info 6800 (winter 2013) week one: introduction

INFO 6800 - Archives

• Introductions• Syllabus• Assignments• Basic concepts and core functions

January 7, 2013 1INFO 6800 Archives – Week One

www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1998-08-06

http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1998-08-06

Course Syllabus

• SIM website www.sim.management.dal.ca/courses

• Course Blackboard site www.dal.ca/blackboard

• Course website www.info6800.wordpress.com


http://www.sim.management.dal.ca/courses

http://www.dal.ca/blackboard

http://www.info6800.wordpress.com/

Reading List


“Classics”

Guides, Manuals,

etc.

Recent Literature

Available on Blackboard and Zotero!

Course Themes


Archives and the Internet

Redefining Provenance

Ethnographic Archives

Funding and Resource Allocation

Assignments

Participation

Seminar Presentation

Appraisal Report

Bibliography or

Evaluation

Neptune Theatre


Archives

What is an archives?




An archives works to acquire, preserve and make available material collected under the terms of a particular mandate - whether that be to document a community or business, to reflect government policies, or many other reasons

Association of Canadian Archivists (2005)



The division within an organization responsible for maintaining the organization’s records of enduring value.

An organization that collects the records of individuals, families, or other organizations; a collecting archives.

Society of American Archivists, 2005

What do archivists do?


www.suggesteddonation.com

Archivists work as part of government, corporations, museums, libraries, historical societies, and many other groups, to control and preserve the recorded memory of these organizations.



Association of Canadian Archivists (2004)



An individual responsible for appraising, acquiring, arranging, describing, preserving, and providing access to records of enduring value, according to the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control to protect the materials’ authenticity and context.

Society of American Archivists (2005)



• Acquisitions• Appraisal• Arrangement and Description

(Processing)• Preservation• Access• Outreach • Management (Budget, staffing,

planning, etc.)

Core Functions

How are archives organized?


Archives



Stacks

OversizedMaterials

Audiovisual Materials

Photographs

Stacks Stacks



Film reels at Dalhousie University Archives



Respect des fonds – The principle that the records of a person of a person, family or corporate body must be kept together in their original order, if it exists or has been maintained, and not be mixed or combined with the records of another individual or corporate body.

Bureau of Canadian Archivists (1990)



Fonds –The whole of the documents, regardless of form or medium, automatically and organically created and/or accumulated and used by a particular individual, family, or corporate body in the course of that creator's activities or functions.




Provenance – The person(s), family (families), or corporate body (bodies) that created and/or accumulated and used records in the conduct of personal or business life.




Fonds Fonds Fonds

Fonds Fonds Collection

Fonds Fonds Fonds

Collection Fonds Fonds

How are fonds organized?


Series Series Series

Series Series Sous-Fonds

Series Series Series

Sous-Fonds Fonds Fonds



Sub Series

Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series

Sub Series



File

Series

File File File File File File

File File File File File File File

File File File File

File File File File File File File



Ite m

Series

Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m

Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m

Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m

Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m Ite m



ISAD(G), International Council on Archives (2000)



Council of Nova Scotia Archives (2005)



Correspondence – Box 1, Folder 3

Photographs – Photo Box 3, Folder 9

Blueprints – Oversized File 27

Film reel – Canister 429



Box 1, Folder 3

Photo Box 3, Folder 9

Oversized File 27

Canister 429

Shelf 8, Room B

Shelf 2, Room A

Rack 9, Room B

Shelf 4, Room C

What is multi-level description?


A finding aid or other access tool that consists of separate, interrelated descriptions of the whole and its parts, reflecting the hierarchy of the materials being described.

Society of American Archivists, 2005



Oland family fonds. – 1884-1994. – 11.5 m of textual records. – ca. 583 photographs. – 2 Japanese silk flags.

Bruce Oland. – 1884-1994. – 4.05 m of textual records. – ca. 209 photographs.

Business and charitable activities. – 1963-1991. – 20 cm of textual records.

sub-

serie

s

serie s

fond

s



Canadian Army Historical Section fonds finding aid on www.archeoin.ca

http://www.archeoin.ca/

What are the core functions?


• Acquisitions• Appraisal• Arrangement and Description

(Processing)• Preservation• Access• Outreach • Management (Budget, staffing,

planning, etc.)

