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Getting Started: Your Archival Organization [by Laura Coles, 1988]

You have decided to begin, formalize, or improve your archives. A business executive wouldn't form or expand a company without creating a budget, and a contractor wouldn't construct a building without consulting architectural plans. Similarly, an archivist shouldn't just plunge in and start filing papers or packing boxes without first evaluating the archives' current situation and future needs. Consider your archives. What is your mandate and purpose, and how will you achieve your goals? What is your institutional organization? What laws and regulations govern your activities?

Your purpose and goals

I'm sorry but you knew I was an archivist when you married me!

Why do you want to establish or reorganize your archives? Perhaps it is your community's 100th anniversary and you want to gather records to write a history. Perhaps your corporation has just received a legal claim which requires research into some long-forgotten documents. Maybe your museum wants to mount an exhibition and needs some information about its artifacts. Or maybe your municipal archives is well-established but needs reorganization. Regardless of these initial reasons, the ultimate purpose of an archives must extend beyond any short-term goals. Don't start an archives because you want to write the company history but have no intention of caring for the documents once the book is finished. Don't begin an archival programme to prepare a museum exhibit and neglect the records after the show is over. Any archival undertaking must begin with an understanding that it will be an ongoing, permanent programme, with regular acquisitions, adequate space, sufficient funding, and continued staff and community support. The archives need not be big or expensive or bureaucratic, but it ought to be created and maintained in a thoughtful and organized manner.

In order to sustain a permanent archival programme, you need to establish a minimum standard: the very least necessary for your archives to exist as a professional body, rather than just a storage room. The following suggestions are basic to any archives, whatever its size or scope.

The archivist needs to: develop a comprehensive archives policy, clearly defining its purpose and goals and the type of material it will acquire have the archives policy approved and endorsed by the sponsoring or parent institution acquire appropriate material, actively gathering records from the community, organization, or institution gain legal control over archival holdings, documenting the archives' ownership of records gain intellectual control over archival holdings, knowing what material is in the archives and where it came from gain physical control over archival holdings, storing them properly and securing them against theft, damage, and environmental or human hazards make archival materials available for use by the creators, donors, and the general public

Remember that the archives is the trustee of your documentary heritage, and it will serve not only the creators of the documents or today's researchers but also your community and society in general for many years.

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Your organizational setting

You also need to determine where your archives belongs in the organization of your institution or community; what laws, statutes, policies, or other regulations govern your work; and who is supervising your activities. Ask your institution's director, your immediate superior, or anyone in authority for advice on your administrative position. Look through your organization's records, policy statements, and bylaws to find any information about past archival activity. Find out who is in charge and what functions you will be expected to perform. Also explore the level of independence and autonomy you will have in your archives, and what support you will receive.

Ideally, an archives will: be independent of other departments, answering to a central administration rather than a librarian, curator, or office manager have control over archival materials, including their acquisition, disposition, and description have control over the budget, including the authority to make purchases for the archives have the authority to hire and supervise archival employees

These goals may take years, even decades, to achieve, but they are worth striving for. it is often useful for an archives to be assisted by an advisory board which helps guide be archives. By establishing a committee composed of several key members of your organization or community, and asking for their advice and assistance with archival decisions, you will be able to encourage their interest in the archives. An archival committee can help you with policy or procedural decisions, and it can help raise awareness about be archives in your institution or community.

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Your archives policy

Once you have formalized your organizational setting and determined the extent of your responsibilities and authority, then you need to formulate an archives policy. This policy is a written statement of the purpose and goals of your archives, outlining your specific plan regarding the type of material the archives must include, what it may acquire, and under what conditions it will accept items. Before you draft an archives policy, you need to define the nature and extent of your archival activity.

Consider these questions: What are other archives in your community or area doing? Try to co-ordinate your collecting efforts with other institutions, so that a maximum of information is retained with a minimum of duplication and competition. What type of media and what subjects or themes will you collect in your archives? if you have limited space, avoid accepting large materials such as maps or blueprints. If you specialize in records about a particular geographic region, don't collect items relating to another area. What are your technical or financial restrictions? if you have no money for tape recorders, don't concentrate on oral history. If you can't afford a map cabinet, avoid acquiring large numbers of maps. Will you only accept material if ownership is transferred to you, or will you take in material as a temporary loan? Aim to obtain ownership of all material in your archives, so that you have final authority about arrangement, use, and disposition. Will you accept restricted or confidential material? A balance between the privacy of the creator and the rights of the public needs to be struck, but try to accept as few restrictions on access as possible. What are the conditions of access to your holdings? Develop a clear policy about who can or cannot use your archives, what identification they must produce, and your right to refuse service. What are your responsibilities with regard to copyright? Remember, you can own material and still I not hold copyright to it. It is the researcher's responsibility, not the archives', to obtain copyright clearance to publish or distribute material. Will you lend material, allowing it to leave the archives? There are only a few instances, such as for exhibits or reproduction, where a case can be rude for allowing archival material to be removed from the archives building. Will you incorporate a records management programme into your archival work? If you are a municipal or corporate archives, records management probably is the most efficient way to unused valuable records. (For more information on records management, see Chapter 12.)

