Intentionally Unpublished Resources and Archival Objects - smith-special-collections/sc-documentation GitHub Wiki

Overview

Only in special circumstances do we intentionally refrain from publishing resources or archival objects (aside from those currently being worked on). This page covers the cases in which we do this and the method of documenting.

Scenarios

  1. The deed or release for a collection or a portion of a collection contractually require us to keep metadata from being published for a specified period of time.
  2. Detailed inventories of student records, personnel records, and certain other restricted material in Smith College Archives as directed by the College Archivist.
  3. A person has requested that their name be removed from online description for a specified period of time and the request has been approved by the Director of Special Collections, the Head of Technical Services, or the responsible collection steward.
  4. An entire collection has been deaccessioned or otherwise dissolved.

Documentation

Entire Resource

Add "OBSOLETE" to the start of the collection title.

OBSOLETE Music collection

In the repository process note, indicate that the resource is intentionally unpublished and why.

Intentionally unpublished: Deaccessioned in 2018.

Archival Object(s)

In the archival object (or the highest common archival object if a series or other grouping is all unpublished), indicate in the repository processing note that the archival object is intentionally unpublished and why.

Intentionally unpublished, February 22, 2022. Maureen will be contacting descendants about whether we should have this.

At the collection level, indicate in the repository processing note that the collection contains intentionally unpublished archival objects.

There are intentionally unpublished archival objects in this collection, do not use the "Publish All" function.

Staff Communication for New Description

In order to avoid confusion, Public Services staff should be notified when any new description for material falling under scenarios 1 or 3 is created.

Future Work/Decisions

Handling agent links for oral histories, since even unpublished material is indexed and it could be used to link a person with a collection. Based on the decisions made with pseudonyms in the draft oral history program, it seems we are willing to accept that risk.

Dealing with cases in which a collection steward has directed that the material not be published, but it doesn't fit in one of the above scenarios. Those usually just linger indefinitely.