Archival Description

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Archival Description

• Finding What Ya Got

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The Archival Information System

• Information about records and their creators.
• Tools used to present the information.
• Standards and rules followed in creating these
  tools.

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Descriptive Elements

• Information about the records.
• Information about Context and Content.
• Information about Archival Actions and
  Descriptive Control.

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Information About Records

• Intellectual Context and Content
• Intellectual Access
• Physical Description
• Physical Access

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Information About Archival Actions

• Archival Actions.
• Control of Descriptive information.
• Authority Control.

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Descriptive Tools Internal

• Accession documents.
• Creator-supplied Finding Aids.
• Inventories.

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Descriptive Tools External

• Guides.
• Specialized Descriptions.
• Summary Collective Descriptions.

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Standard Archival Inventory

• Introductory Information.
• Administrative / Biographical Sketch.
• Scope and Contents Notes.
• Series Descriptions.
• Box / Folder / Item lists.

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Introductory InformationThe John Doe Papers
The papers of John Doe came to the Such and Such
Archives in 1945 as part of the estate of Mrs.
Jane Doe. Mrs. Doe bequeathed the papers to the
Archives. Mrs. Doe also provided financial
support for the arrangement and description of
the records, including the digital scanning of
the collections photographs. Processing
archivist, Snerd Snidely completed the
arrangement and description of the collection in
1996.
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Administrative / Bio Note
John Doe was born in Poedunk, Arkansas, in 1900
and led a relatively obscure and miserable life
until he discovered Smuck-doddle in 1936.
Smuck-doddle revolutionized the snoodle industry
and revived the nearly forgotten art of
snard-doodle. Doe married the former Jane
Nobody in 1937 and then mysteriously died of
unknown causes in 1938. Mrs. Doe went on to
marry Joe Somebody and expanded the Snoodle
industry into a snard-doodle empire.
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Scope and Content Note
The John Doe papers are arranged by the following
record Series correspondence financial records
photographs smuck-doodle development and testing
records company memorandum. The correspondence
files generally recount Does efforts to develop
various wild inventions and his numerous failures
in secure venture capital for his ideas. Of
particular note to the researcher are the
smuck-doodle development and testing records . .
. . .
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Series Description
Correspondence, 1925-1938, 4 cubic feet This
record series documents the various activities,
including efforts at finding friends, jobs, and
lovers. The bulk of the series documents Does
attempt to market a variety of inventions, such
as . . . . . The series is divided into the
following sub-series Personal correspondence
business correspondence correspondence with Jane
Nobody.
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Box / Folder / Item Lists
Box 1, Correspondence, Sub-series Personal,
1929-1930 Location 14-02-05 Folder 1 Jane
Nobody Folder 2 The Binkerly Brothers Folder
3 J.P. Morgan Folder 4 Ford Motor Company Folder
5 The United States Defense Department Folder
6 God Knows What Else
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Introduction
Administrative / Bio Sketch
Scope and Contents Note
Series Descriptions
Box / Folder / Item Lists
Index Terms
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Selected Web Sites With Archival Finding Aids
Michigan State University
http//www.msu.edu/msuarhc/
Bentley Historical Library Home Page
Bentley Historical Library
Oregon State Archives
http//arcweb.sos.state.or.us/
City of Portland
http//www.ci.portland.or.us/copsparc/pages.shtml