Starting An Archives

99 Pages·1994·2.396 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Yakel

Elizabeth Yakel
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TARTING
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RCHIVES
Elizabeth Yakel
Society of American Archivists
and
The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Lanham, Md., & London
1994
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication data available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yakel, Elizabeth.
Starting an archives / by Elizabeth Yakel
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8108-2864-2 (alk. paper)
1. Archives-Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
CD950.Y35 1994
025.17'14-dc20 94-14408
Copyright© 1994 by Elizabeth Yakel
Manufactured in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments .v
1 Introduction: Three Archival Collections 1
2 Planning for Your Archival Program 7
3 Establishing an Archives 15
4 Administration 19
5 Collection Development, Appraisal, and the
Initial Stages of Archival Control 27
6 Increasing Control over Archival Records:
Arrangement and Description 39
47
7 Reference and Access
8 Outreach 53
9 The Archival Facility and Preservation 57
10 Bibliographical Essay 69
11 Archival and Related Associations 81
Appendix A-Model Deed of Gift for
Donation of Historical Materials 83
Appendix B-Outline of a Model Procedures Manual 85
Appendix C-Sample User Registration Forms 87
iv Contents
Appendix D-Sample Photoduplication
Request Fonn 89
Appendix E-Sample Photographic
Duplication Request Fonn 91
Appendix F-Sample Loan Agreement 93
Notes 95
Index 97
Acknowledgments
This volume owes many different things to many people. These acknowl
edgments give me a chance to say thank-you to some of the many hidden
contributors to this manual. Readers at various stages of the development
of this work, some anonymous, some not, made astute comments and
suggestions. Jim O'Toole, SAA non-serial publications editor, was helpful
and encouraging throughout the project. My friends and colleagues at the
Maryknoll Mission Archives gave me insight into the practical questions
and dilemmas faced when embarking on a new archival endeavor. A final
proofreading by mother, the former editor, greatly improved the book. Any
inaccuracies in this manual are mine alone.
I also want to thank the intrepid archivists who volunteered policies,
forms, illustrations, and photographs for inclusion in the manual. To Eliz
abeth Adkins of the Kraft General Food, Nancy Bartlett of the Bentley
Historical Library of the University of Michigan, Evelyn Cherpak of the
Naval War Collection, Teresa Brinati of the Society of American Archivists,
Todd Ellison of the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College,
Leonora Gidlund of the New York City Department of Records and Infor
mation Services, Mary Ellen Gleason, S.C., of the American Bible Society,
Michael Grace, S.J., of Loyola University Chicago, Karen Jefferson and
Donna Wells of the Moorland-Spingam Research Center of Howard Uni
versity, Mary Grace Krieger, M.M., of the Maryknoll Mission Archives,
Elizabeth Nielsen of the Oregon State University, Bob Sink of the New
York Public Library, Jae Treanor of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Tim
Wilder of the Austin History Center, and Maureen O'Brien Will of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, I greatly value all of your
submissions and trust.
Elizabeth Yakel
Ann Arbor, MI
Introduction: Three Archival Collections
Every institution is unique and so are its
archival records. Still, vastly different organi
zations face similar problems r~garding the best
means of handling noncurrent records. What to
ARCHIVES ARE:
save, where to keep materials of enduring value,
1. The "noncurrent records" of an organi and who should be in charge of the historical
zation or institution preserved because of records are three of the questions which imme
diately come to mind. The following three case
their continuing value; the term "archival
studies demonstrate the varied roads that insti
records" or "archival materials" signifies
tutions travel before facing these questions and
any physical medium which is employed to
the different conclusions that can be reached.
transmit information, such as paper, film,
photographs, audio or videotape, computer
Eastern Urban Diocese
tapes or disks, etc.
2. The "agency or program" responsible
The Eastern Urban Diocese was estab
for selecting, preserving, and making avail
lished in the early nineteenth century and has
able archival materials; also referred to as
grown steadily since that time. Located on the
an archival agency.
east coast, the diocese has been centered in an
3. The "building" or part of a building
area of immigration and commerce since its
1
where such materials are located.
inception. A prominentlocal archives contacted
the diocese concerning the donation of its his
torical materials to the established repository.
