processing
I usually start processing these one day and it may take several days or longer, depending on size, to finish physical processing. Next, I search for additional information and subject headings on another day, review the records one day, edit them, and finalize the records usually on separate days. I'm the only person proofing my work, so I need some time away from them to catch any typos or errors. Some of these are new, others are additions to existing collections. For each of them I physically rehouse and organize them and/or interfile them, update or write labels and box and label them; update or create a catalog record in OCLC (our national system) and transfer it to and then add some additional information within our local system; and if it is part of a larger collection, I also create or update the finding aid and encoded finding aid. Every time a new or addition to a collection arrives I note the accession number and any changes in the size or location of the collection in a database. Yesterday it took me all day to complete 5 collections which I began last week. There is a lot of detail work in processing and description.
In this image you see an addition to the Michigan Teachers Association (1 folder), a historic report on a building (unpublished, 1 volume), a film canister of a 1975 CBS film of Special Olympics which was a national event held at CMU, and a pile of papers of CMU student Ruth A. Sweeney, all of which I'm processing today. I'm waiting to get information from people before I can complete the description of a 1973 Mount Pleasant, Michigan, women's analogy of creative things (drawing, photography and writing, 1 folder), and I'm waiting on delivery of a large sleeve to house an important football team photograph (1 Oversized folder) before I can shelve that folder.
There is never a dull moment in an archives. I love finding out about people and events in the collections and handling all the different formats.
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