Introduction

Many people outside the library world might have thought a manuscript is either a stack of 8 ½” x 11” papers, a bound medieval text, or a rolled or framed parchment of some sort. But these days manuscripts also exist on computer disks and devices. Many people might also think that labeling and storing such things would not require much effort. People often think they are skilled enough already, and could do it quickly without needing advice: probably better than anyone else. How hard could it be to get some folders and stick a label on them? Or to store and label a disk? The trouble is that there are many unpredictable aspects to end-processing (labeling) and storing manuscript collections, and challenging logistics behind housing them to be continually overcome. The trouble is, these items must adhere to logic that makes them retrievable and stores them safely. Obstacles arise from all directions. Effort from every region of the brain is required to overcome them. Keeping a manual may help. 

It is hard to describe the variety found in manuscripts. They can be bound volumes, or boxes of folders that might also contain anything from silver, coins, & clothing, to eyeglasses, matches, even a fried egg. Houghton Library collections include: handcuffs, swords, artwork, pressed flowers, photographs, death masks, scrapbooks, a light bulb, medieval texts, an asbestos tile, musical scores, audio tapes, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, and human hair, to name a few. Whatever happens to have been stored with an author’s papers can make it into the library to become part of our collections. A collection can range from hundreds of boxes purchased by the library from an author’s estate, to a scrapbook of autograph letters donated by some collector. A manuscript, such as a journal, or an illuminated sheet, can also arrive as a single item, independently of any collection, whether it is a gift or a purchase. 

Staff and readers should be able to examine and identify material safely: one can’t just let items roll around together in a box and hope for the best. Somehow, each item must go into a folder, box, or binder, no matter what the dimensions, without being damaged. Everything has to have a label. If it doesn’t fit in a box, it may need to be labelled with a tag. If there’s nothing to tie the tag onto, you may have to sew it on, or invent some other solution. Housing must meet preservation standards. The correct information must be on the label, having met the approval of catalogers and the public services staff. For a collection of up to 10,000 items, each with a different description, one must master software that can help get that unique information onto those labels quickly. It is necessary to estimate fairly accurately for supplies and to make use of scrap. The sequence of items must be kept whenever possible, for there is both an intellectual and a physical order to things. 

When an item is too big and fragile to fit into the box with other items, is it necessary to find an unconventional way to store them all together; or is it better to store them separately and annotate the finding aid? What if an item is sharp, toxic, or otherwise dangerous to handle? Will a box of typescript items be deformed if a small thick volume must be stored in the middle of the stack? Would the answer be the same if the folders were stored upright? How does one safely store a tintype that occurs among papers? Can an an old piece of blotting paper be discarded? What if an item smells of moth balls? Should one go ahead and remove a straight pin from an Emily Dickinson manuscript; or is it considered an artifact? Can an item safely go to Harvard Depository? How should we store and label an item that is restricted because of fragility or privacy issues? How should we affix a label to a bound volume to avoid covering text? Are we certain the wording of a bookplate is accurate and consistent with past practices? The questions never end. 

Procedures, warnings and tips for all staff new to end processing archival collections at TSASC (Technical Services, Archives, and Special Collections)

The Library is responsible for the care and security of its collections. End-processing manuscripts is an essential activity through which that responsibility is met. Consequently, maturity is expected of all staff, involving the ability to focus, follow through, be organized, follow rules, ask appropriate questions, and keep work spaces neat. Ideally, all new staff working with manuscripts and collections should be clear about (preferably written) duties and expectations agreed upon with their supervisor. Before diving into the work, read the Goals and Responsibilities, and especially these Guidelines for all. Your supervisor should provide you with things you need to do the work. Please ask them if you feel you are missing any of the basics, or if anything about your workstation requires adjustment.

Goals

The main goal of end-processing manuscripts is to ensure that patrons and staff can identify and handle material safely in housing that is neat and clean. Most manuscripts are therefore numbered, housed in acid-free file folders, and labelled, usually on the upper left of the folder. Certain material is prepared for photoduplication or digitization by unfolding, and removing staples and paper clips. Unfolding the material also allows for more compact storage. By marking affected items "restricted", the Library honors agreements with donors. Manuscript end-processing is an essential activity that supports the Library's mission with regard to the care and security of its collections.

