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Ideally, we would like to present materials in a way that demonstrates we operate as a team, in ways that encourage respect and care. To illustrate this point, since end processing sees all manner of different ways that collections "end" up, here are some examples of undesirable outcomes when consistency and communication are ignored.  It is also of note that consistency without authority has little chance of success. So the engagement and support of administrative staff is also very important. Keeping the manual up to date, and reminding others about it is another good way to establish control and encourage best practices.

Intellectual Management : updating ArchivesSpace and Alma

Discarding No. 17 Paige boxes from Collections

A number of collections were housed in a series of clamshell boxes that were placed in no. 17 Paige boxes (large) that had a separate numbering sequence. Needless to say the two numbering systems caused confusion. The handles and bottoms of the Paige boxes continually fail during transport from HD. The boxes are also too tall to fit on our trucks and shelves. And access to the inner boxes is difficult. Whenever a box is requested, it is routed to end processing for rehousing. The inner boxes are removed, the no. 17 Paige boxes are discarded, and the inner boxes (usually light gray corrugated clamshells) are given barcodes and sent separately to HD. Here is how the records were handled for some of these collections. Included is a running list of call numbers that have ongoing corrections.

New Directions, bMS Am 2077.1

Processing note in front matter:

Much of the collection was originally processed in large cartons containing 3 boxes each that are now being removed and shelved separately. Each of those inner boxes had a sequential number that differed from the "carton" number. For example, inner boxes 150-152 were removed from a large box labeled "carton" 10. Though the box label still says "carton", the finding aid was changed to say "box", thus creating two series of separate numbering systems, resulting in 2 or more boxes with the same number.

The numbering sequence of the inner boxes is now being restored whenever one of the large boxes (cartons) is brought onsite. Inner boxes are being removed and the empty larger "carton" is discarded. As well, the "carton" number is being removed from the sequence in the finding aid and replaced by:  "Box 150 (carton 10)" to show the original box (carton) number.

Eventually the numbering will be restored to a single sequence which follows that of the inner boxes, but for now, the finding aid will note, for example, that "Box 150 was formerly one of 3 boxes in Carton 10", etc.

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Additional information:

Box 150 (carton 10) appears in both Alma item records and in AS until all the boxes are taken care of. At which point .

Box 150 was formerly one of 3 boxes in Carton 10 appears in AS as an internal note in Container Management for each box. And also as a processing note in the individual item description in AS.

Some items do not have locations because they were not listed on the original CARTON labels, and somehow that information was lost when the finding aid was converted to AS.
End processor does NOT have a printout of all the labels for this collection, unlike most other collections, because it was end processed at a time when the cataloger was the only one allowed to send boxes to HD. When the end processor took over this responsibility, they started the practice of retaining box labels for large collections that went to HD. These are kept in notebooks at the end processor’s workstation, marked “HD”.

Physical Management : What to do, What not to do:

Below is a sample of a plastic label holder that had a self-adhesive label stuck to the outside of it, thus making it useless. In this example, an additional label (not pictured) had also been stapled over the label holder and the self-adhesive label. Since the legs of the staple cannot be bent in, they protrude sharply into the box, endangering materials and human hands. Staples should not be used to affix box labels. Label holders are meant to facilitate temporary labeling and future changing of label information during end-processing. But if a temporary removable label is used by the cataloger, it should be placed directly on the box, rather than the plastic label holder, as these removable labels also tend to stick to the plastic and are hard to remove.

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