PROCESSING political archival material is a very detailed, time-consuming, and intellectually challenging procedure normally done by an "Archivist," a professional level position. Being a good archivist requires training and dedication. Some of the steps an archivist takes in processing a collection include:
- Accessioning: the archivist records a brief summary of who created the collection or where it came from, how the collection was acquired, what kinds of materials it contains, how large the collection is the collection condition and a preliminary review of the contents and organization.
- Inventory & Assessment: the archivist performs a detailed initial inventory of the collection to understand its condition and importance.
- Preserving:
- Original boxes and folders are replaced with acid-free boxes and folders.
- Different formats including oversized materials, audio/visual resources, and photographs may require placement in special archival containers.
- Materials in need of repair or conservation are treated (acidic or damaged paper, for example).
- Boxes are placed in a climate-controlled environment.
- Digital copies may be created for public use in order to preserve the condition of the originals.
- Arrangement:
- Although the original organization is preserved as much as possible, the archivist designs an intellectual organizational structure that makes the collection more useful for researchers and scholars using specific “groups,” or “series” which might include chronological ordering, election terms, subject files, committees, or other designations.
- Contents from the boxes are rearranged according to the organization plan into the various series and subseries. Boxes and folders are numbered according to the series plan.
- Duplicate or irrelevant material may be removed or treated separately.
- Different formats (photographs, audio/visual, published books, etc.) may be separated or organized in other ways outside of the original collection.
- Description & Cataloging:
- An overall catalog record is created that gives a general description of the collection. This record is included in the main library catalog and shared with other libraries through OCLC WorldCat.
- A detailed finding aid is created, which includes information about the creator of the collection and the scope and contents of the materials. The finding aid also itemizes and thoroughly describes the contents of each folder and box located within the collection. A printed hard copy of each collection’s finding aid is available in Special Collections, but users can also locate and access the finding aids online using a variety of search engines and platforms.