Low Series or Level Brief finding aid or detailed MARC notes (arrangement and scope & content) with series/subseries descriptions and/or box listings. Put series and/or boxes into rough order. Replace damaged boxes. House loose items. Replace folders, binders, or envelopes only if unserviceable. Appraise series, subseries, or large, discernible chunks, but avoid finer levels of weeding. For series with privacy concerns throughout, restrict entire series from users and review for use on demand. Moderate File Level (expedited) Succinct finding aid with abbreviated folder lists or simple inventories. Existing description repurposed. [Do not add notes.] Put folders in rough order. Preserve original order when usable. Perform rough sort of loose items. [For small collections of ≤ ca. 2 linear feet, physical order can be arranged to match intellectual order.] Replace boxes. Retain existing folders and labels when in good shape. Appraise at the folder level; avoid finer levels of weeding. Segregate folders with privacy concerns. Intensive Folder Level (traditional) Finding aid includes detailed folder lists, scope and content notes, and/or historical notes. Folder titles are refined and standardized. [Folder-level notes acceptable.] Put folders in order. Impose new organizational scheme or make significant improvements. Sort loose items into folders. Replace boxes and folders. Selectively perform preservation actions for fragile or valuable items. Appraise at the folder level; avoid finer levels of weeding. Segregate folders with privacy concerns. Highly Item Level Detailed finding aid includes item lists, or folder lists with explanatory notes. Items are placed in order in boxes and folders. Replace boxes and folders. Comprehensively address housing or preservation needs for fragile items. Reformat audio-visual material. Item-level weeding appropriate. Segregate items with privacy concerns.
collections, other accessions are additions to existing collections. The accession level of control allows us to manage materials while they are unprocessed. After an accession is processed, we no longer manage the materials with the accession number. Working with multiple accessions When processing, it is often preferable to merge all accessions that contain materials related in scope or time period, in order to present the user with a well-organized, coherent physical and intellectual ordering of the creator’s materials. However, it is sometimes not feasible to merge all accessions or fully integrate additions to already processed collections (particularly for large University Archives collections), for collections for which we expect regular accruals, or for accessions that do not overlap in scope or time period. When working with multiple accruals or accessions, it is important to weigh the time it would take to present the user with a coherent, well organized collection with the research value of the collection. There are many possibilities for providing access. You can integrate accessions intellectually, rather than physically. You can also use series or another organizational scheme to reflect the distinct accruals of materials in a collection. The following are guidelines for two common scenarios: Processing a collection with multiple accessions for the first time When all materials are unprocessed, processing is based on the premise of “a single value score for a single collection.” This value score will be referenced in the processing plan and the processing metrics worksheet. When processing a collection comprised of multiple accessions with previously assigned value scores, assign the highest score as the collection value score. This will accommodate all levels of effort/control associated with the accessions and allow each to be applied as needed during processing. If the accessions were not assigned value scores, follow the instructions in Section 13.3 of the Accessioning Manual for assigning retroactive value scores. The chart below provides suggestions for how the multiple accessions may be treated based on the levels of effort/control associated with the collection value score: Level of Effort Arrangement Description Minimal Keep accessions distinct. For a collection-level record, briefly describe contents of each accession to help users select which accession is most appropriate.
