Most people think a manuscript is either a stack of 8 ½" x 11" papers (the draft of a novel), a bound medieval text, or a rolled or framed parchment of some sort. Many also think that labeling and storing manuscripts would not require much effort. People assume they are skilled enough already, and can do it efficiently without needing advice: probably better than anyone else. How hard could it be to get some folders and a box and put a label on them? The trouble is that there are many unpredictable aspects to end-processing manuscript collections, and challenging logistics behind readying them for use by researchers to be continually overcome. Obstacles arise from all directions. Effort from every region of the brain is required to overcome them. Consulting a manual may help.
It is hard to describe the variety found in manuscripts. They can be bound volumes, or boxes of folders that might also contain anything from silver, coins, and clothing, to eyeglasses, matches, even a fried egg or chewing gum. Houghton Library collections include: handcuffs, swords, artwork, pressed flowers, photographs, death masks, scrapbooks, an early light bulb, medieval texts, an asbestos tile, musical scores, audio tapes, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, and human hair, to name a few. Whatever happens to have been stored with an author's papers can make it into the library to become part of our collections. A collection can range from hundreds of boxes purchased by the library from an author's estate, to a scrapbook of autograph letters donated by some collector. A manuscript, such as a journal, or an illuminated sheet, can also arrive as a single item, independently of any collection, whether it is a gift or a purchase.
Staff and readers should be able to examine and identify material safely: one can't just let items roll around together in a box and hope for the best. Somehow, each item must go into a folder, box, or binder, no matter what the dimensions, without being damaged. Everything has to have a label. If it doesn't fit in a box, it may need to be labelled with a tag. If there's nothing to tie the tag onto, you may have to sew it on, or invent some other solution. Housing must meet preservation standards. The correct information must be on the label, having met the approval of catalogers and the public services staff. For one collection of up to 10,000 items, each with a different description, one must master software that can help get that unique information onto those labels quickly. It is necessary to estimate fairly accurately for supplies and to make use of scrap. The sequence of items must be kept whenever possible, for there is both an intellectual and a physical order to things.
When item (3) is too big and fragile to fit into the box with items (1)-(10), is it necessary to find an unconventional way to store them all together; or is it better to store them separately and annotate the finding aid? What if an item is sharp, toxic, or otherwise dangerous to handle? Will a box of typescript items be deformed if a small thick volume must be stored in the middle of the pile? Would the answer be the same if the folders were stored upright? How does one safely store a tintype that must be boxed with a stack of letters? Can an an old piece of blotting paper be discarded? What if an item smells of moth balls? Should one remove a straight pin from an Emily Dickinson manuscript; or is it considered an artifact? Is it safe to send an item to the Harvard Depository? How should we store and label an item that is restricted because of fragility or privacy issues? How should we affix a label to a bound volume to avoid covering text? Are we certain the wording of a bookplate is accurate and consistent with past practices? The questions never endComing up with storage solutions that align with basic preservation measures can be challenging. Having a compilation of samples can be a big help in assessing how to proceed. This manual uses specific items in Houghton's collections to illustrate solutions with images. Throughout the Manual, there are also slide presentations, videos, links, and verbal explanation that provide training on various routine procedures. Preservation and End-processing collaborate on many things. The End-processing manual serves as a repository for some overlapping procedures, such as Shared Sample Book"rolled storage". The Shared Sample Book, specifically, can be helpful to anyone looking for an example of a particular type of material or housing for a lecture or seminar.