AcquisitionsBuilding Your Archival Collection

Definition

of Terms

selectionThe process of deciding which records to

acquire for the collection

objectives

Refers to what the archives aim to document, in

cooperation with other programs that collect in the

same areas or subject matters.

documentation

co

nt

ex

tbuildingProcess of sorting and sifting through quantities of

information of a record to find out which is most

significant based on “prior knowledge,

experience, interests, and values” (2009, p. 137)

that researchers bring to bear on their reading of

archives.

accessioning

Process by which an archival institution takes

administrative, legal, and physical custody of a

group of records.

Acquisition

policy

Refers to what types/kinds of records the

archives is most interested in acquiring.

basis for

Acquisition

Acquisition policy

basis for

Acquisition

Content

basis for

Acquisition

Records retention

schedule

basis for

Acquisition

Permissive policy

statement

basis for

Acquisition

Administrative

regulation

basis for

Acquisition

Statute

of

acquisition

methods

transfer1

Within one agency, from creating

office to the archival facility.

transfer1

Within one agency, from creating

office to the archival facility.

transfer1

Process should be formalized

and documented. Why?

Within one agency, from creating

office to the archival facility.

transfer1

Process should be formalized

and documented. Why?

•To maintain chain of custody

•To identify the specific records that have

been transferred.

Legal ownership does not change. Why?

Legal ownership does not change. Why?

The institution receiving the records is part of

the same institution that created the records.

Best practice!Get vital information

1) Name and contact details of person

preparing the transfer, department/office

responsible for creation, use and storage of

records prior to transfer to archives

2) Date of transfer

Best practice!Get vital information

3) Number of boxes, files or units of material

(electronic files) transferred

4) Information about records (list of file titles,

inclusive dates, physical extent, medium of

materials, security or access, other relevant info)

Transfer by

Authorized

records

schedule

Disposal schedule is the primary instrument authorizing

and regulating the transfer of records to archival

custody in institutions with records management

programs .

unscheduled

transfers

Transfer of records that turn up, usually in the

course of a housecleaning or are otherwise

accidentally discovered.

Records that arrive in less regular ways, but must be

similarly thoroughly documented.

donation2

Can come from individuals, organizations or

businesses.

donation2

If donor and receiver are not administratively or

legally tied to each other, and materials are to be

left with the institution permanently, and no payment is

provided.

Can come from individuals, organizations or

businesses.

donation2

Legal ownership is transferred from one party to

another along with the property itself.

documenting

donations

Exchange of

letters

Exchange of

letters

Easiest to execute

A common courtesy that indicates

acceptance by the recipient (which is

one of the keys to determining the title).

Transferby

will

Transferby

will

Usually prepared by a lawyer

Clearly defines some of the elements such as

restrictions, access and disposition.

Transfer by

Deed of Gift

Donor agreement - Donor promises to give the

archival institution a body of archival materials, which

the institution agrees to preserve and manage under

the terms and conditions negotiated.

Gift - In legal terms, means that title to the

property passes from the giver to the

recipient (from donor to the archives)

Deed - An instrument in writing, purporting to effect

some legal disposition, and sealed and delivered by

the disposing party or parties. Usually prepared after

consultation between the donor and the recipient

Deed of gift - One of the most important legal

documents the archivist will ever sign. Its purpose is to

transfer a clear title from the creator or other rightful

owners to the repository

Copyright - Exclusive right to reproduce work and

the right to prevent others from publishing or

disseminating that work without permission

Common

Elements of

Deed of

gift

The DonOrand the

donee

- Donor’s name and address

- Name and address of the legal recipient of the gift

- If relationship between creator and the donor is

complex and not self-evident, it should be spelled

out in the deed

Material

Conveyed to the

repository- Brief note on provenance

- Scope and content of collection

- Dates covered by the documents

- Physical volume of accession

Rights conveyedto the

repository- Should provide any copyright the donor may have

in the collection

restriction on

access

disposition of

unwanted

materials

Should indicate whether the archivist can dispose

of such materials as it sees fit

special

Provisions for

Administering the

acquisition- Define the services the repository will provide and

indicate who will pay what cost.

