Harvard Library is a complex and decentralized system. Practices have had decades to codify within each repository. As the members of the Joint Processing Working Group (JPGWG) go about implementing the guidelines at our home institutions, we face unique challenges. Some of us lack resources. Some of us are fully staffed but garnering buy-in from above, below, and accross our repositories will be challenging. There are the day to day operational challenges: how do you get staff to use a processing plan, how to you get all of your MARC records updated in bulk, what does preservation or housing look like for minimally processed collections. Most importantly, there are philosophical and political shifts that need to be excellently communicated. The JPGWG is using the rest of 2018 to test implementation and using the working group for accountability. We hope to use this blog to write about some or our challenges and hopefully many of our successes.

Stay tuned...