The HBCU Archivist
This LibGuide is a brief introduction on how to write a Finding Aid for the Student Workers and Volunteers in the Special Collections and Archives Department. According to the National Archives website, Finding aids are tools that help a user find information in a specific record group, collection, or series of archival materials. Examples of finding aids include published and unpublished inventories which are guiding tools to know what is inside each collection.
For additional information on the Basics of Archival Processing, please refer to these resources:
Margot Note Consulting LLC (archival management source)
Archival Processing-- Principles and Practical Strategies (webinar with sources and worksheets)
Processing Levels (ebook)
Key Elements of a Finding Aid
The follow sections can be found in a finding aid:
Content of Inventory
Summary
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Lists of Sub-groups, series and sub-series
Series Descriptions
Index Terms (or Approved Subject Headings)
Container List
Additionally, if anyone's interested in a presentation on How to Create a Finding Aid created by Evelyn Davis, Librarian I, please click on the hyperlink.
Archival Processing is to preserve materials in order for them to be accessed and used as historical evidence. However, there are some circumstances where restrictions on Access and Use are necessary, according to state and federal law and the ethical standards of the archival profession.
The primary purpose of the archives is to preserve and allow access to information that is rare and unpublished materials. Yet, in recent years, the availability of technology has allowed the dissemination of information to be shared worldwide. The advancement of technology has caused more accessibility to be easier for researchers and students who are seeking information. In contrast, the ability to access archival information has restrictions sometimes due to the donor's request or privacy concerns according to the rules and regulations by the Society of American Archivists organization.
Biographical Section: The Biographical Sketch of a Finding Aid requires conducting research on the overall topic(s) of the collection. The Archivist will find creditable library sources to help identify a person, place or company depending on the contents of the collection.
Scope & Content Note Section: This section includes information on how you are arranging the boxes, folders, and items. Hence, there are two options:
Original Order (as is by creator)
Intellectual Arrangement (customized order by archivist for clarity)
Series & Series Description Section: A Series is a group of similar records that are arranged according to a filing system and that are related as the result of being created, received, or used in the same activity.
Examples of an Archival Series: Correspondence, Administrative Files, Executive Orders, Meeting Agenda, Policies and Procedures, Publications and Periodicals, Speeches and Papers, Building Records, News or Press Releases, etc.
Series Description is about what information, materials, and boxes will be grouped together like Correspondence, Graphic Materials, etc.
Subject Headings: Subject Headings includes names, organizations, topics, places, document types, family names, occupations, and other terms found throughout the collection. Another terms for subject headings is Controlled Vocabulary which is an approved lists of subject terms by various institutions to use in a finding aid. This section in the Finding Aid is mainly performed by cataloguers or using the approved Subject Heading list to identify names, places, and things.
Related Materials: Some collections contain materials that relate to one another like a book series. For instance, if you process a collection about one individual person and find a similar collection about the person's family or family business, then you can add any familiar collections in the Finding Aid.
Container List: The last section of the finding aid lists all the items within the collection and the location of each item's box or oversized box.
Tutorials on How to Write a Finding Aid
This is a list of resources containing tutorials on How to Write a Finding Aid and tips on Preservation Storage and Housing of Archival Collections:
Society of American Archivists. (2023). Appendix: Sample Annotated Finding Aid
Archives of American Art. (2023). Processing Guidelines
Video Tutorials:
Finding Aid Basics: An Introduction to DACS
Preservation Storage & Housing of Archival Collections: Guidelines & Solutions
Finding Aids: Tools and Tips for Basic Description
Congratulations, now you know how to write a Finding Aid before your visit to the Reading Room of the Special Collections Department. Check out more guides coming soon!
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