Introduction

Because of the variety of materials found in manuscript collections housed at Washington University Libraries, the following steps are guidelines. They are not set in stone. These guidelines should be applied flexibly and sensibly, keeping in mind that they will address many basic questions and concerns that you will have when processing the manuscript collections here at Washington University in St. Louis. When questions move beyond basics, or when these guidelines do not address your concerns, don’t hesitate to ask questions of the professional staff. Some of the terminology may be strange, so have a look at the glossary and at the abbreviations list

Processing Log

Keep a processing log as you process the collection. Note the steps you take in arranging the material, why you arranged the material that way, and what part of the collection you are working on. Also note any questions you have for the supervisor. Keep the log in the processing notes section of the collection’s administrative file at the end of each day. Should you be absent, your log will help others follow your steps in processing the collection, and will be the basis for a processor’s note in the finding aid. (See the processing log form for an exemplary log for tracking your processing)

Initial Assessment

1. Get an overview of the collection by reviewing the accession record, deed of gift, appraisal inventory, correspondence about the collection, or any other information available in the collections administrative file. Look for conditions that indicate a certain way to process the collection or special circumstances that need to be considered during the processing.
2. Generally, there are two different types of collections that you might work on. Determine which type of collection you have been assigned.
1. The first type is a new collection. You and the supervisor will have to determine the arrangement order. If you are working with this type of collection, go to the next section of this document, the New Collections section.
2. The second type of collection has exactly the same provenance to a collection already held in Special Collections and is regarded as an extension of that collection. Skip to the Accruals section now where you will find instructions on arranging an accrual.

New Collections

1. Assemble all of the boxes, containers, and objects in the collection together to ensure you have all of the material. The accession process will have assembled all of the materials in a temporary location, however the inventories (such as they are at this stage) should be re-checked. Using the accession register and/or appraisal inventories, double check to make sure every thing is there.
2. Read finding aids to similar collections. Think of them as an example for arranging the new collection. Ask the professional staff for help with this step, if you are not sure which collections are similar.
3. Keep the original order to begin with. Look through the material to get a feel for the collection. Look for patterns in the original order, similar kinds of material, and different topics within the collection. Take notes, but do not rearrange the material yet. Compare your observations with the finding-aids for similar collections. In general, different large groups of material might include correspondence, project materials, subject materials, manuscripts, drafts, source material, material towards books, ephemera, realia, and printed material. This list is not comprehensive. There may well also need to be sub-groupings of materials within these larger groups.
4. Based on your proposed groupings, prepare a preliminary outline for the collection. If there is an original order, try to create an outline that reflects it. The outline might propose major intellectual groupings of materials that break down into smaller intellectual groupings of materials. Your proposed file groupings should be reflected through your outline of the collection. If a collection comes to us in good order, we will make every effort to preserve that order. If a collection comes to us in poor order, we will have to impose an arrangement on the materials.
5. Propose collection name. Look up the central figure in the collection (the one who created most of the materials) on the Library of Congress’s name authority web site (http://authorities.loc.gov/). For the title, include the person’s (or magazine’s or press’s) complete name (without birthdates and deathdates if they are included those will be included later in a different part of the finding-aid). Then determine if the collection should be Papers or Archives. Papers are collections of personal papers. Archives are collections of institutional records. Also include the range of dates of the material. A typical collection title might look like these: Jane Doe Papers or John Doe Press Archive or John Doe Magazine Archive
6. Discuss your proposed collection name and outline with a supervisor.
7. After you and the supervisor have determined how the collection should be arranged, do the first sort of the collection.

