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.
When collections are accessioned, all A/V material is being noted and tracked in AV/DC tracker. If there is a significant amount of A/V material in a collection, it will also be noted in the bib record.Information from older accessions has been entered into AV/DC tracker in an attempt to have it be as accurate as possible. That said, there may still be situations in which you come across A/V material in your collection that is not represented in AV/DC tracker. If this occurs, talk to Joanne and get a number if you need one.
The types of audiovisual material and their corresponding numbers are as follows:
Audiocassettes and reel-to-reels T- #
CDs and CD-ROMs CD- #
Phonograph albums Phon- #
Video material Vt- #
Motion pictures MP #
DVDs DVD- #
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
Unpublished audiovisual material can be described in many ways and at different levels of access:
- single item (comes in unrelated to mss. material): describe in a bib record
- single item accompanied by a folder or two: describe in a bib record (Small A call number and T-# and/or Vt-# on same record) (Anne)
- a few items in a mss. collection: describe in a bib record and finding aid for mss. collection (MC # and T-# and/or Vt-# on same record and in same finding aid) (processor)
- quite a few items in a mss. collection, all labeled and/or similar in nature (all interviews, for example) and easy to appraise and describe: describe in a bib record and finding aid for mss. collection (MC # and T-# and/or Vt-# on same record and in same finding aid) (processor)
- large numbers of items in a mss. collection, unlabeled, hard to appraise and describe: transfer to a/v team; describe in separate finding aid and in separate bib record that is linked (via 773) to record for mss. collection (T-# and/or Vt-# in record(s). Processor of manuscript collection should include T-# and/or Vt-#s on bib record and in body of finding aid for mss. collection (even if they are not described in the finding aid). The bib record (at the end of the 520) should also say: “Also includes audiotapes and videotapes shelved and described separately.” The finding aid will say (at the end of the Scope and Content): “Also audiotapes [T-#] and videotapes [Vt-#] which are or will be described separately.” They should also be included in the Separated Material section at the end. They should not be enumerated in the quantity at the top of the finding aid. The sentence in the Scope and Content is just seen as a reminder to Public Services and researchers that audiotapes and videotapes were part of the collection and to look elsewhere. Include 655s for audiovisual material in the bib record; you don’t have to include a 007. Include a 506 for the audiovisual material (see below). Ideally once the audiovisual material is cataloged, we should add in the mss. collection record:
544 $dThere is related material: Andrea Dworkin Videotape collection$aat the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
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.
Tapes and CDs are removed from the collection and housed separately; give them to the A/V Cataloger for cataloging and labeling.
Videotapes
Many of the procedures for videotapes are the same as for audiotapes. Consult with the A/V Cataloger before deciding what to keep, whether the tape is sturdy enough for viewing and if the tapes will be listed in your finding aid or processed in a separate finding aid. When including tapes in the finding aid, many processors decide to watch to them. The decision to watch tape(s) will vary from collection to collection. Consult the A/V cataloger or your supervisor with any questions about whether or not to watch tapes. Usually it is sufficient to view only the beginning of a videotape in order to confirm that it has been correctly labeled by the donor/creator and in most cases the a/v cataloger can do this for you. The A/V cataloger can also assist with estimating the length and capturing any pertinent information.
Each videotape receives a file unit number (e.g. Vt-184.2, Vt-184.3, etc.). In addition, in most cases, all tapes in a collection have the same "Vt-" number and individual reel numbers so that all tapes can be shelved together (e.g., Vt-184, reel 2). "Vt-" numbers are assigned in numerical order, like MC numbers. Consult the A/V Cataloger for the number that may have been previously assigned, or for the next available number. See "File Unit Numbering" (pg. 27) for information on numbering.
Motion Pictures, DVDS, Phonograph Records, etc.
All A/V material in collections is handled similarly. Numbers will be assigned by the A/V cataloger, MP-# for motion pictures, DVD-# for DVDs, and Phon-# for phonographs. The numbering, labeling, and shelflist are all maintained as noted in the audio and video sections above. Each of these media will most likely need to be reformatted for viewing or listening; consult with the A/V cataloger.
The aforementioned audio-visual material will need to be labeled by the A/V cataloger; give materials to her with as much identifying information as possible so she may begin processing.
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):
- 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.
- In the 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:
$a1.2 linear ft.$a(1 carton, ½ file box, 1 folio+ folder, 2 audiotapes)
- Always add a 506 governing audiovisual material:
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.
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