Accessioning
All collections and collection accruals are documented, discoverable, and made open for research within fiscal year of receipt (exceptions made for materials with donor or repository required restrictions)
Required elements for internal documentation:
1. Accession record
Must include elements:
Name of repository
Collection title
Collection creator (if known)
Unique identifier (accession number or call number)
Dates
Extent (measured in linear or cubic feet, and gigabytes)
Language of Material
Description of the materials (Scope and Content)
Conditions Governing Access
Date of receipt (or stated as unknown)
Source of collection (or stated as unknown)
Required for discoverability, access, and use:
2. Collection level MARC record
Must include elements:
LDR
Bytes 7, 8 are coded as c and a for material managed as a collection
Bytes 7, 8 are coded as m and a for material managed as a single item
040 -- repository code
041 -- language code
1xx -- creator (if known)
245
(subfield a) -- title
(subfield d) -- date
300
(first subfield a) -- measurement of space taken up in either linear or cubic feet or digital space in gigabytes
(second subfield a) -- parenthetical describing the containers
506 -- conditions governing access
520 -- scope and content
546 -- language
3. Collection is open for access (or parts are restricted pending review)
4. Collection material is rehoused (if needed)
5. Assessment about collection’s future processing needs, or its research value, is completed and recorded.
Optimal:
6. Accessioning is tracked in Harvard Library shared tool (currently ArchivesSpace)
7. Finding aid created with DACS single level required elements
Must include elements:
Title
Creator (if known)
Identifier
Dates
Extent
Conditions Governing Access
Scope and Content Note
Language
Repository name and location
Processing
All collections and collection accruals are internally documented, discoverable online, and made open for research with use of efficient practices. Repositories create and maintain a method of tracking what collections need what processing work and institute periodic reviews of processing priorities.
1. Processing plan created
Elements of processing plan include:
Collection title
Collection creator (if known)
Unique identifier (call number)
Dates
Extent (measured in linear or cubic feet and gigabytes, both start and end volume)
Description of content of material
Current arrangement of material
Collection complexity rating
Proposed processing level
Proposed arrangement
Start and end date of processing project
2. MARC record created (fields in BOLD are added to MARC record from accessioning)
Must include elements:
LDR -- bytes 7, 8 are coded as c and a
040 -- repository code
041 -- language code
1xx -- creator (if known)
245
(subfield a) -- title
(subfield d) -- date
300
(first subfield a) -- measurement of space taken up in either linear or cubic feet or digital space in gigabytes)
(second subfield a) -- parenthetical describing the containers
351 -- arrangement note
506 -- conditions governing access
520 -- scope and content
524 -- preferred citation
541 -- immediate source of acquisition (optional)
545 -- biographical or historical note
546 -- language
555 -- finding aids
561 -- custodial history/provenance (optional)
6xx -- access points
3. Finding aid created with required collection-level descriptive elements, access points, and with the appropriate description of subordinate components (series, subseries, files, etc) as determined by the assigned processing level.
4. Collection is open for access (or parts are restricted pending review) -- see Harvard Library access statements
5. Collection material is rehoused (if needed)
Optimal:
6. Finding aid added to and updated when user data suggests this would be useful
Assessment
Special collection repositories are able to report annually on the RBMS/SAA holdings metrics category 1 elements, processing outputs are tracked, and optimally some form of use and user data is tracked.
Required:
1. Number of titles managed as collections that are described online/discoverable
2. Number of titles managed as single items that are described online/discoverable
3. Physical space (in cubic or linear feet) and digital space (in gigabytes) occupied by titles managed as collections
4. Physical space (in cubic or linear feet) and digital space (in gigabytes) occupied by titles managed as single items
5. Processing output measured annually by repository
Optimal:
6. Counts and measures for collection material that is not yet described online
7. Counts of physical units held (volumes, sheets, audio cassettes, film reels, etc.) and of the containers (boxes, drawers, etc.) in which collection material is held
8. Locations of units
9. Processing priorities are locally maintained in a systematic way
10. Time spent processing processing is tracked
11. In collaboration with other departments within repository (if existent) a form of use and user data is captured
Communication
Access to archival material across Harvard Library is consistently communicated to all potential users both internal and external.
Required:
1. Use of one of the Harvard Library standardized access statements for each collection
Documentation
Special collections maintain and use locally devised documentation for repository specific processes.
Required:
1. Processing manual
2. Processing plan template
3. Control files