Descriptive notes

Biographical Notes

From Describing Archives: A Content Standard: 
"Record information relevant to the understanding of the life, activities, and relationships of the person or family, applying rules 2.7.12 to 2.7.21 as necessary."

See also: Guidelines for Inclusive and Conscientious Description; Style Guide.

Accession-level

Please note: Prior to authoring a new accession-level biographical note, check HOLLIS to verify that one does not already exist. If you do find an existing biographical note, be sure it includes all necessary information (below)

When authoring a truncated biographical note for accession-level stub MARC records, make sure to include the following information: 

• Name
• Dates: Supply the year of birth and, if applicable, death.
• Education: For each degree listed, supply the dates when the degree was conferred, as well as the name of the granting institution and that institution's geographic location.Occupation: Include information about the principal occupation(s) and career or lifework of the person or about the activities of the family.
  
  

Example 1

Alexander D. Langmuir (1910-1993), A.B., 1931, Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M.D., 1935, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; M.P.H., 1940, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, was Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard Medical School from 1970 to 1977 and chief epidemiologist for the Epidemiology Branch of the Public Health Service of the National Communicable Disease Center (later the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC) from 1949 to 1970.

Administrative Histories

Accession-level

Please note: prior to authoring a new accession-level administrative history: check HOLLIS to verify that one does not already exist. If you do find a previous administrative history, check to make sure that it includes all necessary information (listed below). 

If authoring a truncated administrative history for an initial stub record (accession-level), make sure to include the following information:

• Name
• Dates of existence
• Main functions and activities
• Name(s) of any parent organizations
• Geographic location(s), including city and state, in which the corporate body operated, and locations of founding and dissolution if known/applicable
• Names and dates for predecessor or successor corporate bodies, or earlier or later names by which the corporate body was known
  
  

• The Osher Research Center at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, was created in 2001 to focus on the study of scientific and clinical dimensions of complementary and integrative therapies, as well as their legal, ethical, and economic implications. The Osher Research Center managed a portfolio of clinical trials and basic research investigations and offered continuing medical education courses for medical professionals through the Department of Continuing Education at Harvard Medical School. The Center was established through gifts from the Bernard Osher Foundation in 2001 and 2007, which also established the Osher Clinical Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. Prior to this the Osher Research Center was incubated within the Center for Alternative Medicine Research and Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. In January 2011, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital formally allied the two centers as the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, which was no longer housed at Harvard Medical School. 

• The Department of Global Health and Social Medicine is an interdisciplinary social science department of Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Its faculty of anthropologists, sociologists, historians, ethicists, social policy specialists, and clinicians teach and conduct research about the social, cultural, and moral aspects of illness and health care, with a special emphasis on reducing health disparities and improving the quality of medical care. The Department of Global Health and Social Medicine was known as the Department of Social Medicine and Health Policy from 1980 to 1984 and the Department of Social Medicine from 1984 to 2008; it is currently known as the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (2008-). 

Processing-level

Begin with a brief summary of the most relevant aspects of a corporate body’s existence, including:

• Name

• Dates of existence

• Main functions and activities

• Name(s) of any parent organizations

• Geographic location(s) in which the corporate body operated, and locations of founding and dissolution if known/applicable

• Names and dates for predecessor or successor corporate bodies, or earlier or later names by which the corporate body was known

Follow the overview with more detailed information:

• Describe the corporate body’s mandate and the enabling legislation or policy that directs its activities. Describe any significant changes to the corporate body’s mandate over time

• Include the location(s) of the head office and of any branch or regional offices if applicable.

• Describe the organizational and administrative structure of the corporate body: How is it organized? What is the reporting structure? Who has authority over the office? How is it managed? How is it financed?

• Include relevant information about corporate acquisitions or mergers.

• Include relevant names of founders and corporate officers as relevant, such as names of deans, department heads, etc.

• Mention any notable events associated with the corporate body.

• Make sure to cite any resources from which the history was substantially derived.

Example:

The Harvard Fatigue Laboratory (the "Lab") was founded in 1927 at Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, to study the psychological, physiological, and sociological stresses on human behavior and to apply that knowledge to better understand relevant problems in labor and industry. The driving force behind the creation of the Lab was Lawrence Joseph Henderson (1878-1942), Professor of Biological Chemistry at Harvard University and the Lab’s first director. Also involved in the Lab’s founding were: Wallace Brett Donham (1877-1954), Dean of Harvard Business School; David Linn Edsall (1869-1945), Dean of Harvard Medical School; William Morton Wheeler (1865-1937), Professor of Entomology at Harvard University; Elton Mayo (1880-1949), Professor of Industrial Research at Harvard Business School; and Arlie Vernon Bock (1888-), who was affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. David Bruce Dill (1891-), who later replaced Henderson as the Lab’s director, was initially brought in as Research Director and was responsible for the physical planning of the Lab. Physiologist Ancel Keys (1904-2004) also served on the staff. The initial funding for the Lab was provided by the Rockefeller Foundation.The staff of the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory encompassed a wide range of disciplines, including physiologists, biochemists, psychologists, biologists, physicians, sociologists, and anthropologists. The research performed by the Lab reflected this diversity of backgrounds and the areas of research included the physical chemistry of blood, exercise physiology, nutritional interactions, aging, and the stresses of high altitude and climate. Equipment utilized by the staff in conducting research included treadmills, a climatic room, an altitude chamber, and an animal room.

