Your Backlog is an Opportunity

1. Your Backlog is an Opportunity MARAC Fall 2008 Dan Santamaria Presented by: Adriane Hanson and Casey Babcock

2. Case Study Princeton University Archives

3. Princeton University Archives • Princeton University established 1746 • Princeton University Archives established 1959 • Number of finding aids in 1990: 0 • Prior to 1990s access was limited and arbitrary.

4. Princeton University Archives • Staffing • No single member of staff dedicated to University Archives • No Processing Archivist • 2002 gift from office of the President allowed for establishment of Processing Project.

5. Princeton University Archives • Scope • Material dating from founding of University to present. • Vast majority 20th century • Various forms and document types • Circa 13,000 linear feet, 335 discrete collections

6. Princeton University Archives • Processing Method • “Traditional Processing” • Everything rehoused: refoldered, reboxed in Hollinger boxes • Metal removed • Massive preservation photocopying • Arranged to item level: ordered within folders • Full “traditional finding aids” created in Access and MS Word • Collection level records created as processing was completed

7. Princeton University Archives • Results of original project • Some important collections processed and available. • Approximately 2/3 of University Archives still had no descriptive records or online presence. • Limited intellectual control of much of Archives. • Trouble paging and answering inquiries quickly.

8. Princeton University Archives • Phase two of Processing Project, begun September 2005 • Same staffing levels, though new project archivist. • Stated goals • Gain acceptable level of intellectual control of collections. • Provide minimum level of online access to collections (collection level records).

9. Princeton University Archives, Phase 2 • Began with survey of entire University Archives. • Corrected and updated holding information. • Recorded very (very) basic descriptive data. • Entered and updated info into local database. • Met with stake holders to determine processing priorities.

10. Princeton University Archives, Phase 2 • Developed tiered “Processing Levels” for use on the project. • Default is Level 3 processing - roughly equivalent to Greene-Meissner recommendations. • No more detailed processing will be done until every collection has a collection level record and basic inventory.

11. Princeton University Archives, Phase 2 • General processing method • Archivist determines arrangement/appraisal at series/subseries level, creates a workplan • Data for folder level inventory done by students and support staff. • Also changed focus of one support staff member to creating brief collection level MARC records.

12. Princeton University Archives, Phase 2 • Results • Some staff adjustment time • Overall success • 1000+ linear feet processed in first year of implementation • 1500+ linear feet processed in 2007 • Catalog record for every collection in the University Archives • MARC records converted to EAD in Summer 2007 • No complaints from Departments or donors.

13. Princeton University Archives, Phase 2 • Results • Since May of 2006, average of 2 linear feet per hour for well organized collections • Overall average of approximately 3 linear feet per day

14. MPLP in 2008 What has the impact really been?

15. Why is “minimum standards” not being implemented? • Not appropriate to collections (12) • Concerns about arrangement (6) • Concerns about description (15) • Concerns about preservation (6) • Concerns about confidential/sensitive materials (12) • User satisfaction (9) • Donor satisfaction (5) • Precluded by other initiatives (6)

16. Future implementation of minimum standards? • Yes (6) • No (6) • Maybe (14)

17. What MPLP is not • Paper Clips

18. What MPLP is not • An argument for cutting back on processing staff. • An excuse for lazy collection development and appraisal. • Never arranging or describing below the series level

19. What MPLP is not • A strategy that cannot be used for: • Personal Papers • Performing Arts material • Small Collections • Pre-20th Century Collections • Electronic Records • Digitized Collections • (My Stuff)

20. What MPLP is not • Destroying staff morale by never allowing processing archivists to do anything more than type inventories

21. What MPLP is not • Never placing a restriction on any collection • Inviting users to read through social security numbers, health records, and student discipline files

22. What MPLP is not • Losing control over our collections

23. What MPLP is not • Being callous to users, user needs or preferences.

24. The Big Picture • What is MPLP? • "At its core, MPLP asks archivists to embrace change, to place access at the pinnacle of what we do, and look more to the forests than the trees. These are not easy goals."

25. The Big Picture • When you remove the routine tasks, what is left: • Making the tough decisions • Looking at the big picture of providing the most access to the greatest number of collections

26. The Big Picture • What archivists have to offer • Flexible and useful descriptive standards that allow for multi-level description • Decades of advanced appraisal strategies for assigning value to and prioritizing collections • Newly evolving strategies and tools (and some old tools, too) • Survey Projects • AT/Archon, etc • OPACS! Databases!

27. The Big Picture • What archivists have to offer • A “Relentless Focus on the Aggregate” • Unlike librarians, museum professionals, and even IT staff

28. This is Your Opportunity to Prove Your Worth • Don't be afraid to make mistakes • Do trust your abilities, training, and skills • The Future Belongs to Archivists: • http://www.midwestarchives.org/2008Spring/presentations/ SchaffnerFutureBelongstoArchives.ppt

29. Contact Information For additional questions or comments please contact me: dsantam@princeton.edu