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Once all the collection materials have been located and assembled, the archivist will begin to survey the collection. A survey is an overview of all the materials in the collection, and is meant to give the archivist and his/her team lead an idea of what is in the collection, what or is not in the collection, what the major issues will be during processing, etc. While a survey is often considered to be a broad-brush description of the collection, the physical survey at the beginning of processing should be as detailed as possible. It makes sense to review the elements of the processing plan before surveying/as you survey, so that you can be sure to pay attention to relevant issues and questions.
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