Finding Aids from Archivist’s Toolkit.

OK, I know a lot of you are quicker on the uptake than I am, but I’ve fused over doing finding aids with the data from Archivist’s Toolkit for months. I would try, get the data with no formating, try something else, no joy, wait a few weeks than start all over again.

“It’s all happened before, and it will all happen again.” BSG

I was:

• using the AT export EAD button
• taking the file to Notebook with the EAD Cookbook
• doing parse and validate
• doing make HTML

Makes sense, that was how I had done finding aids by hand.

Guess what! Finding Aid is a report under Resources in AT! Talk about making things harder than they need to be.

I did need some help with one change. The title of the finding aid was showing up as the ID number. I posted my question on atug-L yesterday and found it answered this morning. Thank you, Winona Salesky of UVM!!

If this helps anyone see the light sooner than I did…HUZZAH.

[Points for me, I remembered to update my Procedures Wiki with the new information. :-)]

Answers to “what should archive accept?”

Thank you all for your comments on this questions.  When I get this kind of support I feel a lot less “alone in the archives”.  🙂

I don’t really have the time with a staff of one part-time person [me] to put the unidentified photos up on the web.  They are just not that high a priority.  I like the idea of putting them in a file and asking someone with institutional knowledge to stop by once a year to see if they can identify any.  I’m also thinking of setting up a display at Reunion asking for input.

Thanks, again!!

What should Archive accept?

Russell D. James of recordsjunkie.blogspot.com brings up a good question. Perhaps I am too extreme saying I won’t except items that have no information available.

How do you handle it when you get something like a photo with unknown persons, in an unknown place, at an unknown time? How do I even know there is a connection with the institution? Where would you keep them to pull them out for a researcher to help identify them?

Help me out with your thoughts on this one.

What should get sent to archives?

I keep having boxes full of “stuff” left on my doorstep, with no explanation of what it is, or who sent it.  I’ll bet you do too.

I had a bit of a success yesterday.  When we went through the stuff I figured out who must have sent it and sent a friendly email asking that in the future they include information on Who? and What?

It turned out they were getting ready to send a couple more boxes.  I was able to go over before hand and off load at least 1/2 a box of things we don’t need.  I also was able to set some guidelines:

• If it’s a picture in a frame, take it out of the frame before sending.
• Include as much information about who is in the picture, what the event was, and the date that you can possibly come up with.
• If you have absolutely no information, you can keep it.

Now I’ll have to work out a way to spread the word. 🙂

More on Special Collections

If you are looking for rough estimates of book values I recommend viaLibra. It searches 18 different booksellers in one search, including several international.

It is helping me get a handle on what to look for in a given volume.  Should it have illustrations, maps?  Does ours have them?  What are the different bindings on a given text. Some seller’s have pictures of the volume to the right of the description.  I’m learning a lot just by picking books that look old and looking them up.

Special Collections

Every since we had the Archives evaluated with an RRLC grant, I’ve become obsessed with the books in our special collections.  I allow myself a little time each day to go mining for another possibly valuable book.

Since I started here in 2003 all my time has been spend figuring out the archives.  I never had the time to look at the books.  Now I’m having such fun!

Are any of you responsible for special collection in addition to the archives?

Rethinking

As part of the rethinking process we decided to delve into the piles of blueprints of the library 1974 and the library addition 1996.  We seemed to have every iteration as the process when on.  The decision was made to limit to the final plans for each.  What a difference!

Did I mention that none of these were accessioned or described in any way?

Now I should go looking for the final plans on the Learning Commons and we will has the library nailed.

Student worker work assignments

I mentioned a while back that I was trying writing work assignments on a white board.  I want to report that it works great!!

• The students like knowing what jobs are coming up.
• They can ask if they can work on a project that looks interesting.
• It also seems like a bonus to wipe something off the board.

I feel like I’ve already jobs this semester than usual.  It makes it easier to make sure the small jobs get done before I forget about them.