The outbreak of World War II saw the activities of the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory shift to meet the needs of the United States armed forces. David Bruce Dill left the lab in 1941 to join the Army Air Corps and William H. Forbes was appointed Acting Director, a position he held until the disbanding of the Lab in 1947. The staff changed significantly during this time, with some staff members joining the military and others joining military-sponsored research efforts, especially after the death of Lawrence Henderson in 1942. Before his death, Henderson was able to secure funding for the Lab from the National Academy of Science and the Quartermaster Corps, as the original funds from the Rockefeller Foundation were running out. The Harvard Fatigue Laboratory was contracted with the War Department to make recommendations on living conditions for military personnel operating in extreme hot and cold environments. Over 150 recommendations were made by the Lab to the military regarding clothing, nutrition, and survival gear.Despite efforts to transition to peacetime research, the Lab did not survive long after the end of the war. Plans to transfer the Lab to the Harvard School of Public Health were delayed and eventually abandoned, and Forbes oversaw its disbanding in 1947. Factors contributing to the closing of the Lab included the death of Lawrence Joseph Henderson, the departure of Ancel Keys, the dispersal of staff during the war, and the change in Harvard Presidents from A. Lawrence Lowell to James B. Conant. After the Lab closed, its staff dispersed and continued the research they initiated at the Lab. During the twenty years of its existence, the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory produced a large body of research on physiology and biochemistry. The Lab’s research on exercise contributed to the recognition of routine physical activity as an important therapeutic and preventive aspect of health, as was the Lab's development and standardization of research techniques, particularly field studies.

Scope and Content Notes

Scope and content notes describe “the nature of the materials and activities reflected in the unit being described” (DACS – Part I, Chapter 3, Section 1: Scope and Content, last updated 24 January 2023).

Although sometimes tempting, these notes should not include contextual information about the creator of the materials—relevant information of this type should instead be included in the biographical/historical note.

Compare:

Example of a scope and content note:

Correspondence (Series I) consists of letters and related records generated by Wohl in her professional appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital, her professional service, and her writing and publishing activities. (Mary Ellen Wohl papers, processed by Rebecca Thayer) 

Example of a biographical note:

Wohl joined Children’s Hospital (now Boston Children’s Hospital) in 1962 as a Fellow in Medicine. She also had a research fellowship in physiology at the Harvard School of Public Health (now Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), Boston, Massachusetts from 1962 to 1965. She joined Harvard Medical School in 1965 as an Instructor in Pediatrics, ultimately becoming Professor of Pediatrics in 1992. Wohl served at Children’s Hospital in various capacities, notably Associate in the Pulmonary Laboratory from 1965 to 1978, Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Program from 1985 to 2002, and Chief of Division of Respiratory Diseases from 1980 to 2002. She became Division Chief, Emerita in 2002. The same year, she became Associate Director of the General Clinical Research Center at Children’s Hospital. (Mary Ellen Wohl papers, processed by Rebecca Thayer) 

Processing-level

Include:  

• How records were created/what they are a product of;  
• the major record types found in collection;  
• the major topics/activities/events/research addressed by the records;  
• the scope of records/papers/collection with regards to/in context with their creator.
  • Do not describe the context in which the records were created. Put that information in the administrative history/biographical note, and reference it as necessary in the scope and content note. 
    
• an indication as to whether any chunks of records are missing, and why (if known). 

DO NOT:  

• Provide the researcher with suggested research uses of the collection;  
• offer opinions on the quality of the records;  
• indicate perceived "highlights;"  
• or make value judgements, such as, "Contains important information related to..." 
• AVOID saying that the items/records/papers "document" something, as what is documentary is subjective. Reserve the word "documents" for legal instruments: wills, deeds, etc. 

Final paragraph

Use the following format: "Records [or Papers or Collection] are/is entirely in English. [Or other language statement.]"Examples: 

• Samuel Levine papers: Materials are primarily in English. There are several items in Hebrew, Spanish, and Swedish, as noted in Series I.

• Chester Pierce papers: Papers are predominantly in English. Some papers are in Spanish.

• Salpetriere Hospital records: Records are predominantly in French, with some German and English.

• Judah Folkman papers: Papers are predominately in English. Occasional scientific paper reprints and newspaper clippings are in French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Russian.

Series descriptions in scope and content notes