Forms
A variety of forms can be used to capture relevant information needed for accessioning. Ideally forms should capture all descriptive and intellectual information and should be in an easy-to-reuse format. The format of the form can take any number of shapes – a paper form, a web form, an internal database or spreadsheet – and should be saved in a location that is easily accessible to repository staff. It is better to get information in a consolidated and structured way rather than rely on information being shared more sporadically and informally.
Examples
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives Acquisition Report
This Acquisition Report formally documents the recommendations made by Baker Library Special Collections and Archives (BLSCA) collection managers for the selection, transfer, and appraisal of materials into our holdings. The report is critical to ensure accountability to our institution, donors, and research community, and to provide contextual information about the materials to guide staff members on accessioning, processing, and preservation.
There are five sections to the report, with each documenting the selection, transfer, and appraisal of materials. The level of detail of the report should be directly proportional to the complexity of the collection; simpler collections may not require all fields. The completed Acquisition Report is saved in the Collection Control Folder.
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives Accessioning Checklist
The accessioning checklist formally tracks the main steps associated with the accessioning of newly acquired materials. The spreadsheet is saved in a location accessible to all staff.
Countway Library Center for the History of Medicine Accession Form
The Countway Library’s Center for the History of Medicine uses the Accession Form to gain basic intellectual control over the records we acquire as soon as possible. It captures information about the collection’s size, formats, and restrictions, and includes places to record any description of the collection (catalog record or inventory).
Countway Library Center for the History of Medicine Transfer Record
The Countway Library’s Center for the History of Medicine uses the Transfer Record form to document information about donors (or “transferring authorities”), as well as their formal approval of the transfer. It also includes information about the records being transferred.
Countway Library Center for the History of Medicine Costing Estimate Spreadsheet
The Costing Worksheet is a basic template with inputs for staff wages, time, and other processing costs. It can be used (and modified, as appropriate for the repository) to estimate the financial costs for a planned project.
Frances Loeb Library Accession Checklist
Frances Loeb Library Accession Form
Harvard Law Library, Historical & Special Collections Appraisal Form
Completed by the Curator, this form is the first step in the accessioning workflow. The staff member assigned to accession the materials enters this information into an Excel accession log and then completes the accession form.
Harvard Law Library, Historical & Special Collections Accession Form
After appraisal form is completed, the staff member assigned to accession the materials completes the accession form. The form is verified and then is used to create an accession record in ArchivesSpace.
Harvard University Archives Appraisal Memorandum
Appraisal memos can be created by acquisitions or accessioning staff prior to the point of accessioning to provide contextual information for the accession, including historical and provenance details, highlights of the collection, related collections at the acquiring institution and beyond, and potential hazards or conservation issues. The information in this document may inform descriptive decisions made by processing staff and may also be repurposed into bibliographic records or finding aids. Public Services staff may also use this document to facilitate access to unprocessed or minimally processed accessions.
Harvard University Archives Accession Form
Designed by the Collections Development/Records Management Services unit which is responsible for accessioning, the fields on the accession form are arranged as close as possible to their order as they appear in ArchivesSpace to ease data entry.
Once the data on this form is entered into ArchivesSpace, the form is then handed off to the Collections Services unit for description. In most cases, the form provides all necessary information to process the accession at the baseline level.
After description is completed, the form is then filed in the appropriate control file with a paper copy of the the descriptive end product, in most cases a MARC record.
Harvard University Archives Packing Form
These forms, used when packing up collections, record basic information about the acquisition which can streamline descriptive treatment for processing staff.
Used by staff packing collections, these forms indicate the location of where files were packed, any apparent series, and other contextual information from the office or donor location. The forms are then placed in the boxes, and processing staff can them read them when describing the accession. When used in combination with collection summaries, this form allows processing staff to attempt maintain provenance wherever possible.
Houghton Library Web Form
This web form is an example of how to collect information from curators or others responsible for collection acquisition and stewardship. The form is easy to use and is online. It creates a spreadsheet on the backend for sorting and analysis, for instance across curatorial area or by purchases over donations. The spreadsheet may be mapped to import into an ArchivesSpace accession record or if not using ArchivesSpace it may serve as an accessioning database as is.
Sample Accession Records
Accession records are created and maintained in a variety of systems at Harvard University libraries, including Alma, ArchivesSpace, Microsoft Excel and Access, and some repositories use analog systems like cards and accession books. The following are sample accession records used across Harvard University.