D.C. Africana Archives Project Processing Assistant Orientation MARCH 23, 2016 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY, ARCHIVES CENTER FUNDED BY THE COUNCIL ON LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES
Project Overview a grant awarded to The George Washington University by the Council on Library and Information Resources Partners include: Howard University (Moorland-Springarn Research Center) District of Columbia Archives Historical Society of Washington, D.C. National Museum of American History s Archives Center Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (DC Public Library)
125-150 collections across 6 institutions 10,000 cubic feet Minimal processing Archivist s Toolkit Processing January 2015-September 2016
DCAAP Co-PIs Doretha Williams, Project Director Alex Krensky, Processing Archivist Beth Kaplan, Co-Principal Investigator, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections, Archives, and the Global Resources Center Jennifer James, Project Founder & Co-Principal Investigator, Director, Africana Studies Program & Associate Professor, English Department
DCAAP Goals Process 125-150 collections related to Africana history and culture in Washington, D.C. Provide access to processed collections to enhance the understanding of Africana history in the D.C. area. Develop two courses that will allow high school and college students to directly engage with archival collections. Attract and inform students, both K-12 and collegiate, of the significance of Africana history in D.C. Engage communities through public programming and educational outreach.
Daily Schedule Partner Site Interaction Students are encouraged interact with partner site coordinators and build professional relationships with each other. Expect Working Weekly Hours Fall & Spring Semesters = 20 hours per week Summer Sessions = up to 30 hours per week Daily Work Hours Students need to work at least 3 hours sessions (4-5 hours recommended) Expected average of 4.5 cubic feet processed per week That s 3 of these!
Daily Schedule Transportation Students can access all six partner sites using the Metro system. Howard University has shuttle service from the Shaw/Howard University Metro Station. Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University District of Columbia Archives George Washington University Libraries Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, DC Public Library National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
What Do Archivists Do? Archivists are intermediaries between the creator of a collection of manuscripts and the present and future users of the papers. Archivists are among those charged by society to decide which portions of the enormous quantity of records become part of the permanent historical record of our culture. Our task is to preserve these materials and to make them accessible to researchers who study and tell the stories of our past The papers we process will soon become the stuff of history. Each one of us is a link in the long chain of knowledge that stretches from the lives of the men and women who created the papers to the eventual users of the manuscripts. --University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.lib.unc.edu/wikis/archproc/index.php/how_to_proceed:_introduction
Archival Processing -the activities of appraising, arranging, describing, and preserving archival materials There are many types of archival collections, including the personal papers of an individual, the papers of a particular family, and the organizational records of a corporation or organization. Archival collections can also be a group of materials that were collected or assembled by a person or organization that did not create the materials. Every collection comes with its own unique challenges; however, an archivist s approach to processing an archival collection is always guided by the basic principles and standards of the profession.
Processing Basics Minimal Processing Provenance Original Order Arrangement Description Housing
Minimal Processing, cont. Minimal processing is not just for late 20 th century papers Ability to minimally process a collection results more from its order than from its age Collections may not be flawlessly arranged; however, better intellectual and physical control of collections is absolutely achieved, and materials are made more accessible. Minimal processing is NOT sloppy processing By creating and demanding adherence to standards, minimal processing effectively provides physical and intellectual access to collections Minimal processing makes collections available for research much faster than full processing. This is our ultimate goal!
Provenance Provenance is a fundamental principle of archives, referring to the individual or organization that created the items in a collection. According to the principle of provenance, records of different origins (provenance) must be kept separate to preserve the context in which they were created. Each collection is distinct and should NEVER be interfiled or combined with other distinct collections.
Original Order The organization and sequence of records established by the creator of the records. Original order maintains the creator s organizational structure, which can be useful to researchers studying the material. It also makes processing easier! For original order to apply, there needs to be an identifiable and useful order in existence. Sometimes items are stored in a haphazard way or order was lost in transit to the archives. In this case, you will have to impose an order.
Arrangement 1. 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. 2. The organization and sequence of items within a collection. -Society of American Archivists, Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology
Intellectual & Physical Arrangement Intellectual and physical arrangement are directly related but may not look the same. Items that intellectually belong together may not be housed together because of differences in format or size. A series is not defined by its physical location, nor does the intellectually created series determine the physical arrangement of the collection. Series may span multiple boxes, and a new series may begin in the middle of a box Physical location is necessary to help researchers obtain access to material
Description The process of creating a finding aid or other access tool that contains a written account of the physical characteristics, content, and functional purpose of the materials. The description is the bridge between intellectual and physical arrangement.
