Introduction
Beginning in July 2013, there will be no dedicated audiovisual archivist. Processing of audiovisual material will be done both by manuscript processors as part of the normal collection workflow, and also eventually by members of an audiovisual team. Processors should assess A/V material in their collection as part of their processing plan, and should consult with their team lead and/or Joanne when determining what to do with A/V materials.
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Within the finding aid each individual audiotape (or other media) receives a unique file unit number (e.g., T-249.1, T-249.2, etc.) Also, in most cases, all tapes in a collection will have the same "T-" or "CD-" number and then a separate reel number so that all tapes from the same collection can be shelved together. Instructions for how to list and tag A/V material in the finding aid are in the How to EAD (XMetal) section of this manual.
Types of description
Unpublished audiovisual material can be described in many ways and at different levels of access:
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You will find many examples in the catalog of when these guidelines were not followed, but I think in the interests of speed and clarity what we’ve laid out above is a reasonable approach. When in doubt, please discuss with Joanne whether or not A/V material should be separated. Going forward from July 2013 creation of separate A/V finding aids will happen less than int he past - most of the collections with larger and complex A/V components have been processed as part of the backlog.
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AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL FROM MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS
October 2008
Now that we have a full-time audiovisual cataloger in place, we are going to try to draw up some further guidelines for treatment of a/v material found in manuscript collections.
A few changes in practice for mss. processors who are describing a/v material in their finding aids and bib records (examples 3 and 4, above):
Appraisal and description
[JOANNE WILL NEED TO WRITE MOST OF THIS PART]
Be sure to add following note to the Access Restrictions section of the finding aid: Appointment required for access to audiovisual material.
When describing a/v material in bib records:
In the bib record, use form/genre headings (and others as appropriate) for:
655 b0 Audiotapes.
655 b7 Videotapes.$$2local
In the holdings record, use separate 007s (it’s okay to encode only the first two characters) for audio and for video.
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bib record, in the 300, in the first $a indicate linear ft.; in the second $a, in parentheses, indicate the full extent as described in the finding aid:
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$a1.2 linear ft.$a(1 carton, ½ file box, 1 folio+ folder, 2 audiotapes)
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In the holdings record, use separate 007s (it’s okay to encode only the first two characters) for audio and for video.
In the holdings record, always add a 506 governing audiovisual material:
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506 $aAppointment required for access to audiovisual material.
AUDIOVISUAL END PROCESSING
Handling audiovisual material in manuscript collections
Reminders
- When beginning a collection, check with Joanne to make sure there is not additional audiovisual material that has been pulled from the collection
- After a thorough appraisal of the collection is complete, discuss (with Joanne, Kathy, etc.) whether to keep the a/v material in the collection or give it to Joanne to be added to the a/v backlog (general rule of thumb, more than 10-20 items of any one type, the materials should go to the a/v backlog, but decisions are case by case basis)
- If we decide to keep the a/v material, Joanne will give you the appropriate a/v collection numbers (T, Vt, etc.), or assign new ones
- Follow the procedures in the processing manual regarding listing the a/v material in the finding aid
- Be sure to add following note to the Access Restrictions section of the finding aid: Appointment required for access to audiovisual material.
Finding aid examples
Lamaze International moving image collection http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch01437
June Jordan audiotapes http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch01211
Workflow
As part of beginning research on a collection, check to see if there is any A/V material.
Open AV-DCTracker.fp7 and search for the collection title - make sure you are in the "Collection View A/V" - and see what's listed. If locations are not listed for any materials, check in with Joanne.
Survey any A/V material along with your collection and discuss your appraisal with team lead and/or Joanne.
Discuss with your team lead and/or Joanne the various cataloging options. Perhaps there is already cataloging data in AV/DC tracker you can export to the finding aid. Joanne may prefer that you create your inventory and description in Excel, and then export it to the finding aid (and to AV/DC tracker). Some of these mechanics will depend on the number of material to be cataloged.
When finished with A/V description, see A/V end processing, below.
A/V End processing
- Write the appropriate T-, Vt-, etc. number, in pencil, on the tape label itself. For example: T-345.1, T-345.2, etc. For videos, it is helpful to also have the number on the case, a thin post-it label may be used for this purpose
- Once all of the materials are clearly marked, send Joanne an email letting her know they are ready, and if possible, include a brief description of the material (Joanne will add this to AV-DCtracker)
- Deliver the tapes to Joanne for labeling, housing, and shelving
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