First Sort

The goal of the first sort is to get initial preservation and organization issues addressed, and to test that the initial outline for the collection makes sense.
8. Gather processing tools for first sort. These will be found in the processing area.
1. Buffered folders, 10x14.75. (Usually like University Products Catalog Number 701-1915
2. Buffered paper, 8.5x14
3. Flags (Thin strips, preferably made of buffered folder-stock, but buffered paper will do in a pinch)
4. Archival carton, buffered, corrugated 11 x 8.5 x 15 inch. (Usually like University Products Catalog Number 613-0771. Buffered cartons should be used for processing, and buffered clamshell boxes should be the final housing for our collections.)
5. Pencil (No. 2)
6. Microspatula
9. After identifying materials to re-house, lightly label the folders in pencil with the title of file. Ideally, the initial sort should simply rehouse rather than re-order materials. Move the materials from the original shipping boxes into archivally sound cartons and folders, retaining the original ordering of the materials. When necessary (folders that have several lines of significant annotation, etc.), photocopy the original folder's annotations onto buffered paper. In these cases, place the photocopy of the original folder in the very front of the file.
10. Perform basic conservation on the material as you survey the collection.
1. Unfold the documents.
2. When necessary, use the microspatula to gently remove paper fasteners. When you remove rubber bands, string, paper clips, and staples, keep the material together. Make a paper folder from 8.5x14 buffered paper. Put all materials that were fastened together in the paper folder to keep the original order and groupings.
3. When necessary, use a paper folder to keep envelopes together with their contents.
4. Flag more complex problems (acidic paper, scotch taped items, etc.) see below
11. Place material(s) in the labeled folder.
1. Be careful that the materials fit in the folder. If the materials can’t fit in a legal size folder, during the second sort they will have to be separated and moved to oversize. Flag oversize see below
2. When necessary, crease the folders along the proper scoring line, so the bottem edge of the folder will be flat and the materials will rest snugly in the folder.
3. Place the folders in a buffered archival carton. Be sure that the materials are within the folders as you do so. As you fill the cartons, label each carton using a carpenter’s pencil as follows: collection name, series numbers. Do not fill the box all the way to the top – make sure that the box closes easily and the materials are not placed too tightly together.
12. Flag folders that have materials in the list below. Flag the documents by putting a long strip of buffered paper in front of the document in question so that the flag sticks above the folder.
1. Duplicates
2. Unreadable handwritten notes
3. Canceled checks, bills, receipts
4. Photographs
5. Slides, negatives, films
6. Videotapes, audiotapes, electronic computer readable material
7. Books, magazines, and government documents.
8. Newsclippings and other highly acidic papers such as construction paper.
9. Materials in need of repair. Such items might include items that are torn, crumbling, taped, moldly, or otherwise damaged and in need of a conservator’s attention. Label these flags “Preservation:” and place a brief description of the problem below the label.
10. Items with special storage needs (realia, paintings, etc.)
11. Oversize material that can be stored flat.

