Records to be Separated
Introduction
In both the records of corporate bodies and personal papers, processors will likely encounter materials that do not directly relate to the functions or activities of the creator. Both people and corporate bodies tend to collect documents for immediate reference needs, long-term information concerns, professional or legal obligations, or because they have a vague sense that they may "need it" some day.
These concerns are not typically sufficient to justify retaining the material in the archives, as these kinds of documents usually represent scattered fragments of information that do not form a cohesive, substantive information source about the creator, university, or state.
It is highly important that the processor understands the major functions and activities of an individual or organization before separating any material. Otherwise, they may unknowingly discard important information or interrupt a highly meaningful original order of materials.
Examples of Material to Be Separated
In the vast majority of cases, the following records are separated from the collection:
Out of scope material (see footnote 1) that was not created by or about the creator, or items that fall outside of the Bentley's collecting priorities.
Heavily damaged material (e.g., by water, fire, smoke, insects, or mold), unless extremely significant. For audiovisual material, consult with the Archivist for Audiovisual Curation to see if the material can be digitized before discarding.
Printed matter that is readily available in other libraries, another collection at the Bentley, or in major journals, magazines, books, etc.
Commercial or mass-produced material, although such material can be kept as long as it falls within the scope of the collection and if it documents, the people, places, and events directly associated with the individual or organization.
Records of national and out-of-state sister organizations found within records of Michigan chapters.
Non-summary financial records such as itemized account statements, purchase orders, vouchers, old bills and receipts, cancelled checks, and other miscellaneous financial records.
"Housekeeping" records such as routine memos about meeting times, reminders regarding minor rules and regulations, or information about social activities.
Duplicate material that is either in noticeable clumps, especially material that—if retained—will make the collection incredibly difficult for use by researchers. For audiovisual material, the processor should retain the master recording or consult with the Archivist for Audiovisual Curation about which format to keep. If necessary, the processor can do some research using tools like OCLC's WorldCat (public link) or the Bentley's own ArchivesSpace search feature to determine if the material is truly duplicative.
Other material, such as digital material protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act or material that cannot easily be made accessible to researchers.
Unidentified material, such as unidentified sound or video recordings. For audiovisual material, consult with the Archivist for Audiovisual Curation about using available equipment to identify the content on these recordings and review the workflow described on the Records Requiring Additional Consideration page on this site (public link).
Separating Material During Processing
During processing, the processor should place separated material in clearly labeled boxes that indicate:
What collection the material is associated with.
That the box contains separated material (e.g. by marking the box with the word "Separations").
Whether that the material will be destroyed or returned to the donor.
Whether the box contains sensitive information or not.
If the separated material material consists of sensitive and non-sensitive material, the processor must put these materials into two different boxes. This is because non-sensitive material can be recycled by the processor in the Bentley's general recycling dumpster, while sensitive material must be placed in a special location so that it can be picked up and shredded by a vendor.
If that material is to be returned to the donor, the processor should ensure that the separated material is in an order similar to the order that it was received in. This means that material accessioned in good order should be returned in similarly good order. However, it is not necessary to "improve" that order if the material came to the Bentley in a poorly organized state.
As the processor separates material, they should take fairly detailed notes on what kind(s) of material were separated, how much of that material was separated, and why it was separated. These notes will help them fill out a separations sheet form that will be added to the donor file once the processing project is completed.
Footnote(s)
Footnote 1: If the processor encounters Michigan publications and postcards that are out of scope for a particular collection, these should be retained as they may fit into an existing serial collection or be cataloged separately. Materials with no direct connection to the creator of the collection or the state of Michigan should also be evaluated for possible transfer to another library if they seem rare, such as early 19th century newspapers, foreign language, zines, etc.