Arranging & describing archives & manuscripts PDF
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Arranging & Describing Archives & Manuscripts I I A F S Archival Fundamentals Series II Managing Archival and Manuscript Repositories by Michael J. Kurtz Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts by Kathleen D. Roe Selecting and Appraising Archives and Manuscripts by Frank Boles Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts by Mary Jo Pugh Preserving Archives and Manuscripts by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler Understanding Archives and Manuscripts by James M. O’Toole & Richard J. Cox A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology by Richard Pearce-Moses Arranging & Describing Archives & Manuscripts Kathleen D. Roe Chicago The Society of American Archivists www.archivists.org ©2005 by the Society of American Archivists. All Rights Reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Roe, Kathleen, 1950- Arranging & describing archives & manuscripts / Kathleen D. Roe. p. cm. -- (Archival fundamentals series. II) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-931666-13-X 1. Archives. 2. Cataloging of manuscripts. I. Title: Arranging and describing archives and manuscripts. II. Title. III. Series. CD950.R64 2005 027--dc22 2005049036 Graphic design by Matt Dufek, [email protected]. Fonts: Minion (text and footnotes); Meta (secondary text and captions). T a b l e of C o n t e n t s Preface to the Archival Fundamentals Series II • vii Acknowledgments • xi Introduction • xiii 1 Overview The Nature of Archives and Manuscripts • 1 Archival Repositories and Their Clientele • 3 The Function of Arrangement and Description • 6 The Relationship of Arrangement and Description to Other Archival Functions • 8 2 Core Concepts and Principles of Arrangement and Description Defining Basic Terms • 11 Core Principles Guiding the Practice of Arrangement and Description • 14 What “Entity” Should Be Described? • 17 The Relationship of Archival Descriptive Practice to Libraries and Museums • 25 When Are Archival Arrrangement and Description Practices Appropriate? • 28 The Relationship of the Arrangement and Description Function to the Institutional Context and Users • 29 3 The Context of Arrangement and Description Development of Archival Practice • 33 The Movement Toward Standardizing Archival Arrangement and Description • 36 6 Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts 4 The Practice of Arrangement and Description Overview • 45 Accessioning Archival Records • 45 Establishing the Context in which Records Were Created • 56 Arrangement of Archival Records • 61 Physically Processing the Records • 67 Description of Records • 71 Developing Access Tools • 86 Professional Standards for Archival Arrangement and Description • 94 Conclusion, Future Directions, and Issues • 99 Glossary • 101 Bibliography • 105 Appendices A: Describing Archives: A Content Standard Statement of Principles • 111 B: Arrangement Scenarios • 119 C: Examples of Arrangement Patterns • 126 D: Finding Aids for Sample Records • 131 E: Examples of Bibliographic Description • 146 Index • 175 Preface to the Archival Fundamentals Series II There was a time when individuals entering the archival profession could read a few texts, peruse some journals, attend a workshop and institute or two, and walk away with a sense that they grasped the field’s knowledge and discipline. This was an inadequate perception, of course, but it was true that the publications—basic or advanced, practical or theoretical—were modest in number. The archival world has changed considerably since these more quiet times. A rich monographic research literature is developing. Scholars from far outside the field are examining the “archive” and the “record.” Archives, archivists, records, and records managers are in the daily news as cases appear testing government and corporate accountability, organizational and societal memory, and the nature of documentary evidence—all challenging basic archival work and knowledge. The new edition of the Archival Fundamentals Series (afs ii) is intended to provide the basic foundation for modern archival prac- tice and theory. The original preface (written by Mary Jo Pugh in her capacity as the series editor) to the first editions, which were published in the early to mid-1990s by the Society of American Archivists (saa), argued that the seven volumes “have been conceived and written to be a foundation for modern archival theory and practice” and aimed at “archivists, general practitioners and specialists alike, who are per- forming a wide range of archival duties in all types of archival and 8 Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts manuscript repositories.” It is hard to state the purpose of the new afs editions better. There are some differences, both subtle and obvious, in the new volumes. The new editions are more open-ended than earlier versions, extending back to the Basic Manual Series published a quarter-of- a-century ago by saa, reflecting evolving viewpoints about archival theory and practice. Even more important a difference is the broader and deeper context of archival publishing afs volumes reside in. Mary Jo Pugh, in her introduction of just a decade ago, noted that the afs titles are companions to “more specialized manuals also available from saa.” Now, saa has four other series (some just underway), includ- ing Archival Classics (featuring reprints or new collections of older publications with pivotal importance to the profession), Archival Readers (both collections of new and previously published essays intended to supplement the descriptions of foundational theory and practice of the afs ii volumes), International Archival Studies Readers (both collections of new and previously published essays intended to provide glimpses of archival work and knowledge outside of North America), and Archival Cases and Case Studies (examining archival work in a variety of institutional types and with a variety of media). Added to saa’s own publications is a vast sea of new titles pouring from the presses of other professional associations and trade, profes- sional, and university publishers. Both the earlier Basic Manual Series and the Archival Fundamentals Series provide benchmarks in the development of archival knowledge and work. One can trace changing ideas and practices about archi- val reference services by reading the 1977, 1992, and 2004 volumes dedicated to this subject in the respective saa manual series. One also expects to find in this volume current standards and consensus about this aspect of archival work. One also expects now, of course, that some may disagree with aspects of the current presentation, and may point to the growing research and case study literature being generated by the archival profession. Many people participated in the production of the various vol- umes constituting the Archival Fundamentals Series II. The profes- sion owes its gratitude not only to the authors, but to various chairs and members of the saa Publications Board; Miriam Meislik, Photo Preface 9 Editor for the series; the saa Executive Directors, Susan Fox and Nancy P. Beaumont; and especially to Teresa Brinati, saa Director of Publishing, whose good humor, organization, and steady commit- ment to a quality product helped keep the publishing of these and other saa volumes on track. Richard J. Cox Publications Editor Society of American Archivists
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