Once you make the decision to transfer records you need to make fundamental choices about how to organize them and when to transfer them. It is best if you organize your records as projects are undertaken and completed. If you have not done so, you should begin selecting a potential repository before you begin in order to receive advice about organizational methods. CoPAR Bulletin No.5, Finding a Home for Your Records , covers this topic. Organizing and transferring records seems like a daunting task, but with help, it needn't be.
Some archivists prefer that donors leave the job of organization to the archivist.
However, given the limited staff and the increasing volume of materials in many repositories, the more help a donor can provide, the sooner the transferred records will be made ready for use. Also, the overall arrangement of a collection gives it meaning, so it is helpful if you place your own collection in order if possible. Some of the ways are subsumed under the following schemes. Correspondence, class notes, research project, etc., internally arranged alphabetically or chronologically. Materials from each discrete research project.