Processing Decisions for Manuscripts & Archives, SPEC Kit 314 (November 2009)

Hackbart-Dean, Pam; Slomba, Elizabeth

86 · Survey Results: Survey Questions And Responses
publically accessible EAD.
We don’t provide public access for internal databases.
We have databases that have been very helpful to our users for the Peabody Awards Collection and the WSB Newsfilm
Collection. For now the databases are separate but in the future we will have one joined database to all our holdings.
We have done this with some collections and images. It sometimes makes it harder for people to find with search
engines, but it has some advantages once you get into the database.
We have no plans at this time to provide access to collections through databases.
We use Inmagic software dbtextworks. Access to collections is greatly improved as searching can be done not only
within but across collections results can be saved, tailored for individual queries.
Working to convert databases to EAD to provide uniform front end to all descriptions.
Impact of Archival Management Software, such as Archon, Archival Toolkit, Cuadva STAR, Eloquent
Archives, CollectiveAccess, etc. N=50
Absolutely essential to considering something processed. See prior box. [Our Archon Web posting of series (what you
seem to want to call “collections”) is a database that provides access. An Archon record is essential to anything we
consider processed.]
Archivists Toolkit facilitates deeper descriptive levels and the capture of administrative data. It facilitates the creation of
more dynamic finding aids and streamlines our day-to-day management of the collections.
Archivists’ Toolkit has allowed us to create structured output, and been the impetus to establish content standards and
practices for elements that require creation or writing of content for the elements.
Change is anticipated as a participating institution in the PACSCL CLIR grant during 2009/2010 which expects to use
Archivists’ Toolkit.
Currently implementing Archon, as most user-friendly and easiest interface of reviewed options. With potential for
online access, combined sets of information on collections, export and import of EAD.
Do not have. We are currently looking into Archivists’ Toolkit.
Do not use. (2 responses)
Has no effect.
Just beginning to explore their use.
Just starting to use Archivists’ Toolkit. Looks promising if loading into Online Archive of California proves to be seamless.
Not sure yet how much AT may slow down the descriptive process.
Little.
Made creating a descriptive finding aid in an online environment, including a database, much easier. Students have
found the process of a fill in the blank form easy to input information.
N/A We are currently testing Archivists Toolkit.
None. (4 responses)

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SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts & Archives (November 2009) resources

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86 · Survey Results: Survey Questions And Responses
publically accessible EAD.
We don’t provide public access for internal databases.
We have databases that have been very helpful to our users for the Peabody Awards Collection and the WSB Newsfilm
Collection. For now the databases are separate but in the future we will have one joined database to all our holdings.
We have done this with some collections and images. It sometimes makes it harder for people to find with search
engines, but it has some advantages once you get into the database.
We have no plans at this time to provide access to collections through databases.
We use Inmagic software dbtextworks. Access to collections is greatly improved as searching can be done not only
within but across collections results can be saved, tailored for individual queries.
Working to convert databases to EAD to provide uniform front end to all descriptions.
Impact of Archival Management Software, such as Archon, Archival Toolkit, Cuadva STAR, Eloquent
Archives, CollectiveAccess, etc. N=50
Absolutely essential to considering something processed. See prior box. [Our Archon Web posting of series (what you
seem to want to call “collections”) is a database that provides access. An Archon record is essential to anything we
consider processed.]
Archivists Toolkit facilitates deeper descriptive levels and the capture of administrative data. It facilitates the creation of
more dynamic finding aids and streamlines our day-to-day management of the collections.
Archivists’ Toolkit has allowed us to create structured output, and been the impetus to establish content standards and
practices for elements that require creation or writing of content for the elements.
Change is anticipated as a participating institution in the PACSCL CLIR grant during 2009/2010 which expects to use
Archivists’ Toolkit.
Currently implementing Archon, as most user-friendly and easiest interface of reviewed options. With potential for
online access, combined sets of information on collections, export and import of EAD.
Do not have. We are currently looking into Archivists’ Toolkit.
Do not use. (2 responses)
Has no effect.
Just beginning to explore their use.
Just starting to use Archivists’ Toolkit. Looks promising if loading into Online Archive of California proves to be seamless.
Not sure yet how much AT may slow down the descriptive process.
Little.
Made creating a descriptive finding aid in an online environment, including a database, much easier. Students have
found the process of a fill in the blank form easy to input information.
N/A We are currently testing Archivists Toolkit.
None. (4 responses)

