Initial Site Visit
Whenever possible, conduct a pre-packing site visit to assess the time, personnel, and supplies needed to efficiently pack the home or office.
Time: Schedule packing so that it will take up the least number of days possible; that is, two full days of packing is preferable to four half-days of packing. The amount of time needed to pack an individual box will vary greatly depending on the overall state of the materials, so be observant about any existing arrangement schemes, rehousing needs, etc.
Personnel: Try to limit the number of people involved to 1-2 for most standard homes and offices. For larger packing jobs that require the involvement of multiple staff members, schedule the packing at least one week in advance so everyone can confirm their availability.
Boxes: Estimate two boxes per letter-size file drawer and 2 ½ boxes per legal-size file drawer. Always bring more than you think you’ll need!
Folders: Estimate number needed based on how much material is loose or in hanging folders. Note if you will need legal-size folders or colored paper for preserving titles/relationships among smaller folders within hanging folders (explained in next section)
Miscellaneous supplies: May want to bring microspatula, brushes, gloves, scissors, and other supplies if there are any rehousing or preservation actions that can be done quickly on site
Obtain as much information as possible about the following questions. Ask the donor for their input if they are also the creator of the materials or have knowledge of the materials.
Is there an existing organizational system?
Do the materials contain any terms or acronyms a layperson may not recognize that would be helpful to know in the context of this collection?
Are there any potential privacy or legal concerns?
Appraise materials aggressively. Identify any large groups of materials that are out of scope or duplicative. Avoid taking 3D objects unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
Identify major preservation issues and decide whether to take impacted materials
Identify born-digital or audio-visual materials. Assess the research value of these materials and whether they can feasibly be recovered or reformatted.
Take photographs of the home or office in its original state, especially if you might later need to refer to which materials were in particular file cabinets or other containers
Ideally, if a deed of gift is required, it should be signed by the donor at this time
Packing
Arrangement and description
If multiple people are involved in packing, the coordinator(s) who made the initial site visit should establish the major series/categories of materials and a system for keeping like materials together and in order, which they will share with the other team members before work begins
Write a specific label/indicator in pencil on the front of boxes that contain born-digital or audio-visual materials, or boxes that may contain content with privacy or legal concerns
Whenever possible, keep the materials in their original order (whether alphabetical, chronological, or some other arrangement scheme) when removing materials from their original filing cabinets or other containers
Write general contents of each box in pencil on the front of the box, e.g. “Correspondence, 1940-1960” or “Subject Files, A-E”
If there is important descriptive information on the outside of filing cabinets or other containers, make sure this is always written on the boxes. Assess for each individual situation whether it is necessary to write on the boxes which specific filing cabinet or other container the materials were originally stored in.
If a hanging folder is discarded that contains an important descriptive title or indicates a relationship between the folders within it, use two colorful sheets of paper to mark the beginning and end of the hanging folder and write labels indicating the title/relationship on the colored papers. For example, if five folders within a hanging folder all pertain to NASA, put a colored sheet of paper in front of the first NASA folder and write “NASA- Begin,” and then put another sheet of paper behind the last folder and write “NASA- End.” In the finding aid, this information can be expressed through the folder titles or in a parent/child relationship.
Rehousing
Take materials out of hanging folders and put them in regular letter- or legal-size folders. Make sure to preserve any important descriptive information as described in the previous bullet point.
To the extent possible, take materials out of frames and perform other basic rehousing and preservation tasks
To the extent possible, try to place all loose papers in folders (this does not apply to materials in tall binders or other housing that may need to be rehoused during processing)
Pack any materials with major preservation concerns together. If the materials would have otherwise been packed with other like materials, put a colorful sheet of paper in that box and note on the piece of paper that materials were separated to the quarantined box(es).
Do not understuff or overstuff boxes. Aim for 1-2 inches of space in the back of each box. Use spacers or stuff underfull boxes with newspaper.
General tips/wrap up
For each box, tuck the hand hold flaps between the two side walls of the box and make sure box lids are secure
Affix a plastic card holder onto each box. Fill out an accession card for each box that includes, at minimum, the accession number, a brief title (may be temporary), and the name of the staff member who will be processing the collection. If movers will be transporting the boxes, put the green “To Archives 14N-118” cards in front of the accession cards when packing is complete; the green cards can be removed and reused when the boxes arrive at DDC.
Photograph the packed boxes and note the total number of boxes for confirmation upon delivery