Description Survey (SSC)

Purpose

Compare electronic and paper collection description to ArchivesSpace in order to determine the location of description missing from ArchivesSpace. All SSC collections are to be checked with the following exceptions (noted in the description survey spreadsheet):

• Funded collections (these were checked pre-A2C)
• High pain collections (these were checked pre-A2C)
• PPFA II
• YWCA

Sources

• ArchivesSpace
• S:\LIB\Special Collections\SSMITH\SSC-FA
• S:\LIB\Special Collections\SSMITH\SSC-ACC
• Open collection guides in Reading Room drawers
• Closed collection guides in manuscript boxes on cabinets outside Beth's office (to be moved to Reading Room for survey)

Phase I: Comparison of Electronic and Paper Description to ArchivesSpace

1. Open file in S:\LIB\Special Collections\SSMITH\SSC-FA
2. Find matching collection on ArchivesSpace
3. Check spreadsheet to make sure it doesn't need to be skipped
4. Pull paper file(s) for this collection
5. Compare Word finding aid and paper guides to ArchivesSpace to determine if description is missing from ArchivesSpace record (we're looking for significant differences, so spot-check inventories and notes, don't compare them line-by-line)
6. If paper file(s) contains accession inventories that are not included in ArchivesSpace, use the accession number to check that inventory against the Word inventories in S:\LIB\Special Collections\SSMITH\SSC-ACC
7. On spreadsheet, note file names containing information not in ArchivesSpace and whether there is any description in the paper files not on ArchivesSpace or shared drive. For an example entry, see line 353 of the spreadsheet (SSC-MS-00332).

Phase II: Comparison of Remaining Paper Description to ArchivesSpace

Skipping collections checked as part of Phase I, compare paper description in reading room to ArchivesSpace description following steps above.

What can be ignored

When comparing Word and paper guides to ArchivesSpace, the following can be ignored:

• Accession inventories dated prior to a full finding aid.
  • For example, if there are two accession inventories (2001 and 2008) for collection that has a finding aid written in 2004, the 2001 accession is assumed to have been incorporated in the finding aid.
• Background material (photocopies of reference works, finding aids to related collections, etc.)
• Printouts of InMagic records
• Printouts of MARC records
• Formatting differences
• Location information
• Agent and subject differences (unless ArchivesSpace record has no subjects listed)