Provision for

future

accessions

- The deed should state that the terms of the

original gift shall apply to subsequent additions

unless they require some special amendment to

the initial document.

loans3

loans3

Temporary acquisition that can be renewed

or converted into a gift. (Shambhala

Archives)

Typesof

loans

reproduction

loans

when a material is loaned to an institution in

order to have it photocopied, photographed, or

digitized, and afterwards returned to the lender.

Exhibit loans

more common in museums, it is when a material is

loaned to an institution for display purposes.

Loans for

virtual

exhibits

a material is loaned for reproduction and

displayed in virtual archives.

•Northwest Territories Archives, Canada.

•Irish Architectural Archive, Ireland

•Parliamentary Archives, United Kingdom

EXAMPLES

purchases4

purchases4

when an archivist chooses to buy an

archival material using the archival

institution’s allotted budget.

Wheredo

archvists normally

purchase?

Where do

archvists normally

purchase?Individual Sellers

Private book and manuscript dealers

Established auction houses (Sotheby’s or Christie’s)

•Irish Architectural Archive

•Parliamentary Archives

EXAMPLES

deposit5

deposit5

The mode of acquisition by which an individual or

corporate body temporarily places records in the

custody of the Archives without transfer of

ownership rights and titles. A deposit may become

a loan or a gift.(Shambhala Archives)

Typesof

deposits

Open-endedThere is no time limit and both

parties, the depositor and the

institution, can terminate the

program.

Semi- permanent

Materials deposited can only be withdrawn for

specific reasons.

timedthe agreement is in force for a

specifically defined period.

•Cornell University Labor-Management

Documentation Center

•Illinois Historical Survey of the University of

Illinois Library

•University of Georgia

EXAMPLES

FACTORS

acquisitions

affecting

total

Cost of

Think long-term

ownership

physical

condition

Treatment cost vs. Evidential and

informational value

of

materials

Collecting for the sake of collecting

volume

media

Medium of a record vs. Practicality

and preservation issues.

records

Accessi

bilityUnreasonable restrictions; personal

privacy

UniqueNess

and

Archival materials are unique in the

context

duplication

potential

usePossible use of materials vs.

highly unlikely to be used

POLITICS

Must negotiate; avoid making

many “side deals”

PERSONAL

BIAS

Personal preferences;

leanings on

Acquisition

Policy

draftingWhat to include?

•Statement of repository mission and purpose.

•Delineating the scope and focus of collecting.

•Priorities and limitations

•Cooperation with other institutions

•Deaccessioning

5 basic

elements

Related articles

Who controls

the past?

Helen Willa Samuels

Status quo:Modern information is now integrated. Archiving

historical records of events become problematic

because institutions cooperate with each other

regarding one event and produce too many

records. One institution only archiving records they

produce will lead to incomplete and incoherent

archives.

• Challenges of collection development:

–Abundance of materials

– Scarcity of resources to care for them

–Decentralized nature of contemporary

society and its records

• Example:

• Documentation of mankind’s first trip to the moon involved

several individuals in different institutions:

– NASA was the overseer and coordinator of the whole

project

– Martin Marietta Corp. built the actual spacecraft

– MIT built the Inertial Guidance System

– Astronomers, mathematicians, engineers, and physicists

from other different institutions contributed to solving

misc. problems which will be encountered in space

• Three levels of collecting strategies:

–Collecting policies for individual institutions

–Collecting projects

–Documentation strategies

• Documentation strategies:

• In a nutshell:

– It is a plan that archivists must devise to

make archiving history possible

– It is a cooperative effort between multiple

archival institutions

– It delineates the role of each participating

archival institutions

– It is a concerted effort to make archives

more efficient

Copyright issuesin the

Selection of

Archival materialsfor

Internet access

Jean Dryden

• In a nutshell:

–As an archive, you want to offer as much

information as possible

– Information has copyrights

–Do you choose to offer more and risk

copyright infringement?

–Do you opt to offer less, thereby minimizing

copyright infringement chances?

• Study conclusion:

– Archives opt for the latter option, I.e. holding less records/materials in exchange of less chances of legal troubles