 Expectations (student workers and all new staff)

• • Focus on the work while you are here: cell phones, social media, & schoolwork on your own time
  • Food and drink policies are ever-changing : get the latest from your supervisor
  • NO WATER CONTAINERS ON WORK SURFACES or materials (such as the model Globe Theatre)
    
  • Ask your supervisor about break time expectations
  • Complete 30-minute library-wide ergonomic and handling TRAINING when possible
  • Handle folders and manuscript material with clean hands
  • Do one thing at a time and be careful of the original order that manuscripts are in
  • Point out defects in supplies to the supervisor
  • Proofread information on labels before attaching : point out errors to supervisor
  • Don't discard fragments of collection material that contain text; or throw out any collection-related material (including old folders) unless instructed to do so
  • Use only pencil : store pens and felt-tip markers away from collection material
  • Leave work stations clean and organized
  • Computers should be turned off before leaving for the day (unless you know it will be used afterwards).

Below is a sample Harvard Student job posting that illustrates some of the end processing duties currently carried out by Archivists when a collection requires them. It can be helpful to review the job description with your supervisor before you begin working.

General Responsibilities as you work on archival material

Follow your supervisor's instructions above all, but in addition, be aware of the following:

• Do not try to flatten random creases or dogears (bent corners).
• Interleave or otherwise segregate harmful or delicate material. Ask the end processor about what type of interleaving to use.
• Do not try to remove pressure sensitive tape or adhesions from manuscripts, keep a list of such items and consult the end processor and your supervisor.
• Do not use pressure sensitive (scotch, etc.) tape to mend or construct enclosures of any kind.
• Do not attached "post-its" directly to manuscript material of any kind.
• Keep erasure spread minimized so it doesn't get into the folders.
• Ask the end processor for assistance with anything that does not fit in standard supplies (file folders and boxes)
• Always notify your supervisor or the end processor if you see something fragile or otherwise problematic.
• Consult the end processor if custom labels or housing seem to be needed
• Do not invent your own solutions for anything problematic, ask first
• Use only archival paper strips (provided at student workstations) when a marker is required

IF YOU ARE WORKING ON A COLLECTION (rather than a single item)
Talk to your supervisor about these BASIC PROCEDURES, WARNINGS, AND TIPS:

APPLYING FOLDER LABELS AHEAD OF TIME
Sometimes collections will need to be refoldered. Do not apply labels in advance to empty folders in order to "save time" as this can cause one to mistake an empty folder for a finished one and it can throw off the numbering of all the folders. Also some items may turn out to be oversize and shelved separately, requiring a different size folder. If there happen to be many such items, the wrong size folder will continue to be labelled and supplies will go to waste. Applying labels slowly and carefully matching them with the items one at a time makes this less likely to happen, and provides an extra measure of "proofing" of everyone's work.

BINDING MATERIALS
Sometimes a group of papers is bound together with brads or staples or sewing along the edge. Always ask your supervisor whether to remove them. And consult the end processor if you intend to proceed. For the most part we don't spend time removing these things. So do not proceed without clear instructions from your supervisor. It might be that the materials should be left in if they are part of a formal-looking "binding", or in a pamphlet. Sometimes the binding can have research or artifactual importance. And, sometimes brads and thread are removed as they can more readily damage the paper during digitization. Certain kind of brads are not removable with ordinary tools, so they are left in. However, it is best to ask first, as the curator sometimes has a specific reason for wanting to keep the binding intact or wanting brads or staples removed. Before going ahead and removing staples, get instruction from the end processor. See "REMOVING STAPLES"

BOX LABELS
For flat boxes, place a label holder on the center of the short end of box about 1/16" away from bottom, rubbing it down with a teflon folder as instructed. That way the label won't be obscured on boxes having a short lid. Apply label holder vertically on upright boxes, an inch or two from bottom.  Or use self-adhesive box label holders to make temporary labels that list the call number/box number. Do not use post-it notes because they fall off. Do not label the tops of boxes because they will be obscured when shelved. Do not write directly on the boxes. This slide show, called Temporary housing for preservation projects.ppsx, shows why.

