handling special collections

Recently the Assistant Librarian and I gave a workshop for Balliol English and History students who are starting to think about planning for their dissertations, and how to include original source materials. My section covered 1) preparing to visit archives and 2) handling special collections materials. The topic of locating/identifying archive and manuscript material is (and indeed has been) a topic for a whole separate presentation; this presentation follows directly on from that topic.

Introduction

• archives are (usually) old and/or fragile
• physical formats and condition can vary widely
• handling should not cause (further) damage

Most of the material you will be looking at will be showing signs of age and perhaps wear – even if it’s not centuries old, it may have been badly stored, exposed to damp or heat, insects and other pests; it may be made of poor quality materials that deteriorate rapidly, and so on. The researcher’s main concern is how not to cause any further damage to the material while consulting it.

Once you start using archives, most things you look at will be between A5 and A3 size,on paper or parchment, and in flat/single-sheet or codex formats; but you may also encounter paper or parchment rolls, old photographs including glass plate negatives, archival bundles, folded items, fascicule volumes, textiles, biological specimens, artefacts, flat and 3-dimensional artworks, modern physical audio-visual and machine-readable formats – and tiny or huge variants of all these formats. They all require careful handling, but in different ways,

Background

Of  course you are hoping to make original discoveries, but you want the surprises to be academic rather than practical. Time in the archives is always limited and never seems to be enough, so it needs to be used as efficiently as possible. Once relevant materials are identified, assemble as many of your academic tools as possible before tackling the archive material:

• know secondary literature
• know editions/translations/summaries/abstracts
• request/consult catalogues/descriptions in advance
• take copies with you for note taking
• acquire necessary practical skills
• request/consult digital images
• ask for advice

Editions, especially diplomatic ones, can require almost as much knowledge of e.g. transcription conventions, abbreviations, language skills etc, as the original. What practical skills will you need to understand your sources?

• languages of record, critical apparatus and secondary literature
• palaeography and diplomatic – handwriting and formal structures
• abbreviations, layout and formats, specialist vocabulary or technical terms for e.g. accounts, legal documents, weights and measures, forms of money
• how to make codicological descriptions

Digital images may answer many of your preliminary questions, and in some ways they may be more convenient (reduced need to travel, ease of magnification etc) but they cannot replace the original. If you do need to see the original as well, digital images will be useful preparation, so always use them if available.

This is a complex field and every case is individual. Finding and using archive and manuscript material isn’t as straightforward as using modern (or even early) printed works. Ask for advice, from your friendly college archivist and special collections librarian, from your tutor, from the staff at the repositories you’ll be visiting, or preferably from all of us. Often there isn’t a single correct answer.

Planning a research trip

• make preliminary contact with archivist well in advance
• make & keep appointment
• spec coll regulations are different, even if you are using the same reading room as circulating/non spec coll materials users
• will vary between institutions and materials used
• remember material is *unique*

Most archives should be able to provide you with procedural guidance, searchroom regulations, handling guidelines and a reprographics policy in advance of your visit – but you have to ask. Check their website first!

also ask in advance about:

• physical condition of material you want to see
• permissions, procedures, fees for taking photographs/ordering copies

In the archives: basic dos and don’ts

DO:

• use pencil only
• wash hands before each handling session
• use appropriate supports as advised by staff
• consult one box or file at a time
• call staff attention to damage
• ask for help with moving or using materials

DON’T:

• bring coats, umbrellas, bags, laptop cases etc into the search room
• use pens or rubbers/erasers
• bring food, drink, gum/sweets, including water
• mark documents in any way
• touch text, decoration or damaged areas of the page
• take photos without asking first

In the archives – productions & returns

• fill in the forms
• open boxes/files at ground level & on a table
• watch for weight & shifting contents inside boxes
• carry boxes horizontal
• keep material 100% on the table, not hanging over the side
• keep your notes etc separate from archives!
• ask for help/instruction when needed

At your desk

• have as little open as possible at a time
• keep file contents in order
• CARE: not all will be numbered…
• look out for & report damaged or undocumented material
• look out for loose/smaller items in a file
• turn pages carefully

When photographing special collections material

• ask in advance & don’t assume permission
• check about approved use of images
• be extra careful of support & handling during photography
• make sure you can identify materials in your photos afterwards!

White gloves

• regulations vary, check in advance
• gloves aren’t magic!
• take extra care when wearing gloves
• place material flat if possible
• hold rigid items by the edges
• do not touch text, illumination or damaged surfaces

That’s a brief introduction to preparing for a research trip to an archive; next, hands-on contact with original records…

– Anna Sander 2017

May 4, 2017 | Categories: teaching, training, update | Tags: academic support, archives, early printed books, handling, manuscripts, teaching, training | Leave a comment