together (and hence distinguish and highlight) all records relating to a person’s main focus of activity or passion. Construct the series title in terms of the kind and focus of the individual’s activity. You may even name the series for one particular activity or involvement in one (or more) particular organization. (When you organize a series around a specific activity or affiliation, the resulting series may be similar to parentage series.) For example: Republican Party files League of Women Voters (Long Beach, California) materials City of Irvine, California Employees Redress Ordinance files University of California, Irvine materials Affirmative action seminar materials For lower levels of control, you may wish to arrange records according to the name of the organization, activity, or event from which the records emerged. Below that, you will most likely find a variety of record types, including subject files about specific topics of interest. You may wish to arrange these materials according to the various record types. Legislative records Politicians and commissioners may have files documenting the bills, resolutions, and committee work of legislative sessions. Records may include drafts, research materials, notes, and correspondence. Often these files are organized by legislative session, then by type of bill or resolution, then by name of the bill or issue. Consulting files In faculty papers, it may be common for an individual to offer advice and services to a number of different organizations or individuals. These files may sometimes be organized separately from those concerning a person’s service to the University or to professional associations. Often, this series is organized by the names of the clients. Political campaign records Political campaign records include all records generated during political campaigns. Records may be further arranged and described by format (e.g., correspondence, speeches, mailings, posters, artifacts, photographs); by filing scheme ( e.g., subject files, research files, etc.); or by parentage (e.g., Committee for Re-election records). Many other functional series are possible; this list is NOT comprehensive or prescriptive. When in doubt, think about what function or activity generated the records, or for what purpose the individual kept the records. Why were the records produced or accumulated? Functional series common to organizations, offices, departments, etc. In organizations, creators usually organize series of records according to the specific functions or activities they carry out. Sometimes these functions are carried out by specific divisions or committees within the organization. This is usually reflected within their filing systems. It is often
vary according to collection. When a file unit spans multiple folders, you may wish to sort record types (e.g., correspondence, maps, clippings, reports, brochures, etc.) into individual folders within the file unit, or sort items in rough chronological order among multiple folders. Decisions about whether to refine large filing units should be made based on the research value of the filing unit. Consider the degree to which further refinement is truly useful for enhancing access, both in terms of the potential results a researcher may retrieve when using keyword searching in a finding aid to discover materials, as well as the experience of a researcher physically looking through folders of materials. For examples, weigh the benefits of enhanced access with the cost of work to refine the arrangement and description within the filing units below: No refinement of filing unit Refinement of filing unit Government employees legislative correspondence (3 folders) Government employees legislative correspondence Overtime pay Retirement Miscellaneous Smithsonian Institution, Regents Board records (4 folders) Smithsonian Institution, Regents Board Budgets Correspondence Minutes Reports Speeches (5 folders) Speeches Long Range Ballistic Missile Program Foreign Policy; America's Town Meeting of the Air The Middle East Israel Anniversary Celebration Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program Correspondence (5 folders) Correspondence A-B Committee for the Repeal of the Smith Act D-T University of California, Office of the President U-Z Drafts of Disneyland Adventures (19 folders) Drafts of Disneyland Adventures (19 folders) Chapter 1 Chapter 2-3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5… Annual reports, 1956-1998 (26 folders) Annual reports 1956 1957 1959 1960
Family correspondence Personal correspondence Business correspondence Professional correspondence Third-Party correspondence Constituent mail Fan mail Curricula vitae Datebooks Diaries Digital image Diplomas Dramatic works Drafts Drawings Ephemera (Materials, usually printed documents, created for a specific, limited purpose, and generally designed to be discarded after use. May also include everyday items that are meant to be saved, at least for a while. Examples of ephemera include advertisements, coupons, invitations, announcements, keepsakes, souvenirs, signs, stamps, lists, packaging, scraps, tickets, fliers, schedules, programs, and receipts.) Examinations Field recordings Films Financial records Fliers Forms Grant proposals Guidebooks Handouts Invitations Journals Leaflets Ledgers (Documents containing a record of debits, credits, and other financial transactions, typically organized into separate accounts) Lists Manuals Employees manuals Technical manuals Training manuals Maps Memoirs Memorandum Microfiche Microfilm Minutes Music scores Negatives Newsletters Notes Oral histories Photographs Plans Petitions Policies Polls Portraits Posters Procedures Programs Proposals Publications Questionnaires Reports Reviews Schedules Scorebooks Scrapbooks Scripts Sketchbooks Slides Sound recordings Speeches Testimonies Transcripts Typescripts Video recordings Web pages Writings Common forms based on function or purpose Note: These lists are not prescriptive. It is important that you describe what you have in front of you. If you need more inspiration for what to call a certain unit of material, consult:
