University publications

Overview

University publications are published documents intended for distribution to the public. Examples of university publications include:

Magazines produced by HMS, HSPH, or HSDM
Alumni directories or publications
Departmental newsletters or reports
Dean’s reports
Student directories
Course catalogs
Annual reports

Note: yearbooks are tracked separately from the publications database.

Accessioning University Publications

Check first to see if a publication is represented in the database. Only publications with an existing record should be included in the database and filed in the appropriate box in the stacks - however, there are times where you might add accessioned publications to the database; please see below section. If you do not see the publication listed in the database, accession as a GRS 1665 series under the creating department. LHTs should create an inventory and send this to their supervisor to assist with accessioning/cataloging.

Whenever possible, try to complete a Receipt for Transfer of Records or Artifacts when receiving a publication from a donor. If a publication materializes at your desk with no known provenance, you can skip creating a Receipt for Transfer and simply make a note of this in the database later.

Create a folder in the electronic control file under "Acquisitions_Documentation" that is titled: Publications_InterfiledSerials_orDiscarded
Scan the Receipt for Transfer as a PDF and save it here: N:\Collections\06_Publications\Acquisition_Documentation\FYXX
Create a shortcut of the PDF, and place the shortcut in: Publications_InterfiledSerials_orDiscarded
If multiple copies of various publications are transferred, save a more detailed inventory as a Word Doc in Publications_InterfiledSerials_orDiscarded, create a shortcut, and save the shortcut to N:\Collections\06_Publications\Acquisition_Documentation\FYXX
The paper copy of the receipt for transfer should be filed in the department's physical control file in a folder titled "Publications: Interfiled Serials or Discarded."

Adding New Publications to the Database

There are times when it makes sense to add accessioned publications to the database. When a department offers publications for the archives, it can often be difficult to determine if we already have a copy or copies in our holdings. Since every accession has its own folder list, you will have to open each file to determine if a copy already exists in our holdings. In situations like this, you can add the publication to the database so that there is a single, complete inventory.

The database consists of four tables:

Acquisitions Table for Subform: Provides acquisitions information about each publication that could potentially be added to the Center's holdings, including the donor, date, issue/volume/number, and whether or not the item was interfiled.
HOLDINGS: Item-inventory
SerialHoldings: Details CHoM’s current holdings in the archive. This table also provides information on gaps in our collection, which can be helpful when accepting or soliciting for copies of a publication.
SerialInfo: This table provides key information necessary to understanding the other tables. Specifically, this table assigns each Publication Serial to a “serial number." The other tables in this database will utilize these “serial numbers” when identifying information about each publication. The SerialInfo table also provides information on when and where the publication was published, as well as the dates span and frequency of publication.

Before you can add information to the SerialInfo&HoldingsForm, you first need to add the publication to the SerialInfo table. Once you've added the information, make sure to close SerialInfo. If you do not close the table, the data will not appear in SerialInfo&HoldingsForm.

Tracking University Publications in the Database

Open the “Serials_Database”, located here: N:\Collections\06_Publications
Select “Forms”, and “SerialInfo&HoldingsForm”
Locate the appropriate serial title (note: if you cannot locate the series title in the database, you should not use the publications database, but instead accession the publications as a GRS 1665 series under the creating department).
Adjust the following categories as appropriate:
1. Year Center Holdings Begin
2. Year Center Holdings End
3. Gaps
4. Acquisition Table for Subform
5. Date received
6. Received from? (Name of the person, if known, who transferred publication to archives. If unknown, specify how you received it.)
7. Affiliation
8. Volume and Issue Number (example: Vol. 49, No. 1-2; Vol. 44, No. 1 (2 copies)-2; Vol. 43, No. 1-2;)
9. Action (Select one)
  1. Filed in Stacks
  2. Filed in an office
  3. Unfiled – in RM office
  4. Packed with a box sent to HD
  5. Not kept—discarded
10. Who completed Action (Your name)
If you would like to create a more granular inventory of the publications, fill in the fields in the "Holdings" subform. There should be one row per each volume. Adjust the following categories as appropriate when interfiling:
1. Dates
2. Issue, volume, and/or number
3. Number of copies held in archival holdings
4. Notes (if copies are damaged or not in pristine condition)
Go to the stacks and retrieve the box of relevant publications, and interfile incoming publications as appropriate.
If you determine that two pristine copies already exist of a specific publication, you can recycle the remaining copies. Make sure to always double-check current holdings against the database to determine if the database is correct BEFORE you recycle a publication.

Filing Physical Copies

Physical copies of university publications are interfiled into Center on-site holdings, located in 6/H-x and 7/H. Document boxes are labeled with the title of the publication, and are filed in rough alphabetical order. Within a box, publications are filed in chronological order and in folders for preservation purposes. Only two pristine copies are kept, unless the publication is older than 1970 (in which case consult the institutional archivist). If an incoming publication is cleaner than any of the currently interfiled copies, you may swap them without additional notation/documentation. If you have questions about how to file physical copies, contact the institutional archivists.

Note: You do not need to formally deaccession duplicates that are not being retained.