Rehousing - smith-special-collections/sc-documentation GitHub Wiki

Types of rehousing

We want all the materials to be well preserved and stabilized. Sometimes collections come to us in good shape and don't need rehousing. If folders and boxes are clean, not beat up, and the title/labels are legible, they can generally be kept. However, most collections do have at least some issues, and here are some of the rehousing things we do at Smith:

  • Unfolding materials. If oversize materials have been shoved into small boxes they should be moved into larger boxes.
  • Likewise, if material in a letter sized folder is hanging out or scraping against the box, it should be moved to a legal size folder.
  • Adding a spacer. If there is space left in a box and the folders cannot be moved to a smaller container, add a spacer.
  • Moving materials to another container if the current container is overfilled.
  • Not all archival material is made of paper. If you have abnormally sized items, find the container that best fits those object(s).
  • Posters and other paper items with a length or width greater than 32 inches should be stored in a flat file folder.
  • Removing materials from frames. Frames are bulky in storage, and often the materials used for matting are acidic and can damage the materials.
  • Bubble wrapping or padding objects. We typically only do this when rehousing artifacts.
  • Placing books upright or binding down in boxes. This makes it harder to see what a book is in a box, but it puts less weight on the binding which can break easily.
  • Videocassettes should also be placed upright.

Refoldering

New folders should include a legible title and the dates of the material inside. Folder titles should be descriptive so that they let people know what is inside, so avoid descriptions like "miscellaneous". Be as specific as is feasible.

  • Remove hanging file folders and replace them with an archival folder. If the hanging file folder had a label, transcribe that label on a new folder. Alternatively, you may staple the hanging file label to the archival folder, if this is possible and practical.
  • In most cases, remove binder contents and place them in a new folder, and transcribe the binder label onto the new folder. If the binder fits comfortably in the box and does not take up a lot of additional space, it does not need to be rehoused.
  • If adhesive labels are falling off, staple them to the folder.
  • If handwritten labels are illegible, transcribe the original labels onto new folders and move its contents.
  • Move any loose materials into folder(s) and devise a brief but descriptive title for those papers.
  • Make sure no folders are overfilled. Split the papers into two or more folders and number them. Example: (Business correspondence 1 of 2) and (Business correspondence 2 of 2)
  • Make sure to adjust folders’ depth using the score lines on the folders
  • Limitations when rehousing materials
  • Only remove staples and paper clips if they are already rusty and damaging the paper
  • Re-use as much of the existing description as possible—don’t spend time providing more detailed file descriptions unless told otherwise
  • Only replace folders if they are dirty, illegible, or damaged

Common types of containers

Container name Dimensions Folders used Labels used Container type Notes
Record carton 16 inches deep, 10.5 inches tall, 13 inches wide Letter or legal, depending on orientation Standard size Box Avoid putting these boxes on the top shelves, Do not store heavy items like glass slides in these boxes
Letter size document box 12.5 inches deep, 10.5 inches tall, 5.25 inches wide Letter Standard size Box
Half letter size document box 12.5 inches deep, 10.5 inches tall, 2.75 inches wide Letter Half size Box
Legal size document box 15.5 inches deep, 10.5 inches tall, 5.25 inches wide Legal Standard size Box
Half legal size document box 15.5 inches deep, 10.5 inches tall, 2.75 inches wide Legal Half size Box
Tall legal box 15.5 inches deep, 12 inches tall, 5.25 inches wide Legal Standard size Box Primarily used for long-playing records (LPs). If possible, house items in a flat box instead
Flat file folder Standard size Flat file folder Used for items with a length or width greater than 32 inches; The extent should always be .01 feet per folder; These are stored in the cabinets in 003
Flat box Many sizes Use folders that fill the container, even if the folder is larger than its contents Flat/short size Box Any box with a depth between 16 and 32 inches must be stored in the “passthrough” area of third cube
Card file box and other boxes Many sizes Anything less than 5 inches tall uses a flat/short size label Box These containers are typically used to store items that cannot be kept in folders (AV, index cards, t-shirts)

Container control and box labels

Container control refers to the archive knowing where their boxes are, how much space they take up, and what is in them. In order to have container control at Smith, we barcode all our boxes and record information about them in ArchivesSpace.

All boxes, as well as flat file folders, should have a box label, a barcode sticker, and a restricted label if any materials in the container are restricted. If a container does not yet have a label, put a sticky note on the box with the collection name, the resource number (for example CA-MS-09865), and the box number. Make sure that both the barcode and the location is added to ArchivesSpace so a proper box label can be added later.

Barcodes

  • Every container on a shelf or flat file drawer in Smith Special Collections should have its own unique barcode. Additionally, every specific location (for example row 193, bay E, shelf 3 193-E-3) will have its own unique barcode.
  • To scan barcodes you will need a scanner and its corresponding USB dongle. You may also need to use an adaptor to plug the dongle into your computer if it does not have a USB-A port.

Shared boxes

  • Some containers have materials from multiple collections, these are known as shared boxes. Boxes are not shared between repositories, so College Archives, the Sophia Smith Collection, and the Mortimer Rare Book Collection all have separate shared boxes. These containers will be labeled as “CA shared box 30” rather than “box 30” and they will not have collection names or resource numbers. If a shared box has additional space, it will be stored in row 160 in 1 cube until it is full.
  • When adding materials to shared-boxes make sure to write the collection name and resource number on each folder.

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