Scope: This is the procedure that RMC staff use to accession a new manuscript or archival collection. The purpose of accessioning is to get an initial sense of what is in the collection, make preliminary decisions on retention and level of processing, and create records of its existence and origin (the accession folder and preliminary catalog record) that will allow us to track it until it can be processed. Appraisal, accessioning in Voyager, and distribution of material are commonly done by the curator or the Technical Services Archivist.
Contact: Margaret Nichols
Unit: RMC
Date last updated: 06/28/17
Date of next review: May 2018
Initial Appraisal and Accessioning
Distribution of Material, Rehousing, and Preliminary Processing
A. Initial Appraisal and Accessioning
1. Receive the collection.
2. Appraise the collection; make a preliminary list to enter in the 541 field of the holdings record in Voyager (see Holdings Record Fields in LTS Procedure #81). Number the containers in the collection (e.g. box 1, box 2, etc.).
3. Create an accession folder with the collection name on it. Include any correspondence and information relating to the collection or its acquisition.
4. Search Voyager for a record. If the collection or item was a purchase, a record may have been created when it was ordered.
5. Enter a record for the collection, or update the existing record, in Voyager (see LTS Procedure #81 for details). This includes a (preliminary) statement of the extent of the collection (preferably in cubic feet), a brief description of its scope and content, a note on any restrictions to access or use (506 or 540 field, respectively), a citation note (524 field), and appropriate subject headings. Also create a holdings record.
6. In the 541 field on the holdings record, assign an accession number to the collection (see LTS Procedure #80 on how to construct the accession number). Also record the date received, immediate source, method of acquisition and condition. In the 583 field, record any actions taken so far with the collection (received, acknowledged, etc.--see Holdings Record Fields in LTS Procedure #81 ). Also record there the priority for processing, level of processing needed, and conservation treatment or special housing needed. Also, note any special instructions based on the significance of the documents, the proposed arrangement of the collection, whether a finding aid should be prepared, any non-archival/published material that can be transferred elsewhere or discarded, and whether the collection can be stored at the Annex.
7. Using the accession book on the RMC-shared drive, assign a collection number to the collection. Assign an accession number to the collection in the online accession book, as well (example: M171-06-001 for the first manuscript collection accessioned in June 2017). Record the collection number in the 099 and 524 fields of the bibliographic (bib) record in Voyager, and in the 852 $h subfield on the Voyager holdings record. Record the accession number in the 541 $e subfield on the holdings record. Write the collection number on the containers (boxes etc.).
8. Print out the Voyager record to file in the accession folder. Write the Voyager bib ID and the collection number on the accession folder.
9. If the collection is a gift, write an acknowledgment letter to the donor; send a copy to Library Alumni Affairs and Development, and file a copy in the accession folder and another in the chronological file in the RMC front office. Have the donor sign a memo of understanding. University Archives collections: have the donor office fill out a transfer report. Give the memo/report to staff to put in the accession folder.
10. Give the accession folder to the processing Collections Assistant. Make sure the collection number is on each of the boxes/folders in the collection.
11. The processing Collections Assistant will create a Voyager item record with the boxes' temporary location. Once the stacks Collections Assistant has assigned permanent box locations, she will update the item records.
12. For a Human Sexuality collection, the Human Sexuality Curator's student assistant will add the new collection to the list of manuscript collections in the Human Sexuality Collection guide.
B. Distribution of Material, Rehousing, and Preliminary Processing
1. Distribute any unwanted material as appropriate. Some may be discarded. Identify items (usually publications) to be kept in RMC or the Library but separated from the collection; these may need to be listed by staff before they are separated and the list made part of the collection's guide.
2. Note down what material (if any) can be sent to the Annex and what should be kept in RMC.
3. Technical services staff rehouse the material according to instructions in the curator's notes. This may include some refoldering and shifting of material. Staff handle the items designated to be separated from the collection (list them if required, and pass them on to an RMC book cataloger).
4. Consult the Assistant Director for Technical Services & Curator of Digital and Media Collections about the proper housing for visual materials. Consult the Digital Archivist about digitizing any audiovisual materials in the collection.
5. As you go through the collection, compile at least a preliminary box list in Excel. Print out a copy of the list for the accession folder, then e-mail the list as an attachment to the Collections Assistant in charge of processing, for use in creating the EAD guide. Be sure to specify the collection number.
6. Let the stacks Collections Assistant know when the collection is ready for her to assign box locations. If the collection is large, she may find a temporary location for the boxes while they await processing, and make a note in the Voyager holdings record giving the temporary location. Or the temporary location of an individual box may be input on the item record for it ("t.l. ...").