videocartridge videodisc videodisc () videodisc (optical) Other terms are available in Archival Moving Image Materials: A Cataloging Manual (AMIM). For sound characteristics, use one of the following terms, or consult AMIM, as necessary: sound silent or #-track optical sound magnetic sound magnetic optical sound mono stereo digital Dolby Sound recordings Sound recordings are described according to the same principles as moving images, as outlined above. However, certain aspects of the physical description will differ, as described below. For more information, consult the Anglo American Cataloging Rules (2nd Revised Edition). [NUMBER OF UNITS] [MATERIAL DESIGNATION] ([PLAYING TIME) : [TYPE OF RECORDING], [PLAYING SPEED], [NUMBER OF TRACKS], [NUMBER OF SOUND CHANNELS] ; [GAUGE, WIDTH, OR DIAMETER] For the material designation, use the following: sound cartridge sound cassette sound disc sound tape reel sound track film If none of these terms is appropriate, give the specific name of the item as concisely as possible, or use a term in common usage to record the specific format of the physical carrier, for example: 1 sound disc (CD-ROM) 1 -audio For example: Music School sound recordings of student recitals, 1964-1975 Child component title: Archival originals, 1974-1975 Physical Description [general physical description note]: 2
Property rights reside with the University of California. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the University Archivist. For collections with born-digital or digitized content available through UCIspace, add this wording (which also appears in UCIspace metadata; refer to the metadata template for the particular collection in UCIspace for the correct text. Note that “This material” is changed to “Digital material” for the finding aid. Also remove any reference to “this item”). Examples: [Digital] material is provided for private study, scholarship, or research. Transmission or reproduction of any material protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. The authors or their heirs retain their copyrights to the material. Contact the University of California, Irvine Libraries, Special Collections and Archives for more information (spcoll@uci.edu). [Digital] material is provided for private study, scholarship, or research. Property rights and copyright reside with the Regents of the University of California. For permission to reproduce or publish [this item], or to correct this copyright information, please contact the University Archivist at the UC Irvine Libraries (spcoll@uci.edu). Conditions Governing Use Note (label: “Reproduction Restrictions”) Optional. Use to alert researchers to restrictions on the reproduction of collection items imposed by the donor or repository. Indicate the stipulations of the restrictions in the note (e.g. written permission needed from a designated individual, restricted until a specified date, etc.). Example: All reproductions require permission from Margaret Gates until January 1, 2014. Additionally, a large number of materials in this collection are reproductions made by Lee during her research. Reproduction of materials from other institutions is restricted. Please contact the repository where the original materials are housed to obtain reproductions. Important: Include an additional note at the lower levels where the restrictions occur. Only repeat information relevant to that level. Preferred Citation Note (label: “Preferred Citation”) Mandatory. Use this wording: “[Collection title proper (no dates)]. [Collection #]. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed. For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.”
Below the series or subseries File-level basic description: File-level notes File-level notes should only be applied when working at the intensive (file level – expedited) or highly intensive (item-level) levels of effort/control, and even then should be used sparingly. Notes should be in the following order: Archivists Toolkit note title File-level note label Mandatory at File Level? General Physical Description Note Physical Description no Language of Materials Note Language(s) of Materials no Conditions Governing Access Note Access no Conditions Governing Use Note Reproduction Restrictions no Existence and Location of Originals Note Existence and Location of Originals no Existence and Location of Copies Note Alternative Forms of Materials no Biographical/Historical Note Historical Note (or) Biographical Note no Scope and Contents Note Scope and Content Note no Processing Information Note Processing Note no General Physical Description Note (label: “Physical Description”) Optional. In this note you can record information about the appearance or construction of the described materials, such as their dimension; a count of their quantity or statement about the space they occupy; or terms describing their genre, form, or function, as well as any other aspects of their appearance, such as color, substance, style, and technique or method of creation. You will most often use these statements for visual or media materials. See section of this manual on Media materials for more information. For example: Broken English Productions, Big words ... small worlds, undated Physical Description: videocassette (VHS PALS) (64 minutes)
The bulk of the papers are in a usable original order with the exception of photographs. Anteater labeled the majority of his files and arranged them topically. The finding aid will be organized in the following series and subseries: Series 1. Professional correspondence Subseries 1.1 Incoming letters Subseries 1.2 Outgoing letters Series 2. UCI Ephemera Series 3. Research files Series 4. Photographs Use the chart below to document specific physical and intellectual tasks you plan to perform at designated processing levels. Refer to the activities listed in Section 4.4 of the processing manual for guidance: Using Each component level listed in your arrangement plan should be represented. For components with subcomponents (i.e. subseries) use the lowest levels of arrangement. This will help you document processing metrics. If working at Moderate, Intensive, or Highly Intensive levels, use the parent series or subseries title and indicate “series” or “subseries” in parentheses. Calculate the total number of linear feet for each component; the total should equal the linear footage of the collection. Use the “Notes” field to document any deviations from the prescribed processing levels. Add or subtract rows as needed. Processing Level Component Level Title Description Arrangement Preservation Appraisal Linear Feet Moderate File level - expedited Incoming letters (subseries) Folder list. Existing description repurposed. Preserve original order. Retain existing folders and labels. Folder level. None anticipated. 10 Moderate File level - expedited Outgoing letters (subseries) Folder list. Existing description repurposed. Preserve original order. Retain existing folders and labels. Folder level. None anticipated. 6 Low Series UCI Ephemera Scope/Content and Arrangement notes. Box listing in instance label only. Boxes in order. House loose items. Replace housing. Weed excessive duplication from large chunks. 2.4