HIST 7635 - Readings in Latin American History (Archives and Power): Physical Arrangement

Physical arrangement refers to how and where materials are housed and stored. Physical arrangement is determined by the size, shape, type, and housing needs of the various records, regardless of the information provided therein. Materials removed from the main body of the collection due to size, shape, type, or housing needs will be described in the proper intellectual order, as though not removed. 

Taking into consideration the groups of materials identified during both intellectual and physical arrangement, processors will finalize series and subseries, if applicable. Rearrangement is common sense. For example, if processors identify a hundred folders that contain correspondence, it makes sense to create a series called "Correspondence." It is not always this easy; processors should identify common genres and themes throughout the collection as potential ways to organize the collection’s information into series and/or subseries.

Common ways to establish series in archival collections include: Genre groups (types of materials), Topics, Time Frames, Biographical material, Correspondence, Financial records, Government records, Legal documents, Organizational records, School records, etc.

In general, there should not be an "Oversized" series. Oversized materials should be cataloged according to their intellectual position within the collection, regardless of size or format. However, these records can (and often should) be physically housed differently than standard paper records. The same can generally be said for digital records. However, photographs and similar formats are frequently stored together due to their preservation concerns and high user demand, so, depending on the collection, a "Photographs" series may be warranted.

Once series and subseries have been established, and folders, volumes, and other items within the series and subseries are arranged, processors should identify a logical arrangement for the series. There are many ways to organize series groups within a collection. For example, series can be arranged by organizational hierarchy, alphabetically by series title, chronologically, in order of informational importance, et cetera. Prior to finalizing the series arrangement, processors should consult with their supervisor.

If a collection houses many types of records, requiring a variety of housing, establishing a system for arranging materials to save shelf space is recommended. One way is to arrange collections in the following order: all record cartons, letter, and/or legal document cases should be shelved first, with files housed within document cases in proper intellectual order; all oversized and/or custom-made containers should be shelved next, placed in order of size and arranged to maximize shelf space (large flat files may be stored separately in the flat files/map cases); all volumes (books) should be shelved together, at the end of the collection. Volumes should rest on their tail or back, depending on size and condition.

Folder labels should be legible and consistent throughout the entire collection so that researchers browsing a collection will always know where to find vital information such as the collection name, folder title, date, and box and folder numbers.

Every folder should have at least the following elements clearly-written in pencil:

• Collection Name (or an abbreviation of the name)
• Folder Title
• Dates
• Box Number and Folder Number (if numbering folders)
• RESTRICTED if folder contains restricted or sensitive information (social security numbers, student records, etc.)

Folder titles should be descriptive, but concise and to the point. Using existing folder titles is recommended unless they are found to be inaccurate. Existing folder titles can be enhanced with additional information and/or dates. Adhesive folder labels should be removed and any information transcribed directly onto folder.

Next, if the collection is being processed to the folder level, a physical arrangement should be established for files, volumes (books), and other materials, within series and subseries. Whenever possible, all records, no matter the type, should be foldered and housed in containers in order of the intellectual arrangement.

Typically, files are arranged alphabetically by title or chronologically by date of creation, but sometimes arrangement can be more complicated. While folders will be assigned a physical arrangement, processors will generally NOT arrange papers within folders. Files should never be spilt or combined, unless done so to conserve supplies or time, or to aid in description.