Versions Compared

Old Version 5

changes.mady.by.user Meghan Kerr

Saved on

compared with

New Version Current

changes.mady.by.user Meghan Kerr

Saved on

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.

Table of Contents
Paper Control Files

Establish control files for each archival and manuscript collection (three folders per collection for manuscript collections, two folders per series for archival collections).

Manuscript Collections Control Files

1. Donor File
Please be aware that the Center also maintains a biographical vertical file for individuals whose papers we hold, whose papers will be coming to us, or are persons of interest/prospects. There is also an electronic component to these files on the shared drive, which are maintained by the Acquisitions Archivist, the Harvard Chan Archivist, the Deputy Director, and Director. Both the N:\ and the control file should be consulted. 

  • Signed instrument of gift 
  • Associated drafts and copies of related correspondence (pre- and post-donation), including information related to site visits and conversations, custodial history, and provenance 
  • Biographical information relevant to the immediate acquisition of a collection 
  • Correspondence culled from the office files of previous administrators/curators as appropriate

 

2. Accessioning and Processing File
Processors should always check the Center’s finding aids folder on the shared N:\ drive for additional information, as many preliminary box and folder lists and processing plans have not been printed and filed.
  • Completed accessions form
  • Accession-level box inventory and/or accession level box and folder list 
  • Name authority worksheet for the creator 
  • Preliminary and full processing plans 
  • Email and related notes that could inform processing 
  • Collections workflow checklist

 

3. Description File
  • Printed copy of the stub catalog record created as a product of accessioning (need to figure out best way to print in Alma)
  • Copy of the catalog record for each major revision in Alma
  • Fuller forms of the preliminary box and folder list; and a copy of the finding aid

Archival Records Control Files

1. Name Authority File
This file is found at the beginning of each department's main hanging folder. All name authority paperwork should be placed in this folder and be updated as department names change.
2. Accessioning File
Departments will have multiple records series, therefore, there will be one accession file per series. All box/folder lists created by ARM staff upon receipt of the records at the Center, are stored on the shared N:\ drive control file and are not printed out.
  • Completed accession form
  • Accession-level box inventory and/or accession level box and folder list
  • Accessioning checklist
  • Internal transfer receipt

3. Description File
Folder is usually not created until the records series or archival collection is being processed. 

Electronic Control File Guidelines

...

Where to save documents

All records related to acquisition and description should be saved to the appropriate location on the shared drive according to the file structure outlined below.

Personal files should be saved to individual home drives (M:/)

Outline of File Structure

Text in bold = folder title. Do not add additional high-level folders; when necessary, subfolders should be nested within this structure.

...

07_Collections Databases and Lists

 

Naming conventions

Standardized naming conventions improve the speed of retrieval, and organizing them chronologically creates a clear narrative that enables future archivists to browse acquisition files more efficiently. Therefore, ALWAYS use the following naming conventions for acquisition files:

...

  • For emails or other groups of related documents, the date should reflect the most recent date in the set.
  • For emails relating to a particular topic, create a folder within “Communications” and name as appropriate. For archival collections: if appropriate, further delineate long strings of correspondence by fiscal year.
  • Do not use periods or spaces in file names. If division is necessary, use underscores or dashes.
  • See “File Types” (below) for additional guidance on how to save files.

 

Accruals

Accruals are additional accessions made to an existing collection. When an accretion is made, subfolders (ACC. YYYY-###) should be established in the existing structure as follows:

...

Please remember to integrate all files from the initial accession into their accession folder in addition to establishing new folders for the most recent accession.

 

Versioning

Drafts should have “V#_” appended, followed by initials of editor.

...

2014-08-23_DoG_LOWN_V2_HM.docx

 

File Types

Correspondence/Email

Important emails should be saved outside of Outlook as PDFs in the appropriate folder in (N:)> Collections. Notes from phone conversations can be left as .DOC or .DOCX files.
Correspondence should adhere to the naming conventions specified above.

...

Boxlists, Inventories, Surveys, and Additional Documents
All other documents, including word processing files, flyers, presentations, spreadsheets, etc. should be saved as Microsoft Office file types.

 

Guidelines for Acquisitions LHTs

...

Where to save documents

All files should be saved to the Center’s shared network drive. There is some differentiation between how manuscript and archival (aka institutional) collections are saved due to how collections are prioritized for processing, so please refer to the guidance specified below.  

...

N:\Collections\01_Archives\boxlabels_arch_example.doc

File Naming Conventions

Standardized naming conventions improve the speed of retrieval. As a general policy, do not use periods or spaces in file names. If division is necessary, use underscores or dashes.

...