Archives 101, Part 2: Accession

Archives 101, Part 2: "A" is also for Accession

And now for the second installment in our series (pardon the pun) on archival practice. In archival parlance, "accession" is used as both a noun and a verb. After the library appraises a collection and decides that it is worth keeping, that material is accessioned. Accessioning is the legal transfer of responsibility for the physical and intellectual care of the material. The material, called an accession, gets a unique identifying number (e.g. 2010-001). All collections, whether donated, purchased or transferred, are accessioned.

Physical care may include removing paperclips and staples and storing the collection in acid-free folders and boxes. Collections arrive in all sorts of conveyances--boxes are the most common--but some arrive in plastic bags or paper bags. Kirsten Michel brought her photographs to the library in a suitcase, which seems an apt metaphor for the legal and physical move into the collection's new home at the library. When the library accepts donations, we accept them as is, and then transfer the material into boxes and other housing that will safeguard it for the future. In this case, the rubber bands will be removed, the photos will be placed in archival storage, and an inventory will be made.

Some collections arrive piecemeal. There may be several reasons for that: boxes may have been stored in different places, perhaps there was too much material to bring in one trip, or maybe certain items were still of sentimental value to the donor and he wasn't ready to part with them. In the case of archival collections, we take care to note when and from whom the materials come, how much material is received, and its condition. Maintaining a paper trail helps should questions arise later about whether we received specific items, when, or from whom. In addition to the content of the collection itself, the underlying reasons for different accessions or accretions (additions) may serve to tell a story about the collection, too.

Intellectual responsibility may include handling copyright and any other rights connected with the content of the material. Most archives and libraries use a Deed of Gift to delineate the legal aspects of the transfer, since there are occasions when donors retain certain rights, such as copyright. The Deed of Gift provides information on how to handle specific questions or referrals. Similarly, records transferred from other city departments may include important information on what material is open for research, to whom, and when.

Thus far in Archives 101 we've explored appraisal and accessions. In our next installment, we'll address arrangement.