Second Sort

The purpose of the second sort is to make decisions about the physical order of the collection based upon the information gleaned about the entire collection during the first sort.
13. Gather processing tools for second sort. These will be found in the processing area.
1. Buffered folders, 10x14.75 (Usually like University Products Catalog Number 701-1915)
2. Buffered paper, 8.5x14
3. Separation Notes
4. Clamshell box, buffered board, 15 x 10 x 3 inch. (Usually like University Products Catalog Number 735-5103. Again, buffered cartons should be used early in the process, and buffered clamshell boxes should be the final housing for our collections.)
5. Appropriatly sized buffered containers for separated materials
6. Pencil (No. 2)
7. Microspatula
14. Review the collection in its archival cartons with the supervisor. Re-consider the initial outline for the collection.
15. Discuss the flagged areas with the supervisor, and, for smaller concerns, take appropriate preservation actions:
    1. Usually we will discard excess duplicates, though at times print materials may be offered to other research libraries.
    2. Usually unreadable notes will be left where they are, though we may try to collaborate to decipher them.
    3. Usually photographic prints will moved from their original folder and arranged as separate series. Frequently context demands that photographs stay where they are. If they are moved, prepare a separation note on buffered paper for these materials indicating that they have been transferred to the new series. Place one copy of the note in the original folder, and one copy with the separated object. When resources allow, prints should usually be placed between buffered pages within folders.
    4. Usually slides, negatives, and photographic films will be moved from their original folders and arranged as separate series. This is done because the storage requirements for these materials often differ from those of paper. If they are moved, prepare a separation note on buffered paper for these materials indicating that they have been transferred to the new series. Place one copy of the note in the original folder, and one copy with the separated object. When resources allow, slides, negatives, and photgraphic file should usually be stored in mylar sleeves within buffered folders.
    5. Usually motion picture materials, videotapes, audiotapes, electronic computer readable material will be moved from their original folder and arranged as separate series. This is done because the storage requirements for these materials often differ from those of paper. If they are moved, prepare a separation note on buffered paper for these materials indicating that they have been transferred to the new series. Place one copy of the note in the original folder, and one copy with the separated object. These items should all be stored vertically.
       1. Computer disks should be printed out onto buffered bond.
       2. For some audio materials, transcriptions may be prepared.
       3. For some materials, significant reformatting and/or preservation work may be necessary.
    6. Usually books, magazines, and government documents will be separated and arranged with the print collections. Prepare a separation note on buffered paper for these materials indicating that they have been transferred to the print collection. Place one copy of the note in the original folder, and one copy with the separated object.
    7. Usually, we will photocopy news clippings onto buffered paper and discard the original. When necessary photocopy both sides. Label the photocopy in pencil as follows:
       • "Preservation Photocopy, prepared [Date]".
       • Should there be more than one clipping for an article try to copy them all onto the same page. If that is not possible number the copies in sequence. Then the label might look like this: "Preservation Photocopy, prepared [Date], p. 1." If both sides of a clipping need to be photocopied, the label should look like this: "Preservation Photocopy, prepared [Date], p. 1V." (this being a notation that you've copied the verso of a clipping)
       • Should there be more than one clipping for an article, number the copies in sequence. Then the label might look like this: "Preservation Photocopy, prepared [Date]", p. 4." (indicating that you've copied four clippings for this article)
       • Should the clipping be oversized, first try to use the b/w Minolta to reduce the entire document to fit on a a single page. If that is not legible, then we will have to use a sequence of smaller images that can be reconstructed to represent the larger image. In this case, photocopy beginning in the upper left of the clipping, and photocopy across the page. Indicate the position of the copy with an annotation like this: "Preservation Photocopy, prepared [Date]", p. 4, bottom left"
       Replace the photocopy exactly where the original was in the collection, as the suquence may be important. Especially in author's working files related to modern literature, the information on clippings can be quite significant.
    8. Create folders for oversized material. Place the oversized material in an oversize folder and put in an appropriate buffered newspaper box and use a carpenter’s pencil to label the box with the collection name, followed by “oversize”. Keep the box in the processing area by the collection. After processing, these items will be moved to permanent oversize storage. Using buffered paper, prepare two separation notes to go with the materials. Place one in the oversize folder with the materials and one in the folder where the materials originally housed. Write the collection, series, file and brief item description on the note.

16. In cases where there is a systematic original order, every effort should be made to preserve that order. Personal papers (sometimes) and institutional archives (more frequently) may come to us in good order. If this is the case, very little rearrangement will need to be done after the first sort, and, after any preservation concerns have been addressed, you can begin with the steps related to final boxing and folder numbering.

    In those cases where there is no systematic original order an order may have to be imposed on the all the materials. At times there may be collections with parts that are originally well ordered and parts that have no order, so an order may need to be imposed on the parts that are not ordered. At times the process of arranging a collection may seek to restore an order that once organized the materials, but which through neglect or carelessness no longer pertains. Always remember that the process of physical arrangement seeks to make materials easy to use in research, while maintaining the vital context in which records were created. Only impose an order after discussing it with a staffer. If you rearrange files or move materials from one file in a collection to another, a staffer may ask you to use a separation note and enter it in your processing log. If you must impose an order, the following considerations may pertain, but consider the following possibilities with great care:

