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Are there born-digital files? Please take a preliminary look at them (if possible) while surveying the collection. Describe any order, titles, etc. and your thoughts about potential ways to describe and/or provide access. How do the born-digital files relate to the paper files? How do you imagine describing the digital files in the finding aid?
MODEL OF PROCESSING WORK
Which of the different models of processing addenda will you use? Why? There may be multiple ways to approach the processing. You should think about why each way would or wouldn't work for you.
In past years, collections that were reprocessed or had addenda added to them may have been kept in the chronologically numbered folders (1-2300, not 1.1, 1.2). For many recently processed collections of addenda, Ellen has asked that archivists change the entire numbering schema to our current 1.1 way. Every collection is different and may have unique challenges. Recommend what you think is the best way forward and then discuss possibilities with your team lead and with Ellen if necessary.
METADATA CONSIDERATIONS
Unless you're creating a brand new finding aid, you will be working with an old finding aid. In the ArchiveSpace environment, there are some issues with updating existing finding aids that may affect your decision abovebelow. Finding aids with a lot of digital object links are more difficult to update. If you are going to work with an older finding aid, take a look and see if it has any existing links in it. If the finding aid has more than 10 digital objects linked to it, it may be harder to update. In this instance, one possible approach is to create an entire series (or more than one series) of addenda, which can be uploaded as a spreadsheet without having to delete and reattach digital objects to the rest of the finding aid. EXAMPLE? Discuss this option with your team lead and Johanna before beginning work.
Photographs from some older finding aids may have been digitized.Check HOLLIS to see if this is the case for the finding aid you are working on. If photos have been digitized, changing the call number and/or the folder umbers may affect these digitized photographs. Discuss options with your team lead and Joanne if necessary.
While you are working with an older finding aid, you should expect to move description that may have been added in a folder title to a scope note at the folder level, as is our current practice. While working with an older finding aid, doing this metadata upgrade helps the data be structured correctly for ArchivesSpace functionality. If you have questions about this practice or are unsure what to move where, discuss with your team lead, Johanna, or Paula.
MODEL OF PROCESSING WORK
Which of the different models of processing addenda will you use? Why? There may be multiple ways to approach the processing. You should think about why each way would or wouldn't work for you.
In past years, collections that were reprocessed or had addenda added to them may have been kept in the chronologically numbered folders (1-2300, not 1.1, 1.2). For many recently processed collections of addenda, Ellen has asked that archivists change the entire numbering schema to our current 1.1 way. Every collection is different and may have unique challenges. Recommend what you think is the best way forward and then discuss possibilities with your team lead and with Ellen if necessary.
ARRANGEMENT
Propose an arrangement for the collection. Make sure to include the general sizes of each series. Ideally, you should list the series with sizes, and then underneath provide a more complete description of what kinds of materials will go in each series.
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