This prompted an investigation by several di-
2 Introduction: Three Archival Collections
Figure 1-1. Financial records, including journals and ledgers, in storage at Kraft General Foods Archives.
ocesan officials, a historian from a local univer well. Within three years, the archivist and sup
sity and an archivist. However, the bishop port staff were a vital part of the diocesan
decided that an in-house archives was the best administration, had developed a series of work
solution to establishing some organization over shops and lectures for the parishes, and opened
the collection and controlled access to the ar materials to the public which were previously
chives. This group, which evolved into the di inaccessible for historical or genealogical re
ocesan archives advisory board, realized the search.
tremendous financial commitment it had as
sumed and wanted to phase the archives pro Midwestern Journey, Inc.
gram into the diocesan budget over several
years. A large midwestem manufacturing firm,
In the interim, local archivists banded to Western Journey, Inc., recently celebrated its
gether to write a grant to hire a full-time profes centennial. Originally providing essential
sional archivist, with the understanding that the goods to homesteaders and settlers on their
diocese would fully support the archival pro journey west, the company has expanded its
gram, including the professional and support product line throughout the twentieth century.
staff after the grant ended. This model worked In the basement of the original factory, reno-
Introduction: Three Archival Collections 3
vated and refurbished more times than anyone inquired about the existence of archival materi
can count, lie financial records spanning more als and the possible donation of the materials to
than a hundred years. These ledgers document that archives. Company officials never thought
the initial bank loans which started the com that any one would be interested in the "old
pany, the role of the firm in the development stuff' in the basement, so their initial reaction
and history of the municipality in which it is to the request by the university archives was
located, philanthropic grants to local organiza "great," but then they wondered just what was
tions, and the donation of funds used for the down there and decided that someone should
expansion of the state university. One can also have closer look before a final decision on the
find outdated mail-order catalogs, advertising donation could be made.
materials, and the original notebooks of the The company called in an archival consul
company's first engineers and product design tant. The consultant's final report provided a
ers. The company has little daily need for these synopsis of the materials in the basement, dis
materials. The current advertising agency hired cussed what the establishment of an archival
by the company, however, is interested in see program would entail in terms of institutional
ing the advertising materials that were used in commitment of time, personnel, and money,
the past. The state university archives has also and presented the pros and cons of donating the
Figure 1-2. Types of paper records at the Oregon State University Archives.
4 Introduction: Three Archival Collections
records to the university archives. After careful found himself one day looking for a deed to
consideration of all the issues with the aid of the prove that the university owned a disputed par
consultant, the company's board of directors cel ofland. Unable to find the necessary docu
agreed to donate their noncurrent records and mentation, he accidentally overheard a lunch
other materials to the university archives. conversation concerning the wasted space in
the library (e.g., the archival closets!). That
afternoon he located the librarian in charge of
North Coast University
the closet and searched the closets, still to no
avail. However, in the papers of one of the
North Coast University is a large institution forn1er university presidents were the univer
of higher education in the Pacific Northwest. sity trustees meeting from 1910. The trustees
Originally founded as an agricultural and nor meeting minutes noted that the deed was to be
mal school, the university now offers a full registered by a certain member of the depart
range of courses and has an enrollment of ment of anthropology and returned to the
25,000. Students attending the university have President's office. As a last resort, the assistant
been active in social reform and antiwar move controller telephoned the department of anthro
ments, and the university library boasts a fine pology, learned of the anthropologist's notes,
series of pamphlets and posters documenting gained access to the notes, and found the miss
both of these protest activities. The pamphlets ing deed, which had been registered with the
are in the vertical files and the posters are in map county clerk.
drawers in the library. Both are readily accessi The assistant controller's experience moti
ble to students and can circulate. From time to vated him to start an advisory board to look into
time fonner graduates, university professors, the university's records problem. After detailed
and all the university presidents, some promi consideration of the costs of beginning an ar
nent and some not, have donated their papers, chives were weighed against the cost of not
artifacts, and other materials related to their establishing the program, a viable archival pro
association with the college to the university. gram was started. Today the archives is used by
These have been duly given to the librarian who many administrative offices and several profes
carefully stores them in locked "closets." sors regularly plan assignments using the pri
Although the librarian is unaware of it, mary materials from the archives.
there are many other such closets on the univer Just like the people in these stories, we all
sity campus. Generations ofuniversity newspa come into contact with potential archival mate
per editors have handed down the key to the rials everyday, perhaps without knowing it. In
closet of previous university publications and the office, we refer to an earlier report to cor
the photograph morgue. The secretaries in the roborate policy decisions and settle disputes. In
anthropology department shudder when asked our studies, we may read notes from last year's
to retrieve something from the supply closet seminar to assist in the preparation of a current
that houses the research notes of a deceased paper. At home, we look at pictures of relatives
professor, offered to, but turned down by the to explain our ancestry to our own children.
family. Other noncurrent financial and corpo After using them, we may set these items aside,
rate records are housed in the "vault" under the but they are all archival materials that help us
controller's office. to remember the past, live in the present, and
It is in this vault that the assistant controller plan for the future.