102 · Survey Results: Survey Questions And Responses
The major factor in calculating time are size of collection, whether it has a workable arrangement, possibility of
containing restricted information and condition (preservation or needs) of the collection.
The supervising librarian and processor set preliminary goals in the survey stage. These estimates are adjusted during
processing as progress is made or obstacles are encountered.
These numbers represent the total time for processing, from planning the project to posting to the Web. Low: 1–2
hours per linear foot. Medium: 5–8 hours per linear foot. High: 10–15 hours per linear foot. Highest: 20–25 hours per
linear foot. The levels of work are further explained below. When organizing a collection: Low – Retain the original
order of a series. Medium – Refine the original order of files within a series. High – Provide a new file scheme within
a series. Highest – Arrange items within the files. When housing and preserving a collection: Low – Rebox collection,
remove bulky or damaging hardware (e.g., Frames, notebooks, rubber bands, etc.). Folder loose items. Keep existing
folders. Staple loose labels to existing folders. Medium – Refolder collection. Sleeve significant photographs and
negatives. Isolate acidic materials. High – Rehouse all media. Remove paperclips and rusty staples. Perform preservation
photocopying. Sleeve fragile items. Highest – Perform repairs. Create custom enclosures. When describing a collection:
Low – Provide container-level list and summary analysis of context and content. Provide circa dates for boxes. Medium
– Retain creator-provided description (revising when absolutely necessary) while inventorying at the file unit level.
Provide circa dates for folders. High – Revise creator-provided description or create new description that closely follows
DACS. Provide accurate dates for folders. Highest – Provide item-level description and/or detailed scope and content
notes for file units. Provide item counts and/or individually number items. When reviewing and identifying materials
for restrictions or privacy issues: Low – Known or suspected restricted material is spread throughout a collection. No
efforts taken to identify and segregate materials. Whole collection is restricted. Medium – A whole series or subseries
is identified as restricted and housed separately from open materials. High – File units are identified as restricted and
relocated elsewhere in the collection. Highest – Individual items are identified as restricted. Items are removed from
their original location, each documented with a separation sheet, and relocated elsewhere in the collection.
This depends on the processing level and collection size.
This is one of the most challenging aspects of processing. To forecast processing time, many factors have to be
considered, and even with careful planning our estimates are not very accurate. Local factors have made this even more
complicated in the past most of our manuscript collections are very heterogeneous, and they have often been received
in very poor (or no) order. The necessity of sorting and physically arranging disorderly collections is one of our most
time-consuming processing activities.
This varies wildly, depending on format, homogeneity of collection, level to which we decide to process, and experience
of staff doing the work. For larger collections, with some homogeneity, to do to the folder level we generally estimate
about four hours per linear foot, but this increases if any significant preservation work is involved (like reformatting
audiotapes), if the collection is in disarray or unfoldered, or due to other factors, like multi-language collections.
Through experience, staffing levels, level of processing, and the size and condition of the collection we make
calculations about the time it will take to process a collection.
Type of material x average time in-house =projected time.
Unfortunately, at the present time our calculations are not systematically made.
Use 10 hours per box (cubic foot) as the official, know that often more time is required, depends on who is working on
a collection, students, interns require more prep and hands on supervision.
Use guidelines put out several years ago by the Canadian Council of Archives (which are pending revision).
Using processing statistics and evaluation of the complexity of an unprocessed collections is the usual way we determine
The major factor in calculating time are size of collection, whether it has a workable arrangement, possibility of
containing restricted information and condition (preservation or needs) of the collection.
The supervising librarian and processor set preliminary goals in the survey stage. These estimates are adjusted during
processing as progress is made or obstacles are encountered.
These numbers represent the total time for processing, from planning the project to posting to the Web. Low: 1–2
hours per linear foot. Medium: 5–8 hours per linear foot. High: 10–15 hours per linear foot. Highest: 20–25 hours per
linear foot. The levels of work are further explained below. When organizing a collection: Low – Retain the original
order of a series. Medium – Refine the original order of files within a series. High – Provide a new file scheme within
a series. Highest – Arrange items within the files. When housing and preserving a collection: Low – Rebox collection,
remove bulky or damaging hardware (e.g., Frames, notebooks, rubber bands, etc.). Folder loose items. Keep existing
folders. Staple loose labels to existing folders. Medium – Refolder collection. Sleeve significant photographs and
negatives. Isolate acidic materials. High – Rehouse all media. Remove paperclips and rusty staples. Perform preservation
photocopying. Sleeve fragile items. Highest – Perform repairs. Create custom enclosures. When describing a collection:
Low – Provide container-level list and summary analysis of context and content. Provide circa dates for boxes. Medium
– Retain creator-provided description (revising when absolutely necessary) while inventorying at the file unit level.
Provide circa dates for folders. High – Revise creator-provided description or create new description that closely follows
DACS. Provide accurate dates for folders. Highest – Provide item-level description and/or detailed scope and content
notes for file units. Provide item counts and/or individually number items. When reviewing and identifying materials
for restrictions or privacy issues: Low – Known or suspected restricted material is spread throughout a collection. No
efforts taken to identify and segregate materials. Whole collection is restricted. Medium – A whole series or subseries
is identified as restricted and housed separately from open materials. High – File units are identified as restricted and
relocated elsewhere in the collection. Highest – Individual items are identified as restricted. Items are removed from
their original location, each documented with a separation sheet, and relocated elsewhere in the collection.
This depends on the processing level and collection size.
This is one of the most challenging aspects of processing. To forecast processing time, many factors have to be
considered, and even with careful planning our estimates are not very accurate. Local factors have made this even more
complicated in the past most of our manuscript collections are very heterogeneous, and they have often been received
in very poor (or no) order. The necessity of sorting and physically arranging disorderly collections is one of our most
time-consuming processing activities.
This varies wildly, depending on format, homogeneity of collection, level to which we decide to process, and experience
of staff doing the work. For larger collections, with some homogeneity, to do to the folder level we generally estimate
about four hours per linear foot, but this increases if any significant preservation work is involved (like reformatting
audiotapes), if the collection is in disarray or unfoldered, or due to other factors, like multi-language collections.
Through experience, staffing levels, level of processing, and the size and condition of the collection we make
calculations about the time it will take to process a collection.
Type of material x average time in-house =projected time.
Unfortunately, at the present time our calculations are not systematically made.
Use 10 hours per box (cubic foot) as the official, know that often more time is required, depends on who is working on
a collection, students, interns require more prep and hands on supervision.
Use guidelines put out several years ago by the Canadian Council of Archives (which are pending revision).
Using processing statistics and evaluation of the complexity of an unprocessed collections is the usual way we determine
