Scope: This is the procedure that RMC staff use to create an accession number for a manuscript or archival collection. We assign a number to each new accession. The accession number goes in 541 $e on the Voyager holdings record, and is used to help track accessions for the purpose of compiling annual statistics.
Contact: Margaret Nichols
Unit: RMC
Date last reviewed: 10/26/2018
Date of next review: August 2019
Here is how to construct an accession number:
[M for manuscripts, or A for archives] [year--last two digits] [which half of the calendar year]-[month]-[unique identifier, e.g. 001 if this is the first accession of the month]
The first half of the calendar year is January-June; the second half is July-December. We have to divide up the year this way because the Annual Report, where we report accessioning statistics, covers the fiscal year, from July 1-June 30. Each fiscal year consists of the second half of one calendar year and the first half of the next calendar year.
When recording the month, use a leading zero if the number is less than 10.
To determine what number to use for the last part of the accession number, see the "Mss accession numbers" or "Arch accession numbers" spreadsheet in the online Accession Book. Use the next number in sequence, and record it in the spreadsheet, along with the collection number.
Examples:
M161-03-006 for a manuscript collection accessioned in March of 2016; the "Mss accession numbers" spreadsheet showed that the previous accession was M161-03-005
A162-10-001 for the first archival (University Archives) collection to be accessioned in October 2016