For detailed specs and instructions, consult the Microcomputer Manual for Registers.

NOTE: Spellchecking a register, including the box and folder list, is essential, and must be run before the draft is submitted for review, and once again before labels and the final register are printed and sent to the finding aids database. To expedite this process, run your spellchecking program several times during the course of constructing the register and SAVE those terms to a dictionary for the project.

If you are using the Edix/Wordix spellchecker, Spellix, change the configuration of the program on the c: drive so that you store terms for a register in a separate file. Or you can run Spellix against a copy of the list, or pertinent portion of the list, onto your a: drive and compile a project dictionary on a floppy disk in the a: drive.

Registers contain a number of standard elements, divided into front matter, the box and folder list, and occasional Appendices. The front matter provides a general overview of the collection; the box and folder list provides the most detailed list of the contents of the collection, which is almost always listed at the folder level, and sometimes at the item level. Appendices accommodate important information not otherwise provided for in the standard 2-part register format. Samples of these various register elements will be found in Appendix B.

VI.B.1. Front Matter

(* = required element; + = optional element)

VI.B.1.a)Title Page *

The title page contains: name of repository, collection number, title of collection, statement of responsibility for the finding aid, place, date of the completed draft, and date of the most recent update (this last item should contain the same date as that of the completed draft until a true update is done).

Omit dates for the collection on the "title page."

On the title page, the titles of the Yale collections are as follows (note that they are slightly different from the titles as used in the "Cite As" section of the Administrative Information portion of the register):

• General Collection of Rare Books and Manuscripts

• James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection
• Yale Collection of American Literature

NOTE: This title should be used for JWJ collections as well.

• Yale Collection of German Literature
• Yale Collection of Western Americana

NOTE: Names of students who have merely assisted in processing projects do not appear on the title page. Collections that actually have been processed by student assistants (always under the supervision of an archivist), usually because the collection requires special language or subject expertise, are credited on the title page, below the name of the supervising archivist.

By Hannah Jo Smith [archivist]

and

Peter Hamilton [student]

By

Beinecke Staff

VI.B.1.b)Copyright Statement for Register *

All Beinecke Library finding aids are copyrighted. Boiler plate texts following the basic copyright notice define the conditions under which they may and may not be reproduced (statement revised, 11/96).

Copyright (C) 199[X] by the Yale University Library.

For scholarly and other non-commercial use, this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, provided that Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University is acknowledged as the creator and copyright holder of the text.

Reproduction, storage or transmittal of this work or any part of it, in any form or by any means, for commercial purposes, is prohibited without the prior permission of the Yale University Library.

Lists key descriptive parts of the finding aid (biographical sketch(es), Description of the Papers, each series (including Restricted Material, Restricted Fragile, and Oversize), and appendices, if any. Generally, subseries are not listed, but there are occasions when listing them may be helpful. Inclusive dates for each true series (i.e., excluding "special series" oversize and restricted sections), although not normally considered part of the series name, are included, enclosed in parentheses. List all four digits of each date, not the abbreviated 1920-80 form you use in the box and folder list. See example in sample finding aid.

If a manuscript collection is comprised of only one box, but is organized into more than one series, do not list the number of boxes in each series.

However, if a collection is comprised of more than one box, then list the number of boxes in each series. In the case of a collection in which the series consist of partial boxes, list the number of boxes accordingly, using a decimal ".25" or larger to indicate partial boxes. For example, if a collection has 15 boxes in Series I and 20 boxes in Series II, but Series III-V are all housed in one box, then list the number of boxes for each of the last three series as ".3". Under the heading, "Containers," list the number of boxes, rolls, or broadsides. See example in sample finding aid.

VI.B.1.d) Extent Statement

List the total number of boxes. If there are oversize boxes, list these in parentheses. In the "Other Storage Formats" section, list the number and types of storage formats other than boxes. See example in sample finding aid.  If there are no other storage formats, then delete that line.

