SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts &Archives · 147
University of Michigan
Workplan DFE 690 (Fall 2005)
Workplan DFE 690 (Fall 2005)
Processing the Duncan Perry Papers
Goal:
Appraisal 10%
While the student processes the archive, he will look for and remove those materials of a personal nature
and/or those materials that document the administration of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as stipulated
by the donor, former Executive Director, Duncan Perry. The student will also deaccession duplicate items
and serial or other publications that fall outside the scope of the collection and would better serve as
individually cataloged items.
The student will also perform background research on Duncan Perry and the history of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty in preparation for devising an appropriate arrangement and for content for the
scope/content note in the finding aid.
In appraising the collection the student will learn how to define components of an archive and determine,
within the scope of the donor agreement, which components make up the body and core of that specific
archive.
To accomplish this goal the student will remove, after consulting the Special Collections Library’s Head
of Archival Processing and Cataloging and DFE mentor, Kathleen Dow, those materials outside the
scope of the collection.
Goal
Arrangement 70%
Following basic archival principles of arrangement and local practices of the Special Collections Library,
and paying close attention to the specific nature of the materials, the student will arrange the archive and
properly house its materials in archivally sound folders and boxes. To accomplish this goal the student
will work through a series of stages that proceeds from the general to the specific.
In arranging the archive the student will learn the principles of archival arrangement and apply those
principles in a manner that facilitates the archive's use.
Kathleen Dow will evaluate this portion of the work experience on a regular basis and provide guidance
at the practical level and offer her insight at the theoretical level.
Goal
Description 20%
After the archive has been arranged and housed, the student will then proceed to create a finding aid and a
cataloging record. The student will create a finding aid using the Special Collections Library’s template.
The student will then catalog the archive using DACS, AACR2rev., LCSH, and AAT, in the MARC
format for inputting into Mirlyn, the Aleph-based online database of the University of Michigan’s library
system. He will then encode the finding aid using the EAD DTD, which will then be loaded onto the
Digital Library Production Services server and made available on the library’s website.
In describing the archive the student will learn how to reflect the arrangement in the description. The
student will also learn the technical aspects of encoding a finding aid and creating an archival MARC
record.
After teaching the student how to use the encoding and delivery applications, Kathleen Dow will direct
and supervise the process of description and evaluate performance based on accuracy and quality of work.
University of Michigan
Workplan DFE 690 (Fall 2005)
Workplan DFE 690 (Fall 2005)
Processing the Duncan Perry Papers
Goal:
Appraisal 10%
While the student processes the archive, he will look for and remove those materials of a personal nature
and/or those materials that document the administration of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as stipulated
by the donor, former Executive Director, Duncan Perry. The student will also deaccession duplicate items
and serial or other publications that fall outside the scope of the collection and would better serve as
individually cataloged items.
The student will also perform background research on Duncan Perry and the history of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty in preparation for devising an appropriate arrangement and for content for the
scope/content note in the finding aid.
In appraising the collection the student will learn how to define components of an archive and determine,
within the scope of the donor agreement, which components make up the body and core of that specific
archive.
To accomplish this goal the student will remove, after consulting the Special Collections Library’s Head
of Archival Processing and Cataloging and DFE mentor, Kathleen Dow, those materials outside the
scope of the collection.
Goal
Arrangement 70%
Following basic archival principles of arrangement and local practices of the Special Collections Library,
and paying close attention to the specific nature of the materials, the student will arrange the archive and
properly house its materials in archivally sound folders and boxes. To accomplish this goal the student
will work through a series of stages that proceeds from the general to the specific.
In arranging the archive the student will learn the principles of archival arrangement and apply those
principles in a manner that facilitates the archive's use.
Kathleen Dow will evaluate this portion of the work experience on a regular basis and provide guidance
at the practical level and offer her insight at the theoretical level.
Goal
Description 20%
After the archive has been arranged and housed, the student will then proceed to create a finding aid and a
cataloging record. The student will create a finding aid using the Special Collections Library’s template.
The student will then catalog the archive using DACS, AACR2rev., LCSH, and AAT, in the MARC
format for inputting into Mirlyn, the Aleph-based online database of the University of Michigan’s library
system. He will then encode the finding aid using the EAD DTD, which will then be loaded onto the
Digital Library Production Services server and made available on the library’s website.
In describing the archive the student will learn how to reflect the arrangement in the description. The
student will also learn the technical aspects of encoding a finding aid and creating an archival MARC
record.
After teaching the student how to use the encoding and delivery applications, Kathleen Dow will direct
and supervise the process of description and evaluate performance based on accuracy and quality of work.
