Table Of ContentArranging & Describing
Archives & Manuscripts
I I
A F S
Archival
Fundamentals
Series II
Managing Archival and Manuscript Repositories
by Michael J. Kurtz
Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts
by Kathleen D. Roe
Selecting and Appraising Archives and Manuscripts
by Frank Boles
Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts
by Mary Jo Pugh
Preserving Archives and Manuscripts
by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler
Understanding Archives and Manuscripts
by James M. O’Toole & Richard J. Cox
A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology
by Richard Pearce-Moses
Arranging & Describing
Archives & Manuscripts
Kathleen D. Roe
Chicago
The Society of American Archivists
www.archivists.org
©2005 by the Society of American Archivists.
All Rights Reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roe, Kathleen, 1950-
Arranging & describing archives & manuscripts / Kathleen D. Roe.
p. cm. -- (Archival fundamentals series. II)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-931666-13-X
1. Archives. 2. Cataloging of manuscripts. I. Title: Arranging and describing
archives and manuscripts. II. Title. III. Series.
CD950.R64 2005
027--dc22
2005049036
Graphic design by Matt Dufek, [email protected].
Fonts: Minion (text and footnotes); Meta (secondary text and captions).
T a b l e of C o n t e n t s
Preface to the Archival Fundamentals Series II • vii
Acknowledgments • xi
Introduction • xiii
1 Overview
The Nature of Archives and Manuscripts • 1
Archival Repositories and Their Clientele • 3
The Function of Arrangement and Description • 6
The Relationship of Arrangement and Description to Other
Archival Functions • 8
2 Core Concepts and Principles of Arrangement and
Description
Defining Basic Terms • 11
Core Principles Guiding the Practice of Arrangement and
Description • 14
What “Entity” Should Be Described? • 17
The Relationship of Archival Descriptive Practice to Libraries
and Museums • 25
When Are Archival Arrrangement and Description Practices
Appropriate? • 28
The Relationship of the Arrangement and Description Function
to the Institutional Context and Users • 29
3 The Context of Arrangement
and Description
Development of Archival Practice • 33
The Movement Toward Standardizing Archival Arrangement
and Description • 36
6 Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts
4 The Practice of Arrangement and Description
Overview • 45
Accessioning Archival Records • 45
Establishing the Context in which Records Were Created • 56
Arrangement of Archival Records • 61
Physically Processing the Records • 67
Description of Records • 71
Developing Access Tools • 86
Professional Standards for Archival Arrangement and
Description • 94
Conclusion, Future Directions, and Issues • 99
Glossary • 101
Bibliography • 105
Appendices
A: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Statement of Principles • 111
B: Arrangement Scenarios • 119
C: Examples of Arrangement Patterns • 126
D: Finding Aids for Sample Records • 131
E: Examples of Bibliographic Description • 146
Index • 175
Preface to the
Archival Fundamentals Series II
There was a time when individuals entering the archival profession
could read a few texts, peruse some journals, attend a workshop and
institute or two, and walk away with a sense that they grasped the
field’s knowledge and discipline. This was an inadequate perception,
of course, but it was true that the publications—basic or advanced,
practical or theoretical—were modest in number.
The archival world has changed considerably since these more
quiet times. A rich monographic research literature is developing.
Scholars from far outside the field are examining the “archive” and
the “record.” Archives, archivists, records, and records managers are
in the daily news as cases appear testing government and corporate
accountability, organizational and societal memory, and the nature
of documentary evidence—all challenging basic archival work and
knowledge.
The new edition of the Archival Fundamentals Series (afs ii) is
intended to provide the basic foundation for modern archival prac-
tice and theory. The original preface (written by Mary Jo Pugh in her
capacity as the series editor) to the first editions, which were published
in the early to mid-1990s by the Society of American Archivists (saa),
argued that the seven volumes “have been conceived and written to
be a foundation for modern archival theory and practice” and aimed
at “archivists, general practitioners and specialists alike, who are per-
forming a wide range of archival duties in all types of archival and
8 Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts
manuscript repositories.” It is hard to state the purpose of the new afs
editions better.
There are some differences, both subtle and obvious, in the new
volumes. The new editions are more open-ended than earlier versions,
extending back to the Basic Manual Series published a quarter-of-
a-century ago by saa, reflecting evolving viewpoints about archival
theory and practice. Even more important a difference is the broader
and deeper context of archival publishing afs volumes reside in. Mary
Jo Pugh, in her introduction of just a decade ago, noted that the afs
titles are companions to “more specialized manuals also available
from saa.” Now, saa has four other series (some just underway), includ-
ing Archival Classics (featuring reprints or new collections of older
publications with pivotal importance to the profession), Archival
Readers (both collections of new and previously published essays
intended to supplement the descriptions of foundational theory and
practice of the afs ii volumes), International Archival Studies Readers
(both collections of new and previously published essays intended to
provide glimpses of archival work and knowledge outside of North
America), and Archival Cases and Case Studies (examining archival
work in a variety of institutional types and with a variety of media).
Added to saa’s own publications is a vast sea of new titles pouring
from the presses of other professional associations and trade, profes-
sional, and university publishers.
Both the earlier Basic Manual Series and the Archival Fundamentals
Series provide benchmarks in the development of archival knowledge
and work. One can trace changing ideas and practices about archi-
val reference services by reading the 1977, 1992, and 2004 volumes
dedicated to this subject in the respective saa manual series. One also
expects to find in this volume current standards and consensus about
this aspect of archival work. One also expects now, of course, that
some may disagree with aspects of the current presentation, and may
point to the growing research and case study literature being generated
by the archival profession.
Many people participated in the production of the various vol-
umes constituting the Archival Fundamentals Series II. The profes-
sion owes its gratitude not only to the authors, but to various chairs
and members of the saa Publications Board; Miriam Meislik, Photo
Preface 9
Editor for the series; the saa Executive Directors, Susan Fox and
Nancy P. Beaumont; and especially to Teresa Brinati, saa Director of
Publishing, whose good humor, organization, and steady commit-
ment to a quality product helped keep the publishing of these and
other saa volumes on track.
Richard J. Cox
Publications Editor
Society of American Archivists
