Philosophy

Quality processing does not require extensive arrangement, description, or preservation... Quality processing finds the most appropriate amount of work to perform to make a collection usable. High-quality processing may just as easily refer to a concise finding aid describing a collection that was skillfully arranged to the series level, as it might refer to a meticulously organized, extensively described collection. In other words, quality in archival processing is not measured by intensity or level of detail. Quality may be measured by how effectively a processed collection serves its user base and how wisely a processor spent a repository's resources to achieve this.

For those archival processors troubled by efficient processing techniques, remember that a processor's craft lies in analysis and decision-making. A skilled archival processor weighs many criteria to determine how much description, organization, or preservation is truly necessary. A skilled archival processor flexibly applies the most appropriate arrangement, description, or preservation technique from an arsenal of possibilities. A skilled archival processor asks "What are the costs?" and "What are the benefits?" for almost every processing action. A skilled archival processor finds the most efficient way to achieve sufficient intellectual mastery and adequate physical control over the materials. In some ways, streamlined processing is more difficult than traditional processing, because streamlined processing decisions require planning, flexibility, creative compromises, and innovative shortcuts to "get the most bang for the buck." In sum, the efficient processing techniques described in this manual do not devalue your work or your collections. They empower you to make complicated, informed choices about the work you perform so that you may surface more of your institution's important research material to its users. You may still take pride in all that you accomplish and all the researchers you serve when you use efficient processing techniques.

-- Guidelines for Efficient Archival Processing in the University of California Libraries

In 2005, Mark Greene and Dennis Meissner published their article "More Product, Less Process," which called on the archival profession to account for its enormous backlog of inaccessible material. The article stirred many to adopt a new paradigm that included backlog reductive processing measures. However, in addition to the positive reception and subsequent change in values by the profession, the article has been grossly misinterpreted as implementation of a fixed set of rules or processes. In fact, it is a philosophy. A philosophy that champions access to all materials. Implementing MPLP does not mean adopting minimal processing practices but rather employing analysis and decision-making to programmatically determine how much to arrange, describe, and preserve all collections within any given repository. It takes what was once a one-size-fits-all approach to processing and inserts archival judgement, agility, and strategy.

Building on MPLP, Christine Weideman coined the phrase "Accessioning as Processing." This method of accessioning has been adopted as one strategy for backlog reduction. The goal is to provide baseline level access to collections as they are accessioned. Accessioning archivists are in an advantageous position to capture important documentation related to a collection's arrangement, condition, and content. While accessioning, and with a minimum of additional effort, a collection can receive collection level description, basic rehousing, and even some preliminary intellectual arrangement and description at the series or file level. In this way, collections never enter into a backlog or processing queue. Future user needs may then dictate whether more description is warranted.

The goal at Houghton since 2011 has been to provide access to all newly accessioned material. At a minimum a collection received a MARC record. Collections larger than 2 linear feet received additional description in a finding aid. Collections were still designated as unprocessed. Beginning in July, 2017 all collections will receive collection level finding aids, MARC records, and if larger than 2 linear feet series or file level finding aids. Collections will be marked as minimally processed.

What is baseline level access?

Providing good enough description at point of accessioning is a matter of judgment and will vary depending on the size, scope, and complexity of the collection. Finding the "golden minimum" for accessioning as processing is performing the minimum amount of work necessary to make the collection usable. Collections that are well organized (intellectually and/or physically) into discernible series are good candidates for finding aids with series level description. Collection that lack any discernible order should not be over-handled but rather described as holistically as possible. Small collections or collections with less research value might only need a collection level description. Donor lists and dealer inventories should almost always be used as a basis for description.

Historic Record Keeping Practices

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Beginning in July 1, 2006, the Manuscript Section has made accession records in MARC format for all curatorial departments. The previous database, HMA (Houghton Manuscript Accessions, an Access database created for the Manuscript Department ca. 1999 from the original MARC-based BibBase), was frozen at that time. (Bonnie Salt completed a project to create MARC records for all earlier materials appearing only in HMA.) Until approximately 2006, the Harvard Theatre Collection maintained separate accessioning practices and files.

In recent years accessioning became a backlog-preventive measure. Since April 1, 2011, preliminary box lists for accessioned collections were posted to OASIS (pending curatorial review). Legacy box lists in Word and other formats were occasionally converted to EAD and uploaded into OASIS or ingested into ArchivesSpace.

Until June 30, 2017 every item, collection, or collection accrual entering Houghton received a MARC accession record; collections of approximately two or more boxes may have received a box list in EAD. Both of these records were derivative of the rules for full, standards-compliant Houghton cataloging of single items and collections.

Accessioning Manual [under construction]

Philosophy

Historic Record Keeping Practices