Accessioning Born-Digital Materials on Physical Media (August 2025) 

This documentation applies to digital archival material that has been transferred to RMC on physical media, including CDs, DVDs, hard drives, thumb drives, floppy disks, etc., or on a device like a laptop. 

Digital materials with no physical media, e.g. files that have been transferred via email, Box, Google Drive, or copied between network shares, are subject to a separate process. That documentation is in development. Contact Emmeline directly to handle those kinds of transfers. 

Born-digital archives are considered fully accessioned once the files have been copied from their original media and stored on RMC’s servers with a baseline amount of metadata.

Digital media separation sheet

• Digital Media Separation Sheet - Aug2025.docx

For digital media in new collections (curators) 

These instructions apply to digital media found during the RMC intake process.  

If the digital media is mixed in with related paper materials, curators should fill out a digital media separation sheet for each location where digital materials are found. This is intended to keep digital materials in context with their related papers during processing and description. For example, if three CDs with photographs of a building are found in a folder with papers related to the building's architectural plans, the curator should create a separation sheet for that folder to help us keep the digital files from those CDs connected to the corresponding papers.  

Curators should also fill out a separation sheet to represent digital media that does not have a specific contextual location within the collection. This includes media that is stored separately from papers or appears to have been randomly placed in collection boxes. If a collection arrives with all the digital media in its own separate box, the curator only needs to fill out a single separation sheet for the whole collection because there are no specific contextual locations to keep track of. 

When digital media is found in-context in a collection box/folder: 

1. For each box/folder location, fill out a digital media separation sheet for all media found in that location. One separation sheet can represent multiple pieces of digital media. 
2. Print two copies of the filled-out sheet. 
3. Place one copy in the box in the location where the media was found. 
4. Attach the second copy to the digital media by wrapping the paper around the media and securing it with a rubber band(s). If there is too much media to do this, put it into its own box or container with the separation sheet. 
5. Ensure that all digital media is associated with a separation sheet.  
6. Consider grouping this bundled media into its own box for easier transport upstairs.  

When the digital media does not have a specific collection location: 

1. Fill out one digital media separation sheet for all the media that does not have a specific box/folder location. 
2. Print two copies of the filled-out sheet.  
3. Include one copy with the paper boxes. 
4. Attach the second copy to the digital media by wrapping the paper around the media and securing it with a rubber band(s). If there is too much media to do this, put it into its own box or container with the separation sheet. 
5. Ensure that all digital media is associated with a separation sheet. 
6. Consider grouping the media into its own box for easier transport upstairs. 

Separated digital media is brought upstairs with the rest of the collection after the intake process is complete. 

Initial accessioning 

Digital media that is separated during intake is delivered to the digital archivist, who updates the accession record with the types and counts of media and assigns media numbers.

Digital media is stored in the digital archivist’s office until the contents have been copied to CUL’s systems. 

For digital media found during processing (processors) 

These instructions apply to digital material found during processing, which includes legacy collections that did not have media separated out during intake. In this case, processors are responsible for creating separation sheets to track the location of removed media and copying the contents of that media when appropriate. 

1. For each box/folder location, fill out a digital media separation sheet for all media found in that location. One separation sheet can represent multiple pieces of digital media. 
2. Print two copies of the filled-out sheet. 
3. Place one copy in the box in the location where the media was found. 
4. Attach the second copy to the digital media by wrapping the paper around the media and securing it with a rubber band(s). If there is too much media to do this, put it into its own box or container with the separation sheet. 
5. If possible, try to separate all digital media from the collection before proceeding with any copying. Reviewing all the media at once may reveal duplicates, unwanted material, or unusual media that should be brought to the digital archivist.  
6. Once all known digital media has been separated out, determine if you are able to proceed with copying, or if the collection appears to be a “project” that should be handled by the digital archivist. If there are questions about whether the materials are a project, consult with the digital archivist directly.
   
   The digital materials are probably a project if:
   • They include a very large number of media that would benefit from student assistance
   • They contain fragile or damaged media that may deteriorate or break during copying
   • They contain unusual or unfamiliar media that may require special hardware to access
   • They contain complex interactive media, like an art piece or a game 
     
     
7. Update the accession record with a summary of the digital content (types and counts of media).
8. If the collection is a project: email the digital archivist with the collection name and number and a brief description of the material, then bring the media to the digital archivist’s office so it can be added to the project queue.
9. If the collection is not a project: contact the accessioning specialist with the types and counts of media in the collection to receive a list of unique media numbers.