Once you have answered these questions, you will have a better idea of exactly what you want your archives to do, and you will be able to write an archives policy stating why your archives was created, who is responsible for your activities, under what regulations you are governed, and what material you will accept. Your archives policy ought to be a written document, formally issued by the highest authority available-the company president, the hospital board of directors, the community administrator-to emphasize the support you are receiving. Distribute it to all parts of your organization, group, or community, so that everyone is aware of your plans. Periodically evaluate its accuracy and worth, changing and refining it over time.

Sample Archives Policy

Consider the following: How much will they earn, when will they be paid, how and by whom? What deductions are you required to make for taxes, unemployment insurance, pension plans, and so on? Are you responsible for worker's compensation board or insurance payments, union dues, vacations, sick leave, and so forth?

All these questions must be answered before you interview prospective employees.

Another "people" resource: community or institutional support

An archives always benefits from a good relationship with its parent body or its community. Do you have the support of your community, your government, other local institutions, groups, and associations? Can you turn to them for assistance, be it financial, organizational, promotional, or practical? Can you involve your community in your project so that it will be enthusiastic and helpful, rather than uninterested or even antagonistic?

Each community situation is different, but regardless of the type of archives, always lobby local organizations for support of any kind. Advertise your archives in the local newspaper and encourage the local media to publicize your activities- a new acquisition, an exhibit opening, or a new school programme. Organize visits to your archives for corporate board members, local government officers or politicians, or representatives of various associations. Participate in community events and encourage the use of your facilities and holdings. When you value your own work and communicate your enthusiasm to others, that often can be translated sooner or later into administrative or financial support. (For more information on public relations activities, see Chapter 13.)

Facilities

You also need to consider your space and equipment requirements. Whether you are in a one-room archives with little prospect of expansion or you are consulting with an architect about a new building, consider your physical requirements, determine what you have available, and examine possible options.

Space

When examining space requirements, examine the general nature and function of your archives. if your archives serves a steady flow of researchers, you might want space for reference services; if you acquire many records, a large area for arrangement and storage will be desirable. if you have a large, frequently used photograph collection, you may need your own darkroom facilities for copying. Or your archives may be in the church basement or in the museum's storage room, and space for an extra desk may be your priority. The conditions below represent an "ideal" situation, but understanding your needs and setting realistic goals are the first steps toward improving your facilities.

Environmental goals for an archives include: a fire-resistant environment, with fire extinguishers and smoke and heat detectors. Have your local fire department assess your fire safety features. an area free from possible flooding or water damage, above the basement or ground level if possible. Keep all archival materials on shelves and off the floor. an area free of insects, rodents, mould, or fungus. Have a specialist inspect the archives and suggest controls that are not harmful to your health or the collection. an area with consistent temperature and humidity. Monitor and record the heat and humidity regularly and check materials periodically for any change in their condition. Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to control the temperature if necessary. an area with little uncontrolled natural or fluorescent light. Use curtains, shades, light filters, or incandescent lights, or store materials on the north side of a building. an area secured with locks and alarms. Have your local police force inspect your archives and offer suggestions for improved security measures. an accessible, sheltered receiving area. In poor weather, cover archival materials in waterproof containers or bags while they are being moved. Do not leave archival materials outside or in exposed areas for long periods of time. a separate processing area with sufficient space to arrange and box materials without crowding, close to supplies and stationery but separated from researchers. Set aside an area, even a desk or table, to be used strictly for processing. a separate storage area, large enough for materials on hand and for new accessions. ideally you need enough room to grow at a rate of 10 per cent a year for five years. Make sure the floor is strong enough to hold the weight of all the records. Divide the research and storage areas with walls, bookcases, or shelving. a separate research area, such as a desk or table, with good lighting and sufficient work space, close to the archivist but separate from the storage and processing areas. an area for administrative work, with a desk, telephone, typewriter, and other necessary facilities. other space, if needed, such as meeting rooms, a conservation area, exhibit space, a vault for valuable materials, a room for playing audio-tapes or films, or a lunch room. Take advantage of any available space, making sure your most pressing needs are met first.

For more information on conservation and security in the archives, see Chapter 6.

Equipment and supplies

Once your space needs are determined and the archives is laid out in its best form, consider your equipment and supplies. What do you need? What have you got? What can you make do with and what must be replaced? Where can you get equipment and supplies?

The following items are necessary in all archives:

Shelving, ideally adjustable metal shelves with a depth of 12" to 15"
Acid-free file folders, boxes, envelopes, and tissue
Tables and chairs
Desk
Filing and storage cabinets, including containers for catalogue cards
Telephone
Typewriter
Office supplies and stationery

You may also want to purchase, lease, rent, or otherwise have access to the following:

Photocopier
Microfilm and microfiche readers and printers
Tape recorders and audiovisual equipment
Cameras and darkroom equipment
Computers, word processors, or other automated equipment

Where can you get equipment and supplies?

Look first to your institution or organization. What is available? Are there old tables in the basement or chairs in the attic? Always use what is available first and then shop around for additional items. Buy, lease, rent, or borrow what you need. Check the newspapers for privately sold items or out-of-business sales; second-hand stores also offer good deals on used equipment and furniture. Study archival supply catalogues and compare prices.

When looking for equipment and supplies, ask yourself the following questions: Do you really need it? Do you need new equipment, or will used items do? Do you have room for new equipment? Is there a warranty on the equipment? Can you maintain the equipment that you buy after the warranty expires? Are there any installation fees or other hidden costs? Can you get discounts for institutional purchases of supplies? Are they worthwhile? Can you Join with other archives to order supplies as a group, with a bulk discount?

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