we do. We sit up here in our office (where we have the best view in the building, by the way) processing along, working our way through collection after collection. We are the behind-the-scenes people. We don’t use shiny and new technology. We don’t step out as the face of the Butler Center. We just keep working. And in the end, when someone comes in to look at a scrapbook from the 1930s or read those steamy letters your great-grandmother wrote, they can sit down and enjoy their research because we are content to silently sit in the background and get our job done.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.

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