Download - Archival Acquisition (LIS 170)
AcquisitionsBuilding Your Archival Collection
Definition
of Terms
selectionThe process of deciding which records to
acquire for the collection
objectives
Refers to what the archives aim to document, in
cooperation with other programs that collect in the
same areas or subject matters.
documentation
co
nt
ex
tbuildingProcess of sorting and sifting through quantities of
information of a record to find out which is most
significant based on “prior knowledge,
experience, interests, and values” (2009, p. 137)
that researchers bring to bear on their reading of
archives.
accessioning
Process by which an archival institution takes
administrative, legal, and physical custody of a
group of records.
Acquisition
policy
Refers to what types/kinds of records the
archives is most interested in acquiring.
basis for
Acquisition
Acquisition policy
basis for
Acquisition
Content
basis for
Acquisition
Records retention
schedule
basis for
Acquisition
Permissive policy
statement
basis for
Acquisition
Administrative
regulation
basis for
Acquisition
Statute
of
acquisition
methods
transfer1
Within one agency, from creating
office to the archival facility.
transfer1
Within one agency, from creating
office to the archival facility.
transfer1
Process should be formalized
and documented. Why?
Within one agency, from creating
office to the archival facility.
transfer1
Process should be formalized
and documented. Why?
•To maintain chain of custody
•To identify the specific records that have
been transferred.
Legal ownership does not change. Why?
Legal ownership does not change. Why?
The institution receiving the records is part of
the same institution that created the records.
Best practice!Get vital information
1) Name and contact details of person
preparing the transfer, department/office
responsible for creation, use and storage of
records prior to transfer to archives
2) Date of transfer
Best practice!Get vital information
3) Number of boxes, files or units of material
(electronic files) transferred
4) Information about records (list of file titles,
inclusive dates, physical extent, medium of
materials, security or access, other relevant info)
Transfer by
Authorized
records
schedule
Disposal schedule is the primary instrument authorizing
and regulating the transfer of records to archival
custody in institutions with records management
programs .
unscheduled
transfers
Transfer of records that turn up, usually in the
course of a housecleaning or are otherwise
accidentally discovered.
Records that arrive in less regular ways, but must be
similarly thoroughly documented.
donation2
Can come from individuals, organizations or
businesses.
donation2
If donor and receiver are not administratively or
legally tied to each other, and materials are to be
left with the institution permanently, and no payment is
provided.
Can come from individuals, organizations or
businesses.
donation2
Legal ownership is transferred from one party to
another along with the property itself.
documenting
donations
Exchange of
letters
Exchange of
letters
Easiest to execute
A common courtesy that indicates
acceptance by the recipient (which is
one of the keys to determining the title).
Transferby
will
Transferby
will
Usually prepared by a lawyer
Clearly defines some of the elements such as
restrictions, access and disposition.
Transfer by
Deed of Gift
Donor agreement - Donor promises to give the
archival institution a body of archival materials, which
the institution agrees to preserve and manage under
the terms and conditions negotiated.
Gift - In legal terms, means that title to the
property passes from the giver to the
recipient (from donor to the archives)
Deed - An instrument in writing, purporting to effect
some legal disposition, and sealed and delivered by
the disposing party or parties. Usually prepared after
consultation between the donor and the recipient
Deed of gift - One of the most important legal
documents the archivist will ever sign. Its purpose is to
transfer a clear title from the creator or other rightful
owners to the repository
Copyright - Exclusive right to reproduce work and
the right to prevent others from publishing or
disseminating that work without permission
Common
Elements of
Deed of
gift
The DonOrand the
donee
- Donor’s name and address
- Name and address of the legal recipient of the gift
- If relationship between creator and the donor is
complex and not self-evident, it should be spelled
out in the deed
Material
Conveyed to the
repository- Brief note on provenance
- Scope and content of collection
- Dates covered by the documents
- Physical volume of accession
Rights conveyedto the
repository- Should provide any copyright the donor may have
in the collection
restriction on
access
disposition of
unwanted
materials
Should indicate whether the archivist can dispose
of such materials as it sees fit
special
Provisions for
Administering the
acquisition- Define the services the repository will provide and
indicate who will pay what cost.
