SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts &Archives · 57
Determining Level of Description
9. Staff in many special collections and archives report that they process different collections at
different levels of description some process separate parts of a collection at different levels. Please
indicate which levels of description have been used for manuscript and/or archival collections in
your unit/department/library. Check all that apply. N=73
Folder-level 71 97%
Collection-level 63 86%
Item-level 61 84%
Series-level 60 82%
Other level 19 26%
Please describe other level of description. N=19
Accession level
Box level (7 responses)
Box level — say multiple boxes in a series or collection which, e.g., might be identified only as “correspondence a-z”
versus “sub-committee reports.”
Box (container) level: used by university archives to provide some type of access when the collection is minimally
processed.
Box level is below the series level but does not include folder titles.
Multi-level description: all collections are described at the fonds, series and folder levels.
Sub-collection (rare, but sometimes the best solution). Shouldn’t that be file instead of folder level?
Sub-series level when series records are extensive or complex. Small group level as in photograph collections such as
various events group several images.
Subgroup, sub-series, sub-sub series—intermediate levels in the hierarchy of a collection.
Subject level
Subseries level, file unit level
Summary guides and selected multi-collection subject guides to highlight repository collecting strengths.
This might be creating thematic groups of fonds.
Please comment on which different levels are used within a collection. N=66
All collections have collection level descriptions all collections have series level descriptions if series are present in
the collection all collections use folder level descriptions as material is arranged in folders in general, materials are
described at the item level if the material is unique/one-of-a-kind. For example, a collection of papyrus fragments are
described in detail at the item level. A series of correspondence in a collection of personal papers is described at the
Determining Level of Description
9. Staff in many special collections and archives report that they process different collections at
different levels of description some process separate parts of a collection at different levels. Please
indicate which levels of description have been used for manuscript and/or archival collections in
your unit/department/library. Check all that apply. N=73
Folder-level 71 97%
Collection-level 63 86%
Item-level 61 84%
Series-level 60 82%
Other level 19 26%
Please describe other level of description. N=19
Accession level
Box level (7 responses)
Box level — say multiple boxes in a series or collection which, e.g., might be identified only as “correspondence a-z”
versus “sub-committee reports.”
Box (container) level: used by university archives to provide some type of access when the collection is minimally
processed.
Box level is below the series level but does not include folder titles.
Multi-level description: all collections are described at the fonds, series and folder levels.
Sub-collection (rare, but sometimes the best solution). Shouldn’t that be file instead of folder level?
Sub-series level when series records are extensive or complex. Small group level as in photograph collections such as
various events group several images.
Subgroup, sub-series, sub-sub series—intermediate levels in the hierarchy of a collection.
Subject level
Subseries level, file unit level
Summary guides and selected multi-collection subject guides to highlight repository collecting strengths.
This might be creating thematic groups of fonds.
Please comment on which different levels are used within a collection. N=66
All collections have collection level descriptions all collections have series level descriptions if series are present in
the collection all collections use folder level descriptions as material is arranged in folders in general, materials are
described at the item level if the material is unique/one-of-a-kind. For example, a collection of papyrus fragments are
described in detail at the item level. A series of correspondence in a collection of personal papers is described at the
