Archiving Random Thoughts

Hello again, hope you are doing well. I have occupied myself with many tasks in archival land. As if I am moving cogs in a massive machine. I look forward to sharing it once I achieve a positive result.  For now, I want to focus on a post I came across on SAA connect.

One of the downsides of this site is that to make a reply to a post, I would need to be a member of the group. Normally, this would not be a problem; yet, some groups will charge you lots of money to get access.  While the idea of spending $5 to maintain an area of the profession is not a bad idea.  When you are approaching $50, that is a bridge too far.

So how can I reply to a comment on a post without paying for it?  Make a post and ask if someone who knows the person can send the link to them. This is not ideal, but it is a network effect.  So if you happen to know Louis Morris that works at Eskenzai Health, point them this way.  For we are going to tackle one of the biggest stumbling blocks: where to begin?

For those who know me, welcome back. If you are new here, thanks for stopping by. My name is Patrick Burden; I am currently the Digital Collections Archivist for WVU. I have over 17 years of experience in the IT field before making the jump to archiving.

The question in question

The question seems simple on the surface, but it has many complications if you are not prepared.  I will summarize what they are asking. They now create an archival practice for a hospital. They are also not a lone arranger; they have another person to help them with the operation of the archive.  They are looking for templates to use and tips on creating filenames. They can use SharePoint and Excel for management. Other tools can be added if the budget has room. They want to cover some basic metadata. They also plan to add custom fields later that relate to the hospital.

As someone who created an archive the wrong way, I have several tips to share.  Would I go back in time and stop myself from making these mistakes?  Nope.  I forged myself through the flames of pain and can share my knowledge.

Come up with a plan

The first thing you need to do before anything else is make a collection policy document.  This document spells out what you are able to add to your archive and what is outside the scope.  While it is tempting to say everything, this is a curse in the long run.  The more you include, the more you are on the hook for in protecting.

So while you are doing this document, make the documents, and create three lists.  They are your must-have, would like to have, and take it or leave it categories. Once you have that list, keep it nearby for when resources are coming in, and only focus on the must. It may be tempting to accept donations that meet your needs, but resist that urge. You need to solve another layer of complexity to reach the point where you can accept anything.  So for now, tell them to hold off as you are building the foundation.

Take stock

Once you have the scope defined, it is time to get an inventory.  Centralizing the records is going to be a task in of itself.  Aim to store it in a room that has all interior walls; bonus points if you can climate control the space as well.  For now, put the things in boxes and folders that you have available. In the long run, you'll rehouse everything. That's when you'll look for archival quality items.

For now, the goal is to keep things in order and flag things that require attention.  If something has mold, damage, or wear, get it repaired right away.  Depending on the issue, it could be as simple as freezing it overnight. If it looks too complicated, get someone else to look at it to find the best solution.  As for the rest of the documents, you are going to want to make a list of what items are in which box.

This is also a good time to think about metadata.  As much as I want to tell you to use ABC software, that is going to be a decision on what archival software you are going to use.  The best thing for you to do right now is to think about DACS.  This is NOT a metadata schema, but rather a series of instructions that you use within the schema.

The best thing I can recommend is creating a spreadsheet with the fields and filling them in as you to go.  Don’t worry about perfection; once software gets involved, you are going to need to do it again. What we are doing is taking care of the most common things to save you time in the future.

Now, this next tip is going to be the only software recommendation that I can do. We all love spreadsheets. Some people even have a knack for making them work magic. They can create charts and fancy graphics with ease.  What I am going to recommend is that you look into Grist.  This is a spreadsheet program with a database back end. You can create a spreadsheet. Then, use SQL queries to explore the data further. This helps you organize information and find connections that might not be obvious.

Squad Goals

The last thing you are going to want to do is expand the team.  I know you mentioned that you are a team of two, but you are also going to need political support as well. Working with board members or leaders helps you sell your idea to the rest of the organization.

This also means you need to learn how to sell what you are doing to people who have no idea about what you are doing. Refine your elevator pitch. Create XYZ statements like this: “By doing X for Y time, we help the company achieve Z results.” Also, connect with other departments to raise your profile. Working with honey is easier than with sugar. So, connect with your team now and share your goals and mission.  When you are going to ask for bigger requests in the future, having backup will pay dividends.

If you are working with digital files, make sure you work with your IT department.  Many of the things archives need can leave an IT staff hesitant to do.  This is where communication is key. Your goal is to get a hard drive. This could be a stand-alone server or an external device. This is also a good place to save the metadata and fixity as well.  Focus on the cold storage for now, something that you need to save but do not need to access on a regular basis. You will have more things to do later. For now, this is the foundation you are going to build on.

Looking over the Horizon

A few other things that are worth thinking about now, but do not need action on yet.  Are you going to accept donations?  If so, create a gift policy to define what you will and will not take.  Work with a lawyer to write up deeds of gifts to get full rights to the items in your collection.  Find out if you are going to make any displays and learn about the space to see what would make the most sense for it.  Finally, set a long-term vision for the archive.  While it is tempting to do everything right away. Making a timeline can help you in the long run. It’s important to list what you want to do and set realistic expectations.

I know it sounds like a lot; the good news is that you do not need to do everything right away.  Pick a thing that you are able to work on and focus on that until you hit a wall.  Once you cannot advance in that area, move on to something else.  Making slight progress is better than stalling out.  There is a lot of work to do; do not be afraid to ask for help.  Many people have done what you have in other places. Seek them out and ask for advice to make your own archive the best it can be.  Until next time, take care.