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Plan before taking action and be transparent about decisions.
Ideal level of processing is not the same for all collections or even within collections.
Only do enough work to make collections useful and intelligible to the researcher.
The research value of the collection, both to the researcher and the reference staff, is one of the main factors in determining the appropriate level of work.
It is unlikely that there will ever be time to reprocess collections, therefore we should assume that the present work will be all that is done on the collection. Extra work on one collection detracts from the work that can be done on others, and our aim is to make all our holdings accessible.
All processing work must be carefully planned and coordinated.
Processing is best carried out as a team effort.
The Processing Manual will be used and constantly revised in the Institute ArchivesDepartment of Distinctive Collections. Comments from anyone who reads and uses this manual are welcome.
Respect the confidentiality of records and respect the rights both of patrons and donors. You may see confidential or sensitive documents; they must not be discussed outside the Archives.
Self-care is important and we value the labor that goes into processing collections. Take breaks, talk to others, and ask for and give feedback.
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If you are not familiar with basic principles of arrangement and description, you should consult the publications listed in the Recommended Reading [LINK]. You should thoroughly understand concepts such as provenance [LINK] and respect des fonds [LINK]. Within the context of this preparation, this manual will explain how to process archival and manuscript collections at MIT. Please read this manual thoroughly and ask questions before you begin to process a collection.
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This updated Processing Manual builds on previous Institute Archives and Special Collections manuals including the original 1981 Processing Manual for the Institute Archives and Special Collections, M.I.T. MIT Libraries by Karen T. Lynch and Helen W. Samuels (née Slotkin) with the assistance of Deborah A. Cozort, Mary Jane McCavitt, and Rowland Aertker and the 2008 manual by Elizabeth Andrews.
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