Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an ... · Example: Chippewa Valley Museum’s Collection Development Statement. At present, our primary goals for collections

Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an ArchivesLocal History and History Preservation ConferenceElkhart Lake, WisconsinSaturday, October 25, 2014

Greg KockenHead Special Collections Librarian & University Archivist, University of Wisconsin-Eau [email protected]

Peter ShrakeArchivist, Circus World [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Our Goals:Provide you with a budget and resource conscious approach to building

and managing your archives program

Help you to better understand the value of archival collections and how

they can play a critical role with your organization

Provide you with the confidence you need to make decisions across all

facets of the archival enterprise

Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an Archives

Workshop OutlineActivity One: Appraisal (9:15 to 9:45)

Collection Development Policies and Deeds of Gift (9:45 to 10:05)

Activity Two: Crafting a Collection Development Policy (10:05 to 10:20)

Organization and Description of Archival Collections: Just the Basics (10:20 to 10:40)

BREAK (10:40 to 10:50)

Activity Three: Case Studies (10:50 to 11:25)

Public Services for Archives (11:25 to 11:45)

Valuing your Archives (11:45 to 11:50)

Your Questions Answered (11:50 to 12:00)

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Activity OneSelection and Appraisal


Why do we keep archival materials?


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A strong collections policy is an ally when reviewing donations of materials. Your policy will guide your decisions and make it easier to say “no” to a potential donation.

Collection Development (CD) Policies• Similar to your organization’s mission statement, the collection development policy is a reflection of your organization.• A common approach to a CD policy is topical (e.g. Local architecture, aviation etc.).• When developing a CD policy you must consider:

• What is your organization’s mission?• Who is your audience?• How do you currently serve your audience? How do you want to serve your audience?• What strengths exist within your current holdings?• Who else might be collecting similar materials?

• CD policies can change over time.• It is common, although not necessary, to maintain different CD policies across separate units within an organization.


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Example: Chippewa Valley Museum’s Collection Development Statement

At present, our primary goals for collections development are balance and refinement. We no longer accept generic artifacts whose significance and use cannot be documented and are seeking recent materials while they are still readily available and in good condition. We have identified key themes and subjects which need better representation, including

a) development of regional high-technology industries;b) changing character of retailing and retail areas;c) changing character of health care and hospitals;d) changing nature and activities of women’s organizations;e) changes in the lives of children;f) changing character of farming and rural life;g) growth of the Hmong community, cultural persistence and change; and,h) Ojibwe history and culture.

Curatorial personnel assess one or two subcollections annually, identifying gaps, redundancies, conservation needs, and potential contribution to interpretive programming. We invite specialists to assist in this process. Consultants and members of tribal communities reviewed American Indian collections during planning for the long-term exhibit Paths of the People. They added information on current holdings, suggested additions and assured that we were not unwittingly holding sacred objects inappropriately. (CVM is in compliance with NAGPRA regulations.)

http://www.cvmuseum.com/who_we_are/sub02_collections.phtml

http://www.cvmuseum.com/who_we_are/sub02_collections.phtml


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The Deed of Gift does more than establish your legal custody to materials, it provides invaluable information about the significance of items.

Deeds of Gift• Transfers physical custody of a donation from the donors to the organization

• Provides basic details about the extent and origins of donated materials

• Transfers negotiable rights (e.g. copyright) from donors to the organization

• Stipulates what an organization can and cannot do with donated materials (e.g.

return unwanted materials to the donor)

• Provides a legal document for donors to use when seeking tax write-offs


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Example: UW-Eau Claire’s Special Collections & Archives Department’s Deed of Gift Form


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Activity TwoCrafting a Collection Development Policy


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Organization & DescriptionCataloging

• Always assign some form of catalog number for each collection. The catalog record should also have the storage location clearly marked.

• Catalog numbers will maintain a link with your donor record (Deed of Gift) which in turn will maintain proof of your ownership of the collection

• It will make it easier to keep track of where the items are. • It will make it easier to refile the items when you are done and will minimize

misfiling or loosing items. • Keep the catalog number simple. This could be just a variation of the accession number

or a different but specific call number.Examples: 2014.1.A (year of donation /number in which the item arrived/archival collection)Mss 1 (manuscript collection No. 1)

• Do not be afraid to establish catalog rules but:• Be consistent• Write them down in a notebook or computer file. Make copies of the rules or let

everyone know where the rules are. Catalog rules are not secrets, the more people know about them the more consistent the quality of the cataloging.


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Organization & Description

Start Broad• Focus on collections and not on items.

• There is a danger of stalling a project when you become too focused on the details

• Identify and describe at the collection level. You can always go back and describe/catalog the collection in greater detail at a later date.

• What is the essence of the collection-what information do you need to know and your patrons need to know.

• Main creators or authors of the collection• Date ranges• Important subjects or significant highlights


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Going deeper into processing: • Try to maintain the original order of the collection.

• Do not rearrange the materials unless the collection is really a disorganized mess.

• When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

• It is OK to discard items which are not relevant.• Duplicates • Empty forms • Routine/transitory materials


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Description: • How much information

do your researchers need?

• To create guides or not to create guides.

• Sometimes a simple paragraph or subject list will suffice-sometimes you need more.


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Organization & DescriptionExample: Finding Aid


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Organization & DescriptionTools for maintaining your catalog• Depends on your staff (volunteer or paid), your budget,

and whether or not you are ready to make your catalog available to the public.

Options:

• Past Perfect

• Websites

• Excel


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BREAK


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Activity ThreeCase studies


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Archival collections hold value which extends beyond your organization. The community can greatly benefit from the information preserved by your organization; sharing this information with your audiences is a critical component of managing an archives.

