General

• Title: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Level of Description: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Resource Type: This field reflects on the nature of the material (e.g., collection, papers, records). Choose the appropriate term from the drop-down menu, using the finding aid's "Title" section for guidance. If an additional resource type (e.g., "Sound Recordings") needs to be added to this controlled values list, consult with the Lead Archivist for Collections Management.

• Publish?: Keep unchecked when processing. The Lead Archivist for Collections Management will change the status to "published" after the review process is completed. 

• BHL Classification: Select at least one classification option from the drop down menu(s) to identify which of the major collecting area(s) are associated with the collection as well as control the placement of finding aids on the Browse Finding Aids page of the Bentley Historical Library's website (public link). The available classifications are:

  • MHC (Michigan Historical Collections): Use for collections of non-University of Michigan papers and records. Resources with an MHC classification are placed on the alphabetical finding aids browse pages.

  • UA (University Archives): Use for University of Michigan record groups. Resources with a UA classification, and no other classifications, are placed on the University of Michigan finding aids browse page. 

  • FAC (Faculty): Use for papers of University of Michigan faculty. Typically used in combination with the MHC classification to identify those resources which have some relation to the University of Michigan, but which are not university record groups. Resources with a FAC classification are placed on the alphabetical finding aids browse pages.

  • RCS (Records Center Storage): Do not use this classification for resources. This classification is only to be associated with accessions. 

• BHL Classification: This field is used to record the primary language of the materials described in the collection. As only one language may be entered here, processor will also use the "Language of Materials" note to document the various languages present in the collection. Generally this value is set to "English".

Language information (as of ArchivesSpace v. 2.7.0 (requires ArchivesSpace Atlassian account to access) is contained within its own sub-section of a resource record. To complete this sub-section, processors will need to:

• Identify the language(s) of the materials being described. If the collection contains only visual materials (e.g., photographs), record the language of captions or any accompanying textual material.  If there is no language content, record the value as “no linguistic content.”

• Add a narrative language note that includes all the language(s) represented in the material.

• Enclose the actual language names in <language> tags and include the appropriate three-letter ISO 639-2b code (public link) for the "langcode" attribute. See this example for more information (public link). 

If the language of the material is difficult to verify, consult with the Lead Archivist for Collections Management to determine the appropriate value.

• Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link).

• Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Finding Aid Title: This field documents the title of the finding aid that will be exported from the ArchivesSpace resource record. Replace "[collection title]" in the default text with collection's title, as seen in this example (public link). Make sure the title reflects the finding aid's current title and remove any date information from this field.

• Finding Aid Date: This field notes the year that the finding aid was originally created. 

• Finding Aid Author: This will typically be written as the name of the person who created the finding aid, the name(s) of other archivists or student workers who assisted with the project (e.g., the Archivist for Digital Curation), and the month and year that they created the finding aid. If the processor is revising or adding description to a finding aid, they should add their name and date to the field and use a semi-colon to separate this new entry from the most previous entry (see this example (public link).

• Description Rules: Select the appropriate option from the drop-down menu. This will typically be Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS).

• Language of Description: Make sure the value is The finding aid is written in <language langcode="eng">English</language>.

Revision statements are used to note changes to a Resource Record so that archivists may document the evolution of archival description across time.  As such, they are only employed when an existing resource is edited or undergoes a significant change.

Processors will complete the following fields:

• Revision Date: Enter the date of revision in the YYYY-MM-DD format.

• Revision Description: Enter a brief description of the revision. Note that it is not necessary to describe every little change made; instead, the processor should try to document the most significant revisions. Common examples include:

  • Added material from accession [accession number].

  • Corrected spelling.

  • Added "Publications" series.

  • Corrected restrictions statement.

  • Edited Biography.

  • Original encoding (typically added upon first exporting the Resource Record as EAD).

If the revision statements for a collection are not in chronological order, processors should re-order them.

• Consult the Agents and Subjects page (public link). 

• Consult the Agents and Subjects page (public link). 

To add contextual Notes, go to the "Notes" section of the resource record, clicking either the "Add Note" button at the header (public link) or footer (public link) of the Notes section, and choosing the appropriate note type from the drop-down menu.

For resource records, processors will add the following required notes:

• Abstract: A brief statement, typically no more than a few sentences, that outlines the most significant information about the collection’s creator and contents. This note is divided into two parts that are separated with a carriage return:

  • The first half is devoted to the creator of the materials and should include a brief overview of significant characteristics or accomplishments. This would include a person’s occupation or role(s), significant achievements and/or dates, and important locales (for personal papers) or an organization’s functions or industry, locales, time period, and significance (for corporate entities).