1. Unless there is an original order that arranges the correspondence otherwise, correspondence might be foldered and filed in a separate series called "Correspondence" and arranged chronologically. When necessary, the correspondence might be foldered in groupings such as personal, family, or business. Frequently there will be incoming and outgoing subseries.
2. Unless there is an original order that arranges the manuscripts otherwise, manuscripts might be foldered and filed in a separate series called "Manuscripts" arranged by author and then title. At times, this series might need to be subdivided into sub-series such as source materials, draft works, published works.
3. Unless there is an original order that arranges the materials otherwise, journals, diaries and calenders might be foldered and filed in a separate series called "Journals, diaries, and calenders" and arranged by author then chronologically.
4. Unless there is an original order that arranges the materials otherwise, personal papers such as legal documents, medical documents, financial information and other such information might occassionally be foldered and filed in a separate series called "Personal Papers". These items should be arranged by author (the one whose request generated the document) then by date.
5. Photographic materials (photographs, slides, and negatives) generally might be foldered and filed in a separate series called "Photographic materials".
6. Almost without exception, multimedia materials should be foldered and filed in a separate series or collection.
7. Ephemera and realia generally might be foldered in a separate series called, respectively "Ephemera" and "Realia".
17. After a satisfactory order for the folders has been established, number all of the folders in sequence. Check to be sure that the final collection title (with inclusive dates for the collection or accrual and accession number when necessary), series indicator and folder title, and item counts appear on the folders. Make sure that the oversize folders are included in your numerical sequence. Place the

    The Jane Roe papers, 1992-1999[acc. 888888]                              box 1/folder 1
    Series I.1.i, Correspondence with Shetland Islanders                           38 items
    

18. Place the folders sequentially in clam-shell manuscript boxes. Do not over fill the boxes. Leave room in each box for several additional folders. Number the boxes in sequence. Label the contents of the boxes using the names and numbers of the series, subseries, and files contained within.

Accruals

While many of our collections come in a single accession, many of our collections do not. Accruals are materials that complement and extend an existing collection that has exactly the same provenance. Most frequently accruals are ongoing accessions of materials sent to us on a regular basis by authors that we collect for The Modern Literature Collection.

1. When an accrual to a collection arrives, it will be accessioned and arranged as a separate group. However, it will be shelved in accrual number sequence with materials that have the same provenance.
2. The title of the accrual will be the main entry of the collection, followed by the inclusive dates for the collection, the number of the accrual, followed by the accession number. A title for an accrual might look like this "John Doe papers, 1833-1966, Accrual 1 [1234]." Where there is more than one accession in an accrual place the numbers in sequence between the brackets "John Doe papers, 1833-1966, Accrual 1[1234, 1235, 1266]."
3. The materials in the accrual will be arranged as a separate group. Usually the arrangement of the new materials will mirror the arrangement of the old as established by the previous finding-aid. This is nearly always true of collections sent us by living authors, as the ordering of the collection will have been discussed with that author. Sometimes the accession will not have been previously discussed, and in these cases you will have guidance from the staff professionals on arrangement. In either case, before beginning arrangement, look up the previous finding-aid for the previously accessioned collection. Go to the finding-aid cabinet and retrieve the finding-aid for the collection. When you are unsure about patterns of physical arrangement within files as indicated by the finding-aid, look in the boxes. Use the information you find as a guide for arranging the new material. When possible, try to group the material in the same categories.
4. Watching for unique and exceptional file arrangements (which you should call to the attention of a professional staffer), arrange the materials to mirror as closely as possible the order established by the previous finding-aid. Use the first and second sort steps outlined above.
5. When you’ve reached the step that involves numbering the folders, begin numbering the folders in sequence, starting with the number 1. For accruals, be sure that the number of the accrual followed by the accession number(s) in the accrual appears directly next to the folder number, however. Label the folders something like this:

   The Jane Roe papers, 1992-1999, Accrual 1[acc. 888888]                              box 1/folder 1
   Series I.1.i, Correspondence with Shetland Islanders                           38 items
   

6. For collections where there is more than one accrual, start the folder numbering sequence afresh from 1 for each new accrual. Be sure to change the accrual number and accession number(s) in the folder labels for the new accession.
7. The box sequence for each accrual to each collection will start with 1 and continue on. Make sure to label the contents of the new boxes using the box number, accrual number, accession number(s), names and numbers of the series, subseries, and (sometimes) files contained within. You might have something like:

   Box 1
   Accrual 1
   The Jane Roe papers, 1992-1999[acc. 888888]                             
   Series I.1.i,  - Series II.3.iv