Single items boxed together, shelved onsite

If several consecutively numbered (or nearly consecutive) single items are of a similar size and fit well together, it can be more effective to store them each in a folder within a box onsite, rather than putting them all into pre-fabs and spending time making tabs and putting in donor plates, preparing them for offsite storage, costing time and money. Items are not assigned call numbers with any regard to size, so this situation doesn’t occur that often, but it is good to take advantage of it when it does occur. Each folder, containing a distinct single item, will get a barcode, but the box goes without one. This is one instance in which we would put a barcode on a manuscript folder. The same concept is used in flat file drawers, where the procedure is exactly the same.

The box label can be generated individually using this WORD box label template. Use alphacellulose paper for making shelf tabs. With this document one can also keep notes on how full and what size the box is. Print out one page and trim off the label you want. The label should be reprinted each time a new folder is added. So it is best to keep your own copy of the document for future use.

(NOTE:  We cannot box folders from collections with single items, as collections are shelved separately with locations assigned by ArchivesSpace, rather than by the prefix (b, f, pf etc.) of their call number.)

This convention makes it easy for the Stacks staff to notice that there are multiple items in the box. The box should be shelved by the Manuscript Department Assistant / End-processor since single items are shelved differently than collections. Each time another folder is added, the box label is updated.

IMPORTANT
You will have to annotate all of the records in Alma afterwards to show that they are shelved together and each in a single folder.  The first item will be the one that records the fact that they are all shelved in a single box, and will show the linear feet.  Subsequent items will say “1 folder" in the 300 field of the bib record, and "Shelved with pfMS Typ 956” in the 852 field of the holdings. You can see how all the records are updated by clicking on the call numbers above.

In the holdings “shelved with” is a “z” note in the 852 field, as below. This note appears publicly in HOLLIS.

pfMS Typ 956:

pfMS Typ 981:

pfMS Typ 983:

Such “add-to” boxes can be any of our standard sizes, i.e. a 11x15” add-to box; 14x18” add-to box; 16x20” add-to box, etc. There are some advantages to storing single items in this manner. It saves expenses on supplies since only 1 folder is used, rather than an archival binder; time on fewer supplies to re-stock, fewer labels to be made and applied, and space, with the ability to store more things onsite, less time preparing for offsite storage.

Related storage methods and advantages/disadvantages

HTC and P&GA use flat files in much the same way that the “add-to” boxes shown here are used.  Storing like-sized items together saves on time, space and supplies. The only disadvantages are that records have to be updated to reflect location and that items within a box or drawer may not always be contiguous.  Also, shelf reading might be slightly slowed down in that a drawer or box has to be opened in order to read the barcodes that must be placed on each individual folder. However, these disadvantages are not that inconveniencing considering the saving of space and money spent on supplies.

More frequent use of add-to boxes would make it unnecessary to purchase many more heavy and expensive flat files. These take up a lot of space, are awkward and sometimes dangerous to use when retrieving and re-shelving material, and cannot be easily moved.  It is also difficult to transport material stored inside quickly in the event of an emergency. HTC sometimes stores two piles of items, which otherwise would have fit in standard size boxes, side-by-side within the drawers of a flat file meant for oversized items. These piles might be better off on a shelf in add-to boxes, if there were space for them. But this decision should be made on a case-by-case basis.