Housing According to Full Processing: Archivists transfer records to new archival folders and boxes. Archivists unfold and smooth ALL papers; remove staples and paperclips; take steps to preserve acidic paper According to Minimal Processing: All collections will be housed in archival boxes (not necessarily new) All loose items will be placed in archival folders or boxes. Non-archival folders will be replaced only if existing folders are damaged or do not fit in archival boxes folders don t all need to match! It is OK to leave acidic paper in acid-free folders Metal fasteners will be removed only if they are causing damage to the collection.
MPLP Presentation, cont d. Refolder this Not that!
MPLP Preservation, cont d. Material in folders and unfoldered material should be identified and placed in archival folders. Use information from the box, folder, or surrounding materials to get folder names and date ranges.
Labeling Folders Avoid abbreviations (i.e. miscellaneous instead of misc. or National Association for Equal Opportunity instead of NAFEO For items with no date, use undated Dates will mostly be year only but in case they are not, use format [2016 March 23]
Preservation, cont. This does not mean that we do not care about preservation. DCAAP relies on the Preservation Worksheet, which is completed for each collection. Some institution-specific handling will be required. Flag materials that are damaged or extremely fragile. Notify someone immediately if you see signs of: Bugs and/or pests Mold Nitrate film
Preservation Worksheet We won t be doing any preservation on the collections, so it s up to us to let the repository staff know what will need extra attention Do two copies for each worksheet-one in the folder next to the item (s) and one for your site coordinator
Handle with Care Even though the collections are receiving minimal processing, it is important to remember that they are irreplaceable. Depending upon their storage and the care they received prior to arriving at the repository, these collections may not be good condition. We are not paper doctors, but like doctors, our mantra should be: First do no harm. If something does get damaged, please tell the repository staff and make a note on your preservation worksheet. This may be an indication that the material is too fragile to be handled by researchers.
Handling Archival Materials When carrying large or oversized materials, hold onto top-right corner and bottom-left corner. If you have to unfold materials, be very careful of brittleness (items folded and unfolded many times are weakest at the fold line) If items are sticking together, call for help, do not risk ripping materials. Bound volumes should be placed in the boxes, SPINE DOWN. Do not eat or drink near archival collections. Never use pens, ONLY pencils (everything we do should be reversible). NEVER throw anything away without consulting with repository staff and receiving permission.
The Finding Aid An online tool that helps users locate and understand the material in a collection.
Archivists Toolkit A collections management tool that creates finding aids
Your Tools Provided when you start each collection: Biographical/Historical Note, written by Doretha Selected items from the collection file (if applicable) Obituaries CVs any existing box inventories any already existing description for the collection Processing Plan Processing manual
More Tools Processing Spreadsheet Naming convention examples Contact info All of this can be found on Trello!
Tumblr Post Guidelines - at least 100 words - mention the collection name in the post - mention home institution of the collection in the post -include relevant links when possible (for example, to finding aids) - this one is very important: make sure your photos are not blurry! flat documents should look like a scan, objects should look like objects, watch for glare and shadows - clearly label photos to make any captions or descriptions -please send the text of your posts in a word doc and the image(s) you want used as separate image files. It improves the quality of the image when it's done this way.
Workflow for Each Collection Doretha and Alex Create biographical note Create processing plan Make any special recommendations for the collection Processing Assistants Refolder and rebox items where necessary Update or annotate box lists Write up any notes that give more context to the collection Submit to Alex Alex Create intellectual arrangement for collection Writes collection level scope and content note Inputs finding aid into Archivist s Toolkit Finding aid is uploaded and put on the web
Logistics Not everything will be the same at each site! The processing manual is meant to be a reference guide, but is not a substitute for your collection-specific processing plan or consulting with your supervisor or site coordinator When you arrive at your site, ask your site coordinator about the best way to contact them and exchange contact information Ask to be introduced to other people at your site so they will know you work there Everyone will need access to a computer. If there s not one at your site and bringing your own laptop is not practical, talk to Alex about loaning a laptop.
Attendance Policies and Procedures Clock in and out using Kronos Documents from HR are in Trello Cards Current processing assistants demo If you will be late or not coming in, tell both Alex AND your site supervisor. They need to know whether or not to expect you! In the case of severe weather, follow the procedures of your site.
Questions and Answers 3/28-first week of work!