Arranging and Describing Archives

Arranging and

Describing ArchivesPresenter:

Tansiongco, Kevin Conrad T.

Professor:Dr. Juan C. Buenrostro, Jr.

‘Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other

people under your control.’-Denis Diderot-

1796

Objectives• To give an overview in

arranging and describing archives.• To give some guidelines in

arranging and describing archives.

IntroductionArrangement supports the goal

of preservation by achieving physical and intellectual control of archives, while arrangement and description support the task of making archives available by organizing, identifying and explaining the content, context and structure of archives.

Topic to be discussed:Archival levels of arrangementThe practicalities of arrangementDescribing archivesPresenting contentProviding access to descriptive

informationPutting the description togetherEstablishing priorities

Archival levels of arrangement The fonds or group

Consists of the whole of a body of documents, regardless of form or medium, created or accumulated by a particular individual, family, corporate body or other agency as part of life and work and retained because those materials have ongoing archival value as evidence of those functions and activities.

Archival levels of arrangement

The series and sub-seriesIs the level of arrangement that responses

those aggregations of files or other records within the larger group that relate to the same process or that are evidence of a common form, purpose or use.

A body of documents within a series that can be readily distinguished from the larger series by filing arrangement, type, form or content.

Archival levels of arrangement

The fileOrganized assembly of documents

within a series, brought together according to a particular topic, activity or event in one several folders.

Physical entity : one or more cardboard or paper folders or binders holding a number of individual documents.

Archival levels of arrangement

The itemBasic physical unit within a file.A six-page letter from the Annandale

company to a client may be one item, and a 20-page marketing plan for Annandale Enterprises for 1977 would be another item.

Archival levels of arrangement

The pieceSingle indivisible unit within the

itemEach page of a 20-page marketing

plan could be counted as a piece, with a total of 20 pieces making up an item.

Archival levels of arrangement

Arranging corporate or organizational archivesThe smaller and more self-

contained the creating agency, the easier it is to structure the archives produced by that agency.

Archival levels of arrangement

Gaps in arrangementAny level of arrangement may be

absent from a given hierarchy, depending on the nature of the archives and the circumstances in which they were created and used.

Archival levels of arrangement

Arranging corporate or organizational archivesThe smaller and more self-

contained the creating agency, the easier it is to structure the archives produced by that agency.

Archival levels of arrangement

Arranging personal papersThe approach to arrangement is

similar when considering the personal archive sof an individual or family.

Archival levels of arrangement

Arrangement and organizational changeArranging archives can also be

relatively straightforward if the archivists is working with archival documents created by a business or government that has established effective records management systems.

The practicalities of arrangement

Arrangement is an intellectual and physical task.

The archivist needs to think through and devise a logical order and then she needs to impose that order on the actual materials, whether they are physical pieces of paper or digital bits of information in a computer file.

The practicalities of arrangement

The archivist may choose only to create an intellectual order, mapping that structure to the materials but not physically rearranging files or items, or she may take apart boxes and folders and reorganize materials to reflect the chosen arrangement.

Describing ArchivesThe purpose of description is to

create representation of the archives- an explanation of the content, structure and context of the fonds or group- so that the materials can be located and used by anyone, for any purpose, while still remaining authentic evidence of the work and life of the creator.

Describing ArchivesThe process of archival

description involves three steps:First step is to research and write

an account of the nature and scope of the archives and the life and work of the person, family, organization or business responsible for their creation.

Describing ArchivesSecond step – is to present that information

in various descriptive tools- finding aids- that allow users to understand the content and nature of the archives.

Third step – is to create access points or intellectual points of entry into the archives, such as names, subjects, dates or events, to help researchers determine which archives are relevant to their research.

Describing content, structure and contextThese are the questions to be

answer:Who created the records?When and Why?How and when did the archives come to

the archival institution?What happened to the records before

and after they came into archival custody?

Data content standardsIt helps archivist create consistent

archival descriptive tools, so that users do not have to adjust to different descriptive systems every time they access a new repository.

The standards also foster homogeneity and support information sharing across archival institutions.

The process of capturing contentArchivist should capture core

information about the archival materials they are describing, such as a title for the archives, the inclusive dates of materials their physical extent and medium, whether any further accruals are expected, whether there are any restrictions on reproduction or access, and what language the materials are in.

Repository identificationInformation about the repository

housing the archives includes the name of the repository and, if possible, a repository code identifying the specific repository.

The reference code or identification number for the specific archival fonds or group should also be included.

Title of the archivesThe title is most often found

within the archives themselves, based on provenance.

Dates of the archivesThe date element identifies the

inclusive dates of the archives, from the oldest or earliest to the most recent item.

Descriptive standards recommend standardizing how dates are presented: 1994-1996, for instance, instead of 1994-96 or 1994-6.

Extent and physical description of the archivesThe extent of the materials being

described includes the physical or logical units (100cubic feet, 16 containers, 6 linear meters) and the medium of the materials (textual records, graphic material, photographs, audio cassettes.).

Administrative history of biographyThe main purpose is to contextualize

the archives in hand, allowing the researcher to connect the archives with the functions and activities that led to their creation and use.

Identifies and explains the life and work of the creator or creators of the archives being described.

Scope and content of the archivesThis element provides a

summary of the archives themselves: scope refers to general information about functions performed by the creator of the archives, and the documentary forms found within the materials.

Archival or custodial historyExplains how archives were managed

from the time they were created to the time they came into archival custody.

It allows the archivist to explain what is not in the archives, particularly if the surviving materials reflect only a small portion of the life and work of the creator.

Presenting contentGenres of finding aid

Descriptive inventoriesRepository guidesThematic guidesCalendars Accession registersLocation listsIndexes

Archives databases and networksArchives Canada:

www.archivescanada.caArchives Hub: www.archiveshub.ac.ukEngland A2A- Access to Archives :

www.a2a.org.ukGuide to Australian Literary

Manuscripts : http://findaid.library.uwa.edu.au

Archives databases and networks

National Register of Archives and Manuscripts or Te Rarangi Puranga, Tuhinga Ake o te Motu: www.nram.org.nz

National Union Catalog of Manuscript collections (NUCMC): www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc

Scottish Archive Network: www.scan.org.uk

Establishing prioritiesAccessioningDevelop a standardized

approach to creating access points

Monitor

Once archives have been arranged and descriptive tools have been prepared, the archivist’s next responsibility is to help the public use the resources in her institution.

Work Cited:Millar, L. A. (2010). Archives:principles

and practices. London: Facet Publishing.