Survey
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 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.
For example, you may wish to take particular note of the following features of the collection:
Arrangement: Observe the arrangement of the materials. Can you discern a purposeful order? Are the materials in folders? If so, do the folder headings appear to be accurate and meaningful? Does the collection seem to be in its original order or has someone, either the creator or someone else, imposed another order? If the materials seem to be in no particular order, are there series that you can create to facilitate use of the collection?
Names: Look out also for basic identifying information about the collection creator and other major players in the collection.
Content: As you scan the materials and briefly examine selected items, try to form an impression of what the collection is about. What are the major subjects and research strengths? How well do the materials document the various aspects of a person's or an organization's history? Is there anything missing? Do some materials seem not to fit with the rest of the collection?
Format and Physical Condition: These aspects of the materials are almost as important as the content in deciding what to process and what levels of processing will be used. Are most of the items letter, legal, or oversized? Are there duplicates? Are there fragile materials? Is mold visible? Are there peculiar odors? Is the handwriting legible? What formats other than paper are in the collection? What condition are these other materials in? Are there a lot of photographs or audiovisual materials?
A survey is also a time for appraisal. A survey allows you to describe the collection, but it should also provide you with enough information to appraise its research value, the relative merits of its parts, opportunities for weeding, etc. Some questions to keep in mind include: Which parts of the collection contain the most complete documentation of the person/organization? Are there materials that are not included that were expected to be part of the collection? Are there materials that could be weeded (duplicates, some newspaper clippings) or are out of scope (some student papers, etc.)? Is any of the material be a good candidate for digitization?
Especially in collections with multiple accessions, do not move material around until after writing a processing plan and talking with your team lead.