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Unit: ATS / RMC

Date last updated: 3/11/March 2025

Date of next review:  March 2026

Contents:

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1. Directly examine the entirety of the collection. Be sure all boxes are accounted for. 
2. Review accession records and other documentation accompanying a collection. 
3. Review any pre-existing lists such as vendor lists or donor lists. 
4. Conduct Utilize scope and content / biographical material provided by the curator. If necessary, conduct additional background research in relevant biographical, bibliographical, and other information sources. 
5. Background research in national and international union catalogs and databases for related holdings. Add a note to the resource record for related materials at other institutions. 
6. If items appear to be missing from the collection, the archivist curator should check the accession file, as well as any inventories or other dealer or donor provided documentation that accompanied the collection. The archivist should also notify their supervisor and the curator, either of whom may have information about the apparently missing item(s). A curator will handle and resolve all issues with items missing prior to handing off the collection for processing. If necessary, a “Missing Material” form will be created in AirTable. 

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• Bias of the creator of the list. Dealer’s lists often highlight especially notable names, subjects, or rare formats at the expense of equally important but less monetarily valuable material. Ideas, and language, about research value and assumptions about research methods change over time, and a list might reflect the values of another era, highlighting particular formats or subjects while playing down others. 

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• Standards and terminology. Is the data in the list sufficiently standard to support access through keyword searching? Does it contain jargon or abbreviations that would confuse researchers?  Is it in compliance with current descriptive standards?

• Confidential and sensitive information. Does it contain price notations, give detailed descriptions of restricted material, or contain personal details that must be redacted (e.g. Social Security numbers)? 

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Based on the archivist’s judgment of the existing list, considering the level of arrangement and description required for the collection, the list might be repurposed with only minor editing, or it might be discarded to create a new list, or some solution in between. If an existing description is repurposed, the finding aid should include a disclaimer processing note about the degree to which the library verified the existing list against the material, and the degree to which the content has been standardized to facilitate access. 

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