  • The second half of the abstract indicates the nature and scope of the materials so that patrons have an idea of what type of records will be found in the collection. Try to identify major types and genres of records and draw attention to particularly significant series or items.

• Biographical/Historical: 

  • This note provides a relatively short and contextualizing narrative of the corporate body, person, or family who created the records. The note should summarize major events and themes in the creator's past and provide context for the material represented in the collection. It can also include a chronology if it is sensible to do so (e.g., to describe tenures of directors, name changes of units, etc.).

  • If a more complete history or biography is available, or if the processor quotes from an item in the collection, make sure to respectively reference the work(s) for the convenience of future workers or include the location of the material being cited (e.g., by referencing the box number, folder and file titles, and the title of the cited item). 

  • Do not include information in the biographical note that does not reflect the current state of the collection (e.g., do not include information about the creator's family if material about the family is absent from the actual collection materials).

• Conditions Governing Access: Consult the Common Archival Elements page of this site (public link) for instructions on how to construct this note. 

• Conditions Governing Use: Consult the Common Archival Elements page of this site (public link) for instructions on how to construct this note.

• Immediate Source of Acquisition: Indicates the person or organization that the Bentley received the material from, the date in which it was received, as well as the donor's donor number. The Bentley uses set language and tags for this statement: Donated by [DONOR NAME] (donor no. <num type="donor" encodinganalog="541$e">[DONOR NUMBER]</num> in [MONTH YEAR] (see this example (public link).

• Preferred Citation: The preferred citation style for items, folders, or digital items available online described by the resource record in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style. Typically:

  • The citation information for physical material in boxes is [item], folder, box, TITLE OF THE COLLECTION, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, 

  • The citation information for digital material is [item], [URL], TITLE OF THE COLLECTION, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 

  • If there are other containers in the collection (e.g., volumes, tubes, etc.), then citation information will need to be created for those containers. See this example for more information (public link).

• Scope and Contents: Consult the Common Archival Elements page of this site (public link) for instructions on how to construct this note. 

It is also important to note the following:

• Unless otherwise noted, processors will only complete the "Content" section of each note record. ArchivesSpace automatically adds persistent identifiers for notes.

• Because the note "window" is fairly small in size, the processor should write their notes (especially longer notes) in a separate document and then copy/paste it into ArchivesSpace. To avoid copying special Word formatting components into ArchivesSpace, either first copy and paste text into a .txt file or paste text as text only into the ArchivesSpace notes.

• ArchivesSpace does not check for spelling errors in the Notes fields. Please be sure to copy and paste the text for all Notes into Microsoft Word, or use some other kind of tool (e.g., Grammerly), to spell check your work for errors.

• When updating an existing finding aid, be sure to check and/or update any relevant information in the contextual notes at all intellectual levels. This includes new or recent information related to the biography or administrative history, the presence of new or additional materials in the scope and contents note, and revised date ranges and extents in the series-level scope notes, etc.

• Make sure to add a single space to the first paragraph of longer, multi-paragraph notes (e.g., the Biographical/Historical note). If the space is not present, the note will appear in Arclight as a single, long paragraph (even if it has been broken into multiple paragraphs in the ArchivesSpace staff interface). 

To add contextual Notes, go to the "Notes" section of the resource record, clicking either the "Add Note" button at the header (public link) or footer (public link) of the Notes section, and choosing the appropriate note type from the drop-down menu.

For resource records, processors may also add the following optional notes:

• Accruals: A brief statement on whether or not (based upon the accession record, donor file, or other information) the library expects additional accruals of materials that will be added to the resource. The Bentley uses set language for this statement: No further additions to the records are expected or Periodic additions to the records expected. If no information is available, and it’s hard to estimate whether additional accruals are expected, remove the note to avoid confusion.

• Arrangement: Used for collections with multiple series and/or to explain potentially confusing arrangement. Typically, the following language is used in the former situation: Arranged in [X] series: 1. [Series 1 Name]. 2. [Series 2 Name] (see this example (public link).

• Processing Information: Typically, this text is copied and pasted into this note when digital materials have been incorporated into the collection (public link). Otherwise, this note provides information about actions taken by the archival processor as well as explanations about conventions in the archival description that may have an impact on a researcher’s interpretation of the records or understanding of the information provided.

