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Dear All:
Thank you so much for all your helpful responses to my
question about archives and historical document storage. In response to
your requests to post the responses, below are the responses from the ARLIS
listserv as well as from my colleagues in horticultural/botanical
libraries…thought you might like to see all responses. I left off
particulars of who sent each response, but if you want to know who sent a
particular response let me know and I will pass that along.
Thanks again,
Shelly
I can’t be much help but I did
purchase this book for our library and it looks like a good resource.
Title: Organizing archival records : a
practical method of arrangement and description for small archives /
Edition: 2nd
Published:
Description xi, 85 p. : ill. ; 28 cm. +
CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.)
It also looks like this link from the
National Archives page may be helpful.
http://www.archives.gov/preservation/
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I also like the publications of the Australian Society of Archivists
(see http://www.archivists.org.au/).
Some of their brochures (such as 'Establishing an Archives') are available
online. For the basics, including setting up policies & procedures, I
recommend their text: Keeping Archives,
although I realise that it's getting old, thus won't address newer standards
for online finding aids.
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You can also look in the SAA archival series (www.archivists.org)
to help with other aspects of setting up an archival system.
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I suggest that you acquire and study the following basic
manual for the operation of a museum archives. In my experience
administering the operation of 2 art museum libraries plus archives (St.
Louis Art Museum and Cleveland Museum of Art), the specialized nature of
archival work requires the input of a trained archivist and I would suggest
that you contact a local member of MAC (Midwest Archives Conference?) for
advice if this manual doesn't answer all of your needs and
questions.
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The book to buy is Museum Archives: An Introduction,
2nd ed., edited by Deborah Wythe (
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I might refer
you to the Society of American Archivists site http://www.archivists.org/index.asp
and their publications for some insights. This should help with organizing and
finding aids. As for the newspaper clippings, perhaps you can copy them
onto acid free paper. We do not allow any archival materials out of
the library , and only a select few have access to them (the Director of
the museum, the Registrar, the Librarian/Archivist, and a volunteer who helps
with the organization of them). Certain materials, because of
confidentiality of their contents, are not available to researchers (guidance
from the Director & Registrar on that.)
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There is a lot of good literature from SAA
(Society of American Archivists) and others on retention and preservation. Not
knowing what you have already investigated, I might suggest a couple of issues
you might consider.
If you photograph brittle news
clippings using film you can transfer to any new medium that might develop;
transferring directly to digital may not give you as many options
later. Many of us have scrapbooks of clippings in some form that are great for
researchers but, eventually pose storage and preservation issues-
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See the following publication from the
Society of American Archivists:
http://www.archivists.org/catalog/pubDetail.asp?objectID=949
PH 616.975.3144| TF
888.957.1580 | FX
616.975.9545
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