2 Resources: People, Facilities, and Money

Once you have determined the purpose and goals of your archives, you need to examine what you have to work with. There are three basic resources every archives will require: people, physical space and equipment, and money.

Whether you are a community archives relying on one or two unpaid volunteers or a city government planning to hire a professional archivist, you must consider who is going to work in your archives. Where will you find your paid employees or volunteers? What are their qualifications? What will they do? How will you train them? How will they be paid? What support can you get from your community or institution?

Volunteers are the backbone of many archival programmes, and their assistance in any organization is often vital to its success. Volunteers not only provide valuable assistance with little expense, but they can also bring enthusiasm, energy, and community involvement to the archives. To find volunteers, look in your institution first. Perhaps your museum already has a pool of assistants, some of whom would like to work in the archives. Are there people in your church who know its history well? Can your municipality call on students or retired people to help out with a community archives? Other ways to find volunteers include advertising in your local newspaper, contacting volunteer agencies, inquiring at your local historical society or genealogical club, or approaching members of your company or community. Remember, though, that it is important to find people interested in the archives, committed to As goals, and capable of working in an archival setting. Don't feel you need to use everyone who volunteers, and remember that some people might be more helpful outside the archives itself, organizing fundraising drives or visiting potential donors rather than arranging documents or preparing finding aids. Also recognize the needs, interests, and desires of the volunteer and encourage his or her participation in the professional and social activities of the archives. Finally, make sure you have enough time to train them, answer their questions, and supervise their work.

Perhaps you are considering hiring summer students from an internship or workstudy programme. To find out about student work programmes, contact your local historical society, university or college employment centres, or the provincial or federal government archives. Your own local government might also have funding available, and employment centres will have information on new programmes. Before you enter such a scheme, however, consider how much time the student will spend in your institution, and what tasks you will ask him or her to perform. For a work experience to be valuable for both you and the student, you must have the time and energy to train and supervise, and the student must bring to the job interest and enthusiasm as well as the ability to work hard.

If you are paying an archivist then you probably intend to hire someone with some archival experience, education, or training. To find prospective employees, advertise in archival society newsletters, the historical society's publications, in newspapers, or through various college or university publications. Before you hire an archivist, write a detailed job description. What exactly do you expect him or her to do? What hours and what days will he or she work? What will the wages be, and can you guarantee that salary for some time - one year, two years, less, or more? What qualifications will you require? What benefits will come with the job?

Whether your employees are full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid, they ought to have the qualifications needed to meet the goals of the archives.

All of these qualities will be important in varying degrees, depending on the nature of your archives. A local historical society's archives may have only you, and you may feel that your archival training is limited. But if you are enthusiastic enough to have come this far, then you will no doubt be committed enough to teach yourself the necessary basics. If you are a museum administrator or a corporate director hiring a professional archivist, then you may be more interested in education and experience rather than an understanding of your own institution; you would expect that he or she would learn the history of the organization on the job.

Where can you, your volunteers, or your paid staff learn more about archives? There are several journals, manuals, and textbooks available in Canada. In addition, archives, educational institutions, and archival associations offer workshops and seminars on archival theory. Refer to the bibliography for suggested literature and contact your provincial or territorial archives for more information.

There are numerous employer obligations and other details to be considered, either by the archives or by its parent organization, when hiring paid employees.

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

An archives always benefit from a good relationship with As 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 encouragethe use of yourfacilities and holdings. A/hen you value your own work and communicate your enthusiasm to others, tat often can he translated sooner or later into administrative or financial support. (For more information on public relations activities, see Chapter 13.)

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.

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 suff icient 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 audiotapes 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.

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?

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

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?
	Can you rent or lease an expensive piece of equipment, such as a typewriter, word processor, or photocopier, rather than buy it?
	Will someone donate equipment or supplies to the archives?
	Do you have access to someone else's equipment, like a photocopier or a microfilm reader, which you can usme until you decide to invest in one for be archives?

TIP: When changing your archives in any way, remember to check if any physical changes violate local building codes or bylaws. Contact your institution or local government for information. Also make sure that you have sufficient insurance to cover the cost of your space, equipment, and archival materials and supplies. Make sure your policy covers theft, fire, and other damage, including the cost of emergency storage or restoration services. Also consider if you need liability insurance. Find out if the insurance is paid by your institution or as part of the archives budget.

Now that you know what people, space, and equipment you need, you have to think about how you are going to pay for it. Where is your money going to go? Where is it going to come from?

You need to determine what your various archival operations are going to cost. Accurate and consistent record-keeping is essential for any enterprise, so check that an adequate book-keeping system is in place for your archives. in order to determine your costs gather financial data for all the functions and requirements of your archives.

Consider the following financial questions:

What are your capital costs and overhead: building (rent, lease, purchase), heat, electricity, taxes, water?

Who is responsible for these costs, your archives or your institution?

Who pays for staff? How much and how often? What benefits must be deducted? What are the employee's contributions?

What money is available for equipment and supplies? Who pays for them? who pays for costs such as:

archival and clerical supplies and stationery

subscriptions and membership dues

reference and bibliographic materials

travel expenses to meetings or courses or to visit donors

postage or freight charges

conservation or research services

janitorial services

telephone charges

exhibits, publicity, or advertising

reproduction, photocopying, or microfilming

Ideally, the archives' budget is calculated and maintained separately from any sponsoring institution or association. Monitor costs several times a year to ensure that the archives is not exceeding its abilities or spending its budget unwisely. Remember to issue and keep receipts for all income and expenditures.

The first and most obvious place money can come from is your sponsoring institution. Have you been given a budget? Is it adequate? Are you in charge of it, or must you bring your purchasing needs to another person for approval?

Another way to receive money is through government grants. Money may be available from federal, provincial, and municipal sources, through heritage, historical, archival, or job-skills training programmes. Check with the agency responsible for archives at each level of government. You may also receive government loans through the same bodies; check to see what is available.

You may also receive funding from private sources, through donations, grants, or loans. Most programmes require a completed application, and you may wish to call on a member of your institution or community familiar with grantsmanship to assist you with the process. Museums, libraries, or archival associations may also be able to help. Feel free to contact the granting agency itself if you have questions about procedures or requirements. Granting agencies differ across the country; a basic reference is the Canadian Directory to Foundations, 7th ed. (Toronto: Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, 1987).

Many archives rely on fundraising activities for part of their income. Open houses, fairs, tours, and community events all increase local awareness of your activities and may generate some financial and other assistance. Sales of donated books, postcards made from popular photographs, even bake sales and craft fairs all generate money and encourage community participation. Bottle or newspaper drives, rummage or other types of sales, draws and lotteries are other ways to raise money and encourage involvement. You might also generate a small revenue by charging for photocopying, photo-reproduction, or other work. Whatever type of fundraising, try to ensure that any income is returned to the archives itself, rather than to the institution's general revenue. Remember that all these projects take time away from your other archival work, but if you believe the gain is greater than the cost, then forge ahead.

It is important to have an adequate budget, but few archives start out with any budget at all. Do the best you can with what you have, remind your superiors of what you need, and remain active, realistic and, above all, optimistic about your growth and development.