• Related Materials: Use this note to identify archival and non-archival material (e.g., publications) that are directly and substantially related to the collection, in terms of provenance, that are held by the Bentley or other archival institutions. For materials at the Bentley, link to an online finding aid using the <title> tag and "href" attribute; for external organizations, simply identify the institution and related collection by name. See this example for how to link to a collection at the Bentley Historical Library (public link) and this example for to create Related Materials information for non-Bentley collections and non-archival material (public link). To complete this note, processors should also review the following resources to locate related collections:

  • ArchiveGrid (public link).

  • Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) (public link).

  • The University of Michigan Library (public link), both for published material to be referenced in a "Related Materials" note, as well as archived websites that have a MARC record).

It is also important to note the following:

• Unless otherwise noted, processors will only complete the "Content" section of each note record. ArchivesSpace automatically adds persistent identifiers for notes.

• Because the note "window" is fairly small in size, the processor should write their notes (especially longer notes) in a separate document and then copy/paste it into ArchivesSpace. To avoid copying special Word formatting components into ArchivesSpace, either first copy and paste text into a .txt file or paste text as text only into the ArchivesSpace notes.

• ArchivesSpace does not check for spelling errors in the Notes fields. Please be sure to copy and paste the text for all Notes into Microsoft Word, or use some other kind of tool (e.g., Grammerly), to spell check your work for errors.

• When updating an existing finding aid, be sure to check and/or update any relevant information in the contextual notes at all intellectual levels. This includes new or recent information related to the biography or administrative history, the presence of new or additional materials in the scope and contents note, and revised date ranges and extents in the series-level scope notes, etc.

• When adding links to collection notes, make sure there are no whitespaces between the quotation notes and the URL. Arclight is very picky about what it considers a URL and doesn't want spaces, returns, tabs, etc. within the quotation marks.

General

In the Bentley's finding aids, Archival Objects can represent different kinds of material, ranging from a box to a single item. However, all archival objects must contain the following metadata elements at a minimum:

• Title and/or Date.

• Level of Description.  

• An Instance or Digital Object (if the archival object represents a physical or digital manifestation of material).

Physical audiovisual material is unique in that each archival object represent should represent a single recording and not an aggregate (e.g., do not represent 28 tapes with a single archival object). This is because item-level description is essential for the Bentley’s audiovisual preservation and digitization efforts

Creating Archival Objects (Manually)

Archival Objects are generally added as either a "child" (i.e., subordinate to) or a "sibling" (i.e., at the same level as) the source object, with the exception of archival objects created from resource records (which are always "children"). 

To create a child or sibling archival object, first select the source record that the new archival object will be made in relation to:

• If the source record is the top-level Resource, click the "Add Child" button (public link).

• If the source record is an Archival Object, decide if it will be added a "Child" or a "Sibling" record and click the appropriate button (public link).

The new Archival Object will then appear in the tree display and a blank Archival Object record will open in ArchivesSpace.

Creating Archival Objects (Rapid Data Entry)

ArchivesSpace's Rapid Data Entry (RDE) feature can be used to create many archival objects at the same level more efficiently than the manual method described above.

To use the Rapid Data Entry feature effectively:

• Select the archival object for which you would like to create children and click the "Rapid Data Entry" button (public link).

• The default Rapid Data Entry form includes a single row with dozens of columns (public link) for many of the common elements used in Archival Objects. Each row will create a new Archival Object.

• Once the display appears, either click the "Apply an RDE Template" button (public link) to apply a pre-saved RDE template to the list of columns, or manually choose which columns to include (i.e., hide or unhide) in the RDE display by checking or unchecking certain boxes in the "Columns 32 visible" drop-down menu (public link). 

• Select certain column headers to make them "sticky." Sticky columns, which are highlighted in blue, repeat the same information in a particular column in each newly added row.

• In the initial row, complete those fields that have information that will repeat in future cells. This will typically include Level of Description, Date Type, Label, Instance Type, and Top Container, although other fields may be repeated depending on the particular processing project.

•  Click the "Add Row" button to add one additional row, or click the down arrow next to the "Add Row" button to add multiple rows at once.

• Complete the unique portion of each row.

• Once finished, click the Validate button (public link) to ensure that there are no data entry issues. Resolve those issues if the validator identifies them.