Core Functions

Acquisitions


Archives Mandate

Collection Policy

Documentation StrategyCollection Policy

Documentation Strategy

Donor Relations

Acquisitions


Meet Donor

Negotiate Deed of

Gift

Physical Transfer

Accession Materials

Acquisitions


Acquisitions at the Dalhousie University Archives

Accessioning


1. Materials enter archives

2. Accession number is assigned

3. Materials are reboxed

4. Accession record is created

5. Materials are shelved

Accessioning


Appraisal


Discards at the Dalhousie University Archives

Arrangement and Description


Arranging a large fonds at the Dalhousie University Archives

Arrangement and Description


Old file labels at the Dalhousie University Archives

Preservation


Processed fonds at the Dalhousie University Archives

Access


Archives and Special Collections reading room and closed stacks in Killam Library

Outreach


?

Management


www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2010-09-01/

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2010-09-01/

Where can archives be found?


Art Galleries Religious Organizations

Clubs and Societies Universities

GovernmentsHistorical Societies

HospitalsCorporations Museums

Libraries

Archives, Libraries, Museums


What do archives and libraries have

in common?

Reference services

Public mandate

StandardsHeritage “web”



How are archives and libraries

different?

Quantity and type of formats

Uniqueness of materialsPreservation

mandateAccess



What do archives and museums

have in common?

Both refer to provenance

Uniqueness of materials

StandardsHeritage “web”

Archives and Records Management


How does RM affect archives?

Depends on setting

Records life-cycleRecords

classification Records scheduling

Sources (in order of appearance)


Adams, Scott (1998). Dilbert comic. http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1998-08-06.

Association of Canadian Archivists (2005). What is an Archives? Ottawa: Public Awareness Committee, Association of Canadian Archivists. http://archivists.ca/sites/default/files/Attachments/Outreach_attachments/Whats-an-Archives.PDF.

Society of American Archivists. (2005). A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. By Richard Pearse-Moses. Chicago: Society of American Archivists. http://www2.archivists.org/glossary.

Van Slyke, Andy (2009). Archivist image in Stadarchivist alert! post. http://suggesteddonation.com/author/xantus/page/9.

Association of Canadian Archivists (2004). What is an Archivist? Ottawa: Public Awareness Committee, Association of Canadian Archivists. http://archivists.ca/sites/default/files/Attachments/Outreach_attachments/What-an-Archivist.PDF.

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1998-08-06

http://archivists.ca/sites/default/files/Attachments/Outreach_attachments/Whats-an-Archives.PDF

http://archivists.ca/sites/default/files/Attachments/Outreach_attachments/Whats-an-Archives.PDF

http://www2.archivists.org/glossary

http://suggesteddonation.com/author/xantus/page/9

http://archivists.ca/sites/default/files/Attachments/Outreach_attachments/What-an-Archivist.PDF

http://archivists.ca/sites/default/files/Attachments/Outreach_attachments/What-an-Archivist.PDF

Sources (in order of appearance)


Bureau of Canadian Archivists (1990). Rules for Archival Description, Appendix D (Glossary). Revised 2008. Ottawa: Bureau of Canadian Archivists. http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/RAD/RAD_Glossary_July2008.pdf.

International Council on Archives (2000). Model of the levels of arrangement of a fonds. In International Standard for Archival Description (General), p. 36. http://www.ica.org/10207/standards/isadg-general-international-standard-archival-description-second-edition.html.

Council of Nova Scotia Archives. Fonds diagram. http://www.councilofnsarchives.ca/ArchWay.

National Defense Directorate of History and Heritage. Canadian Army Historical Section fonds. http://www.archeion.ca/canadian-army-historical-section-fonds-2;rad.

Adams, Scott (2010). Dilbert comic. http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2010-09-01/. Photographs of Dalhousie University Archives and the Killam Library were taken

by Dalhousie Libraries staff

http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/RAD/RAD_Glossary_July2008.pdf

http://www.ica.org/10207/standards/isadg-general-international-standard-archival-description-second-edition.html

http://www.ica.org/10207/standards/isadg-general-international-standard-archival-description-second-edition.html

http://www.councilofnsarchives.ca/ArchWay

http://www.archeion.ca/canadian-army-historical-section-fonds-2;rad



info 6800 (winter 2013) week one: introduction

Education

public awareness

acquisitions

nova scotia

corporate

textual records

fonds organized

canadian archivists

american archivists