Provision for
future
accessions
- The deed should state that the terms of the
original gift shall apply to subsequent additions
unless they require some special amendment to
the initial document.
loans3
loans3
Temporary acquisition that can be renewed
or converted into a gift. (Shambhala
Archives)
Typesof
loans
reproduction
loans
when a material is loaned to an institution in
order to have it photocopied, photographed, or
digitized, and afterwards returned to the lender.
Exhibit loans
more common in museums, it is when a material is
loaned to an institution for display purposes.
Loans for
virtual
exhibits
a material is loaned for reproduction and
displayed in virtual archives.
•Northwest Territories Archives, Canada.
•Irish Architectural Archive, Ireland
•Parliamentary Archives, United Kingdom
EXAMPLES
purchases4
purchases4
when an archivist chooses to buy an
archival material using the archival
institution’s allotted budget.
Wheredo
archvists normally
purchase?
Where do
archvists normally
purchase?Individual Sellers
Private book and manuscript dealers
Established auction houses (Sotheby’s or Christie’s)
•Irish Architectural Archive
•Parliamentary Archives
EXAMPLES
deposit5
deposit5
The mode of acquisition by which an individual or
corporate body temporarily places records in the
custody of the Archives without transfer of
ownership rights and titles. A deposit may become
a loan or a gift.(Shambhala Archives)
Typesof
deposits
Open-endedThere is no time limit and both
parties, the depositor and the
institution, can terminate the
program.
Semi- permanent
Materials deposited can only be withdrawn for
specific reasons.
timedthe agreement is in force for a
specifically defined period.
•Cornell University Labor-Management
Documentation Center
•Illinois Historical Survey of the University of
Illinois Library
•University of Georgia
EXAMPLES
FACTORS
acquisitions
affecting
total
Cost of
Think long-term
ownership
physical
condition
Treatment cost vs. Evidential and
informational value
of
materials
Collecting for the sake of collecting
volume
media
Medium of a record vs. Practicality
and preservation issues.
records
Accessi
bilityUnreasonable restrictions; personal
privacy
UniqueNess
and
Archival materials are unique in the
context
duplication
potential
usePossible use of materials vs.
highly unlikely to be used
POLITICS
Must negotiate; avoid making
many “side deals”
PERSONAL
BIAS
Personal preferences;
leanings on
Acquisition
Policy
draftingWhat to include?
•Statement of repository mission and purpose.
•Delineating the scope and focus of collecting.
•Priorities and limitations
•Cooperation with other institutions
•Deaccessioning
5 basic
elements
Related articles
Who controls
the past?
Helen Willa Samuels
Status quo:Modern information is now integrated. Archiving
historical records of events become problematic
because institutions cooperate with each other
regarding one event and produce too many
records. One institution only archiving records they
produce will lead to incomplete and incoherent
archives.
• Challenges of collection development:
–Abundance of materials
– Scarcity of resources to care for them
–Decentralized nature of contemporary
society and its records
• Example:
• Documentation of mankind’s first trip to the moon involved
several individuals in different institutions:
– NASA was the overseer and coordinator of the whole
project
– Martin Marietta Corp. built the actual spacecraft
– MIT built the Inertial Guidance System
– Astronomers, mathematicians, engineers, and physicists
from other different institutions contributed to solving
misc. problems which will be encountered in space
• Three levels of collecting strategies:
–Collecting policies for individual institutions
–Collecting projects
–Documentation strategies
• Documentation strategies:
• In a nutshell:
– It is a plan that archivists must devise to
make archiving history possible
– It is a cooperative effort between multiple
archival institutions
– It delineates the role of each participating
archival institutions
– It is a concerted effort to make archives
more efficient
Copyright issuesin the
Selection of
Archival materialsfor
Internet access
Jean Dryden
• In a nutshell:
–As an archive, you want to offer as much
information as possible
– Information has copyrights
–Do you choose to offer more and risk
copyright infringement?
–Do you opt to offer less, thereby minimizing
copyright infringement chances?
• Study conclusion:
– Archives opt for the latter option, I.e. holding less records/materials in exchange of less chances of legal troubles