• Once satisfied with the rows,  click the "Save Rows" button.

It is also important to note the following:

• Archival objects that are "siblings" must have the same Level of Description; otherwise they may not appear in Arclight. For example, two sibling archival objects that are are both designated as "File" will be displayed correctly in Arclight. However, archival object siblings that are labeled as "File" and "Series" will not appear correctly.

• Rows in the RDE feature will often display errors until the "Validate" button is clicked. For example, this row is displaying varying errors (e.g., a warning message (public link) even though the data is input correctly. However, once the Validate button is clicked, these errors vanish (public link).

• Processing Archivist Steven Gentry uses the following RDE templates for creating file-level inventories: Simple File Input (public link) and Simple File Input, Including Extents (public link). Processors are encouraged to create and save their own templates as they experiment with the RDE feature and find out what works for them.

• Save frequently! ArchivesSpace will not automatically save rows of data and it is very easy for either 1.) the processor's ArchivesSpace session to time out (which will result in lost data) or 2.) to click outside the RDE data entry form (which will close out the form without warning or saving the pre-saved data).

The processor may occasionally find it necessary to reorder the intellectual arrangement of Archival Objects, including in cases where: 

• Archival Objects were incorrectly added as children instead of siblings (or vice versa) 

• The ordering of components is revised during processing (e.g., what was initially created as a subseries becomes a series).

To reorder Archival Objects:

• Click the "Edit" button (public link) on an Archival Object's or Resource's navigation bar.

• Click the "Enable Reorder Mode" button (public link).

• Once reorder mode is enabled and the tree view is the only view available, processors can move archival objects in a few ways:

  • To move a single archival object, select that Archival Object by clicking the dotted square next to the Archival Object's title in the tree (public link).

  • To move more than one archival object, processors can either hold the Ctrl key and click to select various and/or non-adjacent archival objects (e.g., archival objects that are unrelated to one another; see this example (public link) or hold the Shift key select several sibling archival objects instantly (see this example (public link). 

• After the archival objects are selected, drag and drop them to the place in the Resource tree to where the processor wants to add them and select one of the following options from the drop-down menu when it appears (public link):

  • Add Items Before: The selected Archival Objects will become immediately preceding siblings of the archival object onto which they were dragged. 

  • Add Items as Children: The selected Archival Objects will become children of the archival object onto which they were dragged. 

  • Add Items After: The selected Archival Objects will become immediately proceeding siblings of the archival object onto which they were dragged.

• When satisfied with the changes, click the "Disable Reorder Mode" button (public link) and select the appropriate "Save" button (e.g., "Save Resource" (public link) or "Save Archival Object" (public link) from the side menu.

It is also important to note the following:

• When in reorder mode, only select those archival objects in the current tree view and do not scroll down to select more objects. There is a bug in ArchivesSpace that causes the archival objects to actually not be reordered if the processor scrolls down in the tree view, selects additional archival objects, and drags and drops them to the appropriate location (even though a message will display stating the objects HAVE been reordered).

• When using the Ctrl and Shift keys to reorder archival objects, note that the selected Archival Objects will be numbered in the order in which they were clicked. This will impact the order in which the selected Archival Objects are sorted when they are moved.

• Reordering parent archival objects will also move all of their children archival objects, even if those children archival objects are not highlighted.

• If the processor is trying to reorder a large number of archival objects alphabetically or chronologically, consult with the Archivist for Digital Curation. They have scripts that can automatically reorder these objects using the ArchivesSpace API.

• Title: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Level of Description: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Publish?: Generally keep this checked when processing, unless told otherwise.

• Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link). 

• Conditions Governing Access: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link) for instructions on how to construct this note. 

• Conditions Governing Use: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link) for instructions on how to construct this note. 

• General: Use this note to provide additional information about the scope or nature of material (e.g., additional, significant keywords, clarifying information, information about languages of the material, unusual formats in the file, etc.). General notes should help clarify the contents of a folder (or folders), highlight content that is not readily apparent from the folder titles, and not include any special tags used in other notes.

• Physical location: Used to identify unusual locations for select kinds of archival material (i.e., single folders removed to the vault). This note should only be used in consultation with the Lead Archivist for Collections Management.

• Scope and Contents: Consult the Common Archival Elements page (public link) for instructions on how to construct this note. 

• For information about how to create top containers, consult the Top Containers page (public link). 

• For information on creating digital objects, consult the Digital Objects page (public link).