FOLDER LABELS
Always ask for a demonstration from the end processor before applying labels to folders. How to make, whether to make, who will make, what text to include, and orientation of labels are questions answered in coordination with end processing before you begin. This is an important step even if only using a penciled "label". Labels always go near the folded edge of the folder. And the fold is situated in the box along this (long) "drop down" side. This allows for thumbing through the folders easily. There are different conventions for oversize folders shelved in drawers.

CORRECTIONS TO AN EXISTING FINDING AID
Work with your supervisor or consult end processor. Currently anyone on staff (often someone in need at reference desk, or public services staff with difficulty locating an item) can work with end processing to point out large errors, or help fix smaller ones in Alma or ArchivesSpace, often in real time.

FINISHING A COLLECTION (follow up)
Make sure that all papers and unused supplies, etc.leftover after a collection is finished are neat. Discard any labels that you know are not going to be used so that they don't create confusion about whether the work was complete. Any labels that are left behind should be clearly marked as to why they were not pasted down before handing peripheral materials to the supervisor, who will note any further necessary corrections to the finding aid. Give all leftover materials/supplies to the supervisor as well, and make sure the work station is clean and ready for the next collection.

INTERLEAVING AND INNER FOLDERS
Interleaving should approximate the size of the folder (about 1/16" smaller on all sides), not the size of the collection material. Use legal-sized sheets of permalife for legal-sized folders, and letter-sized sheets for letter-sized folders. We have packages of inner permalife folders with tabs for both legal and letter size folders. There is also a box of permalife, phototex, and Apollo tissue interleaving folders that we custom cut ourselves for items stored in flat standard size boxes. In some cases, use inner folders of folder stock, as instructed, which we also sometimes custom cut and keep in a document box for collections stored upright. User inner folders and interleaving sparingly so as not to add unnecessary bulk to a collection, or to overuse supplies.

POST-ITS
We don't use post-its ("sticky notes") on manuscript material because it can leave a residue that collects dirt. They can also harm some leather covers. However, in modern collections a post-it might be part of the material. In that case, consult end processor.  You may be advised to put it in a permalife inner folder to protect other items, in case it were to detach. If there is an excessive amount of post-its throughout the collection, we might decide not to use any inner folders at all though, as it would add too much bulk and use up a lot of paper.

PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE

• • • • "Scotch tape" and "masking tape" are called "pressure sensitive tape", meaning they adhere because pressure is applied to make them stick. If an item has tape on it, you may want to put them into an inner folder (of folder stock) if the adhesive is oozing out. Or if the adhesive seems dry and stable, you could interleave it on both sides with the correct size of permalife instead. For excessive tape, or badly oozing tape, make a note and tell the supervisor. We sometimes put them into a mylar inner folder to contain the adhesive and keep it and/or stains from the tape from migrating to other items. Do not try to remove tape.
      • If you find tape whose adhesive has dried and it has "popped off" by itself, you should examine it carefully to see whether it has any text on it at all, any pencil, pen, or typing or marks. If it does, we should keep it, ask the supervisor what to do. If it doesn't, ask whether it's ok to throw it away. In some very rare instances, with items which have lots of editing that uses scotch tape and small pieces of paper, conservators might find such a thing useful in order to restore the original order. But in most instance, we just throw away a piece of scotch tape with no text.
      • Do not put pressure sensitive tape (scotch, etc.) on any enclosures, as it can stick to materials and cannot be easily removed. Enclosures are designed to function without the use of tape and adhesives whenever possible, in order to minimize exposure of material to dangerous substances. Also, enclosures are designed to avoid having to slide materials in and out. For example, a 4-flap enclosure is meant to be pealed open. It is not meant to function as an envelope.

REMOVING STAPLES   *Always ask supervisor!!
Staples are not normally removed from collections except by special request. Never use a "claw" type staple remover. Make sure your supervisor has approved having the staplers removed. And get a demonstration of the procedure from the end processor. Place sheets flat on a table with the ends of the staple exposed. Slip a microspatula under one end at a time, rotating the spatula to lift the end up. Turn the sheets over and slip the spatula under the front part of the staple and rotate until you can pull it out. If thin/fragile paper, put the corner of a rectangle of mylar under the two ends of the staple first and then try sliding the microspatula under them. Sometimes staples can safely be removed from thin/fragile paper using one's fingernail. However, you must ask for instruction or assistance with difficult/fragile items or heavy duty staples before proceeding.