SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts &Archives · 109
project to completion. Ability to organize large amounts of information and to write clear descriptions. Ability to think
creatively about how to arrange, describe, and preserve large amounts of material. Specialized knowledge of subjects
and/or formats found in collections. If staff do not have this knowledge, the ability and initiative to acquire it would be
needed.
Resilience, flexibility, and intelligence: processing is as much art as craft, and _somebody_ has got to see the big picture
before launching themselves on the they myriad parts. In my experience, staff either have the instincts to be a useful
processor or they don’t. If they don’t, doesn’t matter how much “training” you throw at them: they still don’t get the
point.
Some level of subject knowledge and knowledge of the research process are essential to good processing. The technical
aspects of processing can be trained fairly effectively. The most important skills needed are appraisal and description
understanding and training.
Sound knowledge of archival practices and principles for all media.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, planning for project.
Subject and language expertise.
The art of arrangement and description, which includes the ability to assess quickly the organizational scheme of a
collection the ability to summarize the research value of a collection through a well-written scope and content note
and the ability to balance overview with detail when making decisions throughout the processing work.
The most important skills are curiosity about the origins and relationships of documents in collections, and
understanding their context, an analytical ability to understand the hierarchical nature of collections, and some historical
knowledge. In addition, an inclination to focus on the collection and its overall attributes rather than the intrinsic interest
of individual documents is similarly important.
The most important skills include knowledge of historical context, research methodology, archival hierarchy, description
standards, and concept of original order.
They need to understand the importance of creating minimal descriptions for everything acquired by the department.
They also need to understand how to determine which level of description is appropriate to which part of the finding aid
when they decided to fully process a collection. They also need to be able to apply DACS.
Training, dedication, expressed interest, and attention to detail.
Triage for tackling inherited backlogs communication skills for persuading others that new approaches are needed to
provide at least some level of access to all archival collections skills in appraisal (and re-appraisal).
Understanding of concepts of provenance, original order, record series, and how to apply it in practice.
Understanding, analysis, ability to compare and contrast, research, synthesis, communication.
project to completion. Ability to organize large amounts of information and to write clear descriptions. Ability to think
creatively about how to arrange, describe, and preserve large amounts of material. Specialized knowledge of subjects
and/or formats found in collections. If staff do not have this knowledge, the ability and initiative to acquire it would be
needed.
Resilience, flexibility, and intelligence: processing is as much art as craft, and _somebody_ has got to see the big picture
before launching themselves on the they myriad parts. In my experience, staff either have the instincts to be a useful
processor or they don’t. If they don’t, doesn’t matter how much “training” you throw at them: they still don’t get the
point.
Some level of subject knowledge and knowledge of the research process are essential to good processing. The technical
aspects of processing can be trained fairly effectively. The most important skills needed are appraisal and description
understanding and training.
Sound knowledge of archival practices and principles for all media.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, planning for project.
Subject and language expertise.
The art of arrangement and description, which includes the ability to assess quickly the organizational scheme of a
collection the ability to summarize the research value of a collection through a well-written scope and content note
and the ability to balance overview with detail when making decisions throughout the processing work.
The most important skills are curiosity about the origins and relationships of documents in collections, and
understanding their context, an analytical ability to understand the hierarchical nature of collections, and some historical
knowledge. In addition, an inclination to focus on the collection and its overall attributes rather than the intrinsic interest
of individual documents is similarly important.
The most important skills include knowledge of historical context, research methodology, archival hierarchy, description
standards, and concept of original order.
They need to understand the importance of creating minimal descriptions for everything acquired by the department.
They also need to understand how to determine which level of description is appropriate to which part of the finding aid
when they decided to fully process a collection. They also need to be able to apply DACS.
Training, dedication, expressed interest, and attention to detail.
Triage for tackling inherited backlogs communication skills for persuading others that new approaches are needed to
provide at least some level of access to all archival collections skills in appraisal (and re-appraisal).
Understanding of concepts of provenance, original order, record series, and how to apply it in practice.
Understanding, analysis, ability to compare and contrast, research, synthesis, communication.