Public Services for Archives• How is information about your archival collections shared with your audiences?• Creating a public space for your audiences to interact with your collections

• Think critically about staffing, workstations, lighting, security and equipment.• Establish rules governing access and use of archival/library materials.

• Tracking users, through simple registration forms, can provide security and valuable information.


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Public Services for Archives• Interacting with Researchers

• The Reference Interview

Knowledge Base Query/

Question

Query/Question

Needs Assessment

Research Strategy/Path

Information Need


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Public Services for Archives• Reproducing materials

• Equipment• Policies & Fees• Copyright

• Remote researchers• Establishing Boundaries: How much is too much?

• Managing volunteers• Set rules and expectations• Make the volunteer experience enjoyable• Find time to interact with volunteers• Start volunteers with easy tasks


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Public Services for Archives• Statistics

• Why keep statistics?• What information is valuable?• Using your statistics

• Outreach for archives• Social Media• Publishing• Fund raising and Friend Raising• Websites

• Digitization• Before you scan, have a plan! Use your public interactions to guide

your decisions in this arena• Consider technology, resources, audience


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For many local history organizations, archives present an untapped resource full of potential and opportunity.

Valuing your Archives• Building connections with your local community through local history resource

centers/rooms• Increasing the value of exhibitions through the manuscripts and photographic

holdings in the archives• Archives help us to tell stories

• Archival materials, especially photographs, provide tremendous opportunities to raise your institution’s profile through social media or other public relations campaigns.• Remember to bring the attention back to your institution.

• Like artifacts, hands-on opportunities with archival materials (e.g. photographs, maps etc.), can make great connections with K-12 students


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Questions


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Thank You

Key Terms

Accession To take physical and legal custody of a group of materials.

Appraisal The process of identifying materials offered to an archives that have sufficient value to be accessioned. Appraisal can also refer to the process of determining the market value of an item, but within the context of archives, museums and historical societies the focus of an appraisal should be on evaluating the value of information and condition of materials.

Archives An organization which collects the records of individuals, families, or other organizations. Archives can also refer to the materials created or received by a person, family, or organization in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of their enduring value.

Archivist An individual responsible for appraising, acquiring, arranging, preserving, and providing access to records of enduring value.

Arrangement The process of organizing materials with respect to their provenance and original order, to protect their context and to achieve physical or intellectual control over the materials.

Conservation The repair or stabilization of materials through chemical or physical treatment to ensure that they survive in their original form for as long as possible.

Exit Interview A conversation between a reference archivist and a researcher that is designed to evaluate the success of the research visit and the effectiveness of the reference services offered.

Finding Aid A tool which helps researchers identify information within an archival collection. Also known as guides, registers or inventories.

Manuscript A handwritten and/or unpublished document. Term often used to describe the papers of individuals, organizations or businesses.

Outreach The process of identifying and providing services to constituencies with needs relevant to the organization’s mission.

Preservation The act of keeping materials from harm, injury, decay, or destruction, especially through noninvasive treatment.

Processing The arrangement, description, and housing of archival materials for storage and use by researchers.

Reference Interview A conversation between an archivist and a researcher designed to give the researcher an orientation to use of the materials, to help the researcher identify relevant holdings, and to ensure that the researcher’s needs are met.

*Definitions adapted from the Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology by Richard Pearce-Moses. The glossary is available online at www2.archivists.org/glossary

Additional Resources Books Boles, Frank, “Selecting and Appraising Archives and Manuscripts,” Society of American Archivists, 2005. Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Diane Vogh-O’Connor, “Photographs: Archival Care and Management,” Society of American Archivists, 2006. Kathleen D. Roe, “Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts,” Society of American Archivists, 2005. Kathleen D. Roe, “Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts,” Society of American Archivists, 2005. Michael J. Kurtz, “Managing Archival and Manuscript Repositories,” Society of American Archivists, 2004 Elsie Freeman Finch, ed., “Advocating Archives: An Introduction to Public Relations for Archivists,” Society of American Archivists, 2003. Online Resources National Park Service Museum Handbook | www.nps.gov/museum/publications Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology | www2.archivists.org/glossary Professional Organizations Society of American Archivists | www2.archivists.org Midwest Archives Conference | www.midwestarchives.org Archival Supplies Gaylord Brothers | www.gaylord.com University Products | www.universityproducts.com Hollinger Metal Edge | www.hollingermetaledge.com Grant Information Foundations in Wisconsin | www.wifoundations.org Consultation Services Wisconsin Archives Mentoring Services | www.uwosh.edu/archives/wams/

William D. McIntyre Library 105 Garfield Avenue Special Collections and Archives Eau Claire, WI 54701

Deed of Gift

I own the materials described below and voluntarily donate them to the Special Collections Department,

William D. McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It is understood that the purpose and

intent of this gift is to transfer and assign all rights, title, and interest I possess to these materials to the

University, except as specified below. I grant Special Collections permission to archive, display, and

provide access to the materials in whole or in part in all forms of media. Special Collections may use its

discretion to dispose of material inappropriate for its collections, unless instructions to return unwanted

materials to the donor are stated below.

Description of materials:

Restrictions on the use of and / or access to these materials (please specify below):

Copyright Conveyance (please select):

I wish / do not wish to transfer, convey, and assign to Special Collections, William D. McIntyre

Library, UW - Eau Claire any copyright I control in the above-named materials.

________________________________ ___________________________________

Signature of Donor or Agent Special Collections UW-EC Representative

_________________ ________________ Date Date

Donor Name:

Address:

Documents

Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an ... · Example: Chippewa Valley Museum’s Collection Development Statement. At present, our primary goals for collections