2. Archives Management

Elaine Engst

Archival Control System

An Archives Management System is intended to support the accessioning, management, cataloging, and information retrieval of archival and manuscript materials, as well as certain types of materials not normally controlled as single items (e.g. bulk gifts, vertical files, pamphlet collections, memorabilia, and audio-visual material). The system should allow for a sufficiently large record length and be capable of supporting numerous access points, including, but not limited to, those supported for traditional bibliographic material. The system will maintain in-process segments containing provenance and action information for each bibliographic unit described. Action segments record information reflecting the nature, scope, and time of the action in order to provide management capabilities for archival materials and other materials controlled by the system. The system will automatically maintain the relationships between bibliographic records that are linked.

2.1 Bibliographic Functions

The system will support the following bibliographic functions, in addition to regular cataloging functions:

input management data segments associated with bibliographic records
update management data segments associated with bibliographic records
maintain a hierarchical relationship between bibliographic records that represent host items and their component parts, and have the ability to link such records
maintain donor records. Donor information is confidential and will be displayed only to authorized personnel.

2.2 Circulation Functions

The system will support the following additional circulation functions:

maintain specialized patron files, with appropriate security provisions
apply circulation system capabilities to materials that "circulate" from a vault during regular hours for short periods of time
control movement of materials to and from the Annex library
control requests for on and off-site copying (e.g. photocopies, photographs, etc.) of materials
control requests for loans of items on and off campus
control movement of materials to the conservation facility
provide exhibitions control capabilities

2.3 Space Management

The system will permit the use of the stand-alone inventory control system to control location of boxes and other materials in various shelving locations on campus (e.g. the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections in Kroch Library and the Kheel Center in Catherwood Library), as well as any remote storage facilities. (See Off-site Storage Facility Interface section)

2.4 Printed Reports

The system should provide printed products and reports including, but not limited to:

New accessions and additions to collections by month and year
Collection lists by processing status
Finding aid lists
Collection usage by:
- Patron profile, including institution or affiliation, geographic origin, and purpose of research
- Researcher name
- Type of request (e.g. mail, phone)
- Institution
- Collection
- Reference staff
- Type of reproduction request
- Loan requests
- Annex transactions
- Month
- Year

2.5 Separate Online Files

The system should have the capability to create and maintain separate online files for categories of material for which access is important but for which full cataloging is not feasible or which cannot be included in the Bibliographic Data Base (e.g. photographs, broadsides, pamphlets). File formations should accommodate several types of record structures, including bibliographic and non-bibliographic structures, such as directory, free text, numeric, and image.

2.6 Links to Finding Aids, Full Text, and Digital Images

The system should also have the capability to link to finding aids and guides produced by other systems (including other online systems), as well as to full text and digital image files. Full text files, images of actual pages, and pictorial images should be displayed where available. (See Digital Library section)

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3/28/97 e.e.

rev. 7/24/97 dih