Living in the library world: Finding aids

Reference finding aids

Principle of Provenance: identifies the fonds as the primary unit of description
Principle that description proceeds from the general to the specific: identifies that archives must be identified as a whole before describing the parts, i.e. complete a brief description of each fonds before describing each series or file in a fonds in more detail

Each finding aid should include the accession number of archival material being described (accession # the primary method of administrative control)
Make 3 copies for safekeeping

Type of finding aids

Includes a brief fonds level description of each fonds listed in alphabetical order by title
Description of each fonds prepared according to RAD and includes title, dates of creation, physical description, archival description, and notes
University of Manitoba. Archives & Special Collections. Archives & Special Collections’ Holdings. http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/collections/list.shtml

A complete and detailed description of one archival fonds
Labour intensive to produce therefore generally used for historically significant fonds with high rate of use and complex arrangement requiring a more detailed level of description
Donald Murray Ross: A Descriptive Inventory of the Donald Murray Ross Funds (1940-1986) https://web.archive.org/web/20130615031531/http://www.ualberta.ca/ARCHIVES/invents/rossDM/DMRtable.htm

Also called a series inventory or title inventory, includes only terse descriptions of the materials. A summary inventory may be made for materials with very technical form or contents, which would require extensive description to adequately capture the nuance difference. There are also made for collections of homogenous materials, in which details would be redundant.
SAA: A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology http://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/i/inventory
Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kane Bergthaler Mennonite Church fonds http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/holdings/MB/MB_KaneBMC.htm

Administrative finding aids

Designed to establish control over material as it enters the archives. It is intended largely as an internal administrative document. However, it does contain elements of description and in some situations, particularly small volunteer managed archives, it may be the only finding aid available to researchers.
Sample Accession Record http://aabc.ca/media/8350/Toolkit_%20Accession_Record_Completed.pdf

The location list includes the accession number, box number and the location code that identifies the physical location in the building where the records are stored
Many archives do not include the storage location of materials in finding aids used by the general public. Restricting this information adds one more layer of security. When a patron requests materials, reference staff use a location index to determine where the material is stored so that it can be pulled.

Subject indexing

Most common types of indexes used in archives are name, subject and form indexes
In archives, there is little agreement about which controlled vocabularies, if any, are appropriate for providing access points to archival records
Examples of thesauri for archives include:

The British Columbia Thesaurus http://aabc.ca/media/5406/bcthesaurus.pdf
See also Thesauri and Controlled Vocabularies section of CAIN Resources for additional titles http://archivists.ca/downloads/documentloader.aspc?id=1911

Name indexing and authority files

A compilation of records which describe the preferred form of headings for use in a catalog, along with cross references for other forms of headings
Authority files may be lists, card catalogs, databases, or printed publications
For individuals, the authority file lists full name, birth and death dates, and alternate names
For organizational names, the authority file lists the preferred name for each organization, and also lists the history of name changes. Sources that document changes can also be noted

Indexing guidelines

Before beginning an indexing programme, have completed accession records, a repository guide of fonds level descriptions, and inventories for large or significant fonds. Subject terms and name authority files can be created during the description of each new accession
Select the thesaurus your Archives will use to establish a controlled vocabulary for the selection of subject terms
Create and maintain a name authority file to control al names used in the index
Maintain a manual that documents all changes to your indexing system. Note, for example, when a new subject was added to the list
Keep your index up to date. If you are unable to maintain it, perhaps it is too complex
Develop or expand your indexing programme in relation to your time, money, facilities, and priorities

Encoded archival description (EAD)

Society of American Archivists standard (maintained by Library of Congress) for encoding multilevel finding aids
Extensible markup language (XML) based but compatible with standard generalized markup language (SGML)
Developed in U.S. but now international
Designed specifically for marking up information contained in archival finding aids
Further information under Encoded Archival Description http://aao.fis.utoronto.ca/auto/relatedlinks.html
Sample Canadian use of EAD

Tutorial: an over-the-shoulder view of an archivist at work. In: Introduction to Archival Organization and Description: Access to Cultural Heritage. Getty Information Institute. 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/20060213013256/http://www.schistory.org/getty/table_index.html

Living in the library world