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 in the collection, what 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.
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.)? What is the physical state of the collection? Does it need a lot of conservation work? Is some of the collection fragile? Could any of it be a good candidate for digitization?
Processing Plan
Upon completion of a collection survey, the archivist writes a processing plan or proposal. The archivist then meets with his or her team leader to discuss the proposal. No refoldering or rearrangement of the collection should take place until after this meeting. The proposal should include as much descriptive detail of the collection as possible; much of this can/should be reused (and added to, if necessary) for the front matter of the finding aid. Gathering more information upfront and thinking critically about the collection from the outset should result in less structural change throughout processing.
Generally, the Processing Proposal includes:
- A general OVERVIEW, which consists of:
- a short biographical or historical note, including information relevant to any arrangement decisions;
- a description of the collection's size, the various accessions, and any weeding opportunities;
- a list of the kinds and quantity of materials found in the collection (including electronic records);
- mention of significant processing or other problems;
- provenance information and description of any existing order;
- potential issues with restrictions or closures based on donor wishes or material types
- apparent research strengths of the collection and expected documentation that is lacking.
- ARRANGEMENT: an outline of likely series and sub-series, pointing out merits and limitations of various options, as appropriate. Include general sizes (# of cartons, boxes) of each series, as well as kinds of materials within each.
- A recommended PROCESSING LEVEL or levels, with an explanation of its/their appropriateness to the particular collection, given its access and preservation requirements.
- A reasonably detailed SUMMARY of the WORK that will be required to complete the processing and arrangement of the papers, including explanation of any unusually time-consuming tasks and a presentation of options for using assistance effectively. The proposal should specify which tasks, if any, can be assigned to processing assistants and students.
- DURATION: an estimate of the amount of time required to complete all work on the collection. In some cases, a preliminary processing calendar may also be required, including benchmarks for the completion of portions of the collection.
- SUPPLIES: a list of any special or unusually voluminous archival supply needs.
- PRESERVATION: an overview of preservation concerns, with specific mention of significant (i.e., costly/time consuming) conservation needs.
- STORAGE: a statement outlining significant special storage needs/problems (e.g., framed artwork).
- PRINTED MATERIAL (e.g. books, serials, newspapers, pamphlets, and ephemeral imprints): a statement describing how much is in the collection, and how much of it needs to be appraised by Marylène.
In some cases, archivists may need to physically re-arrange material in order to more accurately describe its content. If you feel this would help you in writing the processing plan, discuss it with your team lead before doing so.