Special cases and weird things

Photograph Collections ("PC"s)

PC collections (e.g. collections that consist entirely or almost entirely of photographs) get logged in the accession log, but then are given directly to Joanne, who makes a bibliographic record and then typically has them digitized and cataloged in HOLLIS Images. There is no blue card for these.

How might accessioners know what counts as a PC collection and what doesn't? Discuss with Joanne and Kelcy.

Material purchased by Marylene and passed on to us for archival description:

Marylene is in the habit of using her acquisition (book) funds to buy ephemera and/or printed material of various kinds from dealers. This material presents a number of special problems.

Paying the purchase order: All of Marylene's purchases are routed through purchase orders in Alma, and therefore the books dept (currently Rachel Greenhouse is the person doing this) has to create a bib record AND an item to match with the purchase order.
Where does it go?
1. Marylene may have an idea about this; she usually writes a note on the material before passing it to Rachel. Rachel has an idea of the most usual subjects, but sometimes it's not clear what to do, and then Rachel and accessioning staff can discuss.
2. Usually the items get added to an existing constructed collection. See G:\SCHLES\COLLECTION SERVICES\CONSTRUCTED COLLECTIONS.doc for list of constructed collections. The ones most involved are poster, calendar, memorabilia collections, and a few other subject-based collections (Advertising and Trade Card, Women's Health and Hygiene). In this case, Rachel will just make an item off of the existing bib record. Rachel uses an accessioning worksheet I created for her that lists the Alma #s of these usual suspects, so she can more easily create the item. Once she's created the item record, she passes the material on to us. When the PO has been paid, she deletes the item record. Sometimes Rachel makes a call that is not what we actually want to do with it when we receive it. If this is the case you can ask her to move the item record/purchase order to another bib record.
3. Sometimes Marylene thinks the material should be a small A; in a few instances she has bought things that we have to make into larger collections. In these instances Rachel has to create an Alma stub bib record in order to make the payable item; and it is our job to expand her record.
What do we do with these items?
1. Material that has been scoped as a small A or that you think should be a collection can be accessioned and dealt with as normal. The main thing to know is that you need to use the existing Alma stub record to create the bib record; you can then push it to Connexion.
2. Posters and memorabilia: these items can get accession #s and then be given to Johanna, who periodically updates the item-level finding aids for these collections. With both these kinds of material, be sure to describe them in the accession log for later identification purposes (e.g. instead of "1 button to add to Memorabilia Collection" you should record "1 Coyote button..." With posters, please include the # of posters, not "1 folder." in the accession log, and briefly describe subject as well.
3. Other ephemera for constructed collections: each of these collections is different; some have finding aids; some just have bib records. Figure out how best to add and then update bib or FA as necessary.

Sometimes manuscript curators might also purchase or accept donations of posters or buttons (or whatever) for inclusion in those collections. These can get logged and routed to Johanna as above, but are much easier to deal with (because no bib record drama).

Born-digital content

Sometimes born-digital content comes in via emails as attachments. If you receive this content from curators, give the content an accession number as usual, then pass on to Jen Weintraub for storage. It's possible Jen Weintraub might get this material directly from donors. She should know to ask for an accession #.

Small As with born digital content get logged as usual, and a bibliographic record created as part of accessioning. these used to get assigned to Pablo to process the born digital, not sure what 2020 + procedure will be.

Anne's other 2018 comments on random occurrences:

Sometimes individual letters or items are donated piecemeal (or purchased) and in cases where keeping the provenances separate really isn’t critical, we’ve started creating a few collections to house these, i.e.: Julia Child and Angela Y. Davis (see constructed collections document, above).
Sometimes Marylene will pass on to us menus. These get cataloged/listed in the menu database: G:\SCHLES\COLLECTION SERVICES\Culinary Access databases\sl menu collection 2005.mdb There are essentially two collections itemized there (Pr-7 and Pr-10). Pr-7 is the general Menu collection; Pr-10 is the Judith Lee Orloff Menu collection. Be sure to familiarize yourself with how menus are already described and be consistent! This database was devised by Barbara Wheaton and isn’t perfect. There is a document that gives a list of some of the standard language here: G:\SCHLES\COLLECTION SERVICES\MANUSCRIPTS\Accessioning\Accessioning procedures, forms, etc\SL menu.docx
There is a collection known as the Inserted material collection for items found inserted in books at SL. See
http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990137131460203941/catalog This comes from a fussy old rare books practice and is not something to be encouraged (or even continued!)