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SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts &Archives · 87
None used as yet. (3 responses)
Not using any of these.
Not using these.
See above. These days we try to provide immediate online access to new acquisitions by at least putting a title record
in Archon. It is also a great way for staff to track new acquisitions and locations. We submit our collection records to
Archives Grid and Archives USA.
Software to be acquired and used in the near future.
To be determined just implementing new archives management software (Minisis).
We are beginning to use Archivists’ Toolkit. We expect little impact on processing decisions. It may improve our decision
making, as we will have better collection management information. It should also help us streamline our workflows as
we can enter information in one place that we previously had to enter in multiple databases.
We are considering and investigating the Archivists’ Toolkit.
We are experiment with Archon.
We are exploring the toolkit but implementation is problematic in relation to our workflow. Toolkit does not provide
reporting needed for ARL stats.
We are implementing Archon now.
We are just beginning to use Archivists’ Toolkit and anticipate the impact will initially slow down processing during the
initial phase of implementation, training, and revision of workflow other impacts include data entry and maintenance
for finding aids and accession records.
We are just implementing AT for accessioning manuscript collections. Although the accession records are searchable
only by our unit staff, the easily accessible information is already having an impact on intellectual access to unprocessed
collections. We will be exploring the use of AT as a preliminary or minimal processing tool to increase access to new
accessions and older unprocessed ones.
We are now in the planning stages to implement Archivists’ Toolkit in our department.
We are planning on implementing AT this summer.
We do not as yet use archival management software, though I’m interested in the Aeon software package from Atlas
Systems for managing use of all materials in Special Collections, especially registering researchers and recording uses,
permissions, copying orders, and the like.
We do not have AMS (instead we have a precariously large Access database that serves as our AMS) but are examining
the possibility of acquiring one.
We do not use any archival management software.
We do not use archival management software, though we do employ an in-house FileMaker Pro database. I cannot
think of any processing decisions that have been influenced by our use of this tool, though it simplifies and speeds up
many of our processing activities (easier to find materials, easier to update locations, easier to accession items, etc.).
We do not use archival management software. (4 responses)
We have adopted the Archivists’ Toolkit for the University Archives, which helps centralize all our accession and

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SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts & Archives (November 2009) resources

SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts &Archives · 85
No impact. (5 responses)
None used as yet.
Not a factor at present.
Not always as easy as it sounds. More planning, finding staff/students to work on projects and working with IT to
publish the database.
Only recently implemented an EAD search functionality and have not analysed traffic. We utilize databases internally for
all kinds of collections access and management activities.
Our Archon Web posting of series (what you seem to want to call “collections”) is a database that provides access. An
Archon record is essential to anything we consider processed.
Our catalog records are in OCLC and our local OPAC. We spend time creating subject headings and performing
authority control on major names to promote controlled access to these and integration with other libraries’ collections.
Our finding aids are part of the Online Archive of California, as well as linked in our local OPAC in order to promote the
accessibility of these collections.
Our database will provide contextual and hierarchical detail to our holdings. We will seek to provide access through
finding aids on the Web, our database, and The CAT. These multiple portals all provide differing ways of accessing this
archival and manuscript material, and offer overlapping ways of promoting access.
Patrons would like to see all collections digitized and available online.
Pilot project digitizing 22 linear foot manuscript collection running 2008–2010, impact assessed upon completion of
project.
Primarily in-house use only right now.
Rare, done for photographs — better user access.
The easily discoverable HTML finding aid on our Web site is still the primary access tool for most researchers, followed
closely by our EAD finding aids in the Northwest Digital Archives database. I am not aware of the impact of other
databases.
These days we try to provide immediate online access to new acquisitions by at least putting a title record in Archon. It is
also a great way for staff to track new acquisitions and locations. We submit our collection records to Archives Grid and
Archives USA.
This is done in-house for collections that are not online, otherwise the patron can search on their own. Biggest impact is
in-house.
This is still developing as MARC records are being generated from EAD records created by processors.
This is used by the University Archives, that record groups that are processed have folder-level description, and those
that are not processed list the name of the record group without further information.
We are converting information in existing offline databases to MARC-like records to add to our online catalog.
We do not provide access through a database. (2 responses)
We do not use databases other than the library catalogue.
We do provide some specialized reference services using internal databases, although trying to convert those to

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Page 7Survey Results click to expand contents

Page 123Representative Documents click to expand contents

Page 125Job Description of Processing Decision Maker click to expand contents

Page 129Job Descriptions of Processing Staff click to expand contents

Page 133Processing Policy click to expand contents

Page 137Processing Procedures Manuals click to expand contents

Page 143Processing Worksheets click to expand contents

Page 151Procedures for Prioritizing Processing click to expand contents

Page 155Collecting Processing Statistics click to expand contents

Page 159Sample Statistics Reports click to expand contents

Page 163Selected Resources click to expand contents

SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts & Archives (November 2009) resources

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SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts & Archives (November 2009) resources

SPEC Kit 314: Processing Decisions for Manuscripts & Archives (November 2009) resources