The number of linear feet for the collection is calculated using the Linear Footage Calculator. A zero is used before the decimal point if the number of linear feet is less than 1 (e.g., 0.40), and in the second place after the decimal point (e.g., 7.30). If the number of linear feet is a whole number, only one zero is used after the decimal point (e.g., 7.0).

See also the section on calculating linear footage in Chapter VII.

VI.B.1.e)Administrative Information

VI.B.1.e)(1) Provenance *

For gifts: name(s) of donor(s), date or range of dates of gift.

For purchases: date(s) of purchase, vendor source, name of the fund(s) on which the collection was purchased.

If the collection was formerly on deposit, this too should be noted as part of the provenance statement.

Source information of a particularly complex nature (e.g., numerous donors and years of acquisition) should be summarized; the accession records remain the authoritative file of record for such information.

If a collection has been processed with grant or other special funding, this information may also be noted.

If the donor is a Yale graduate, note that information as part of the donor name, e.g., “Gift of George Dix (Yale class of 1934), 1997.”

VI.B.1.e)(2)Ownership and Literary Rights *

Concerning collection ownership, the following standard statement is used:

The [Collection Name] is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

VI.B.1.e)(3)Cite As *

[Name of Finding Aid]. [Name of Yale Collection], Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library[, Yale University].

For the General Collection and for the James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, the reference to Yale University is retained. For all other collections, the reference to Yale University is omitted.

• General Collection

NOTE: This same title is used for the Early and Modern portions of the General Collection.

• James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection
• James Weldon Johnson Collection in the Yale Collection of American Literature
• Yale Collection of American Literature
• Yale Collection of German Literature
• Yale Collection of Western Americana

The following standard statement is used:

This collection is open for research.

The material in Boxes 76-81 is restricted until the year 2012.

Several Katherine Anne Porter letters are restricted until January 1, 2000. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Restricted Fragile in Box 95 may only be consulted with permission of the appropriate curator. Preservation photocopies or photographic prints for reference use have been substituted in the main files.

On occasion, a more lengthy summary of action taken during processing is warranted, usually because portions of the collection were previously organized and described, and cited by researchers with reference to the old arrangement (e.g., Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas Papers, and Alfred Stieglitz/Georgia O'Keeffe Archive). This section should also be used for notes on materials that have been transliterated during processing.

VI.B.1.e)(6)Location of Associated Material

This note is used to account for material that is housed and cataloged separately at Yale (e.g., printed material from a manuscript collection that is cataloged separately; the papers of a person in his/her official university capacity that are located at Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Library; cataloged additions to a collection that is housed at Beinecke; an artificial collection that has been processed separately from an archive).

VI.B.1.e)(7)Microform/Digital Versions

This note should be used to supply information about a comprehensive microfilm of the entire collection or of one or more series. It should not be used for partial microfilming that was done for patron use. [The use of this note for digital versions is to be determined.]

VI.B.1.e)(8)About this Finding Aid +

This note is included in the front matter to explain the origin of a finding aid generated by OCR scanning and follow-up editing of older, printed lists (including catalog card sets), by conversion and formatting of a pre-existing online file (e.g., a donor list provided on disk), or other special circumstances worth recording for research/staff reference.

VI.B.1.f) Biographical Sketch/Historical Note(es) *

VI.B.1.f)(1) General Notes

This provides basic background information on the creator(s) of the records, collector(s) of the papers, the circumstances surrounding the creation of a collection, major figures represented in the papers, or the organization that generated the records. A biographical sketch should briefly cover the overall life of an individual, placing emphasis on those areas of his/her life that have a direct bearing on the collection being described.

Well known individuals represented in standard biographical sources are given brief sketches, and readers are referred to an/the authoritative published source for fuller coverage. For individuals previously associated with the Yale Library, don't forget to check The Yale Library Gazette for obituaries, commemorative notes from the time of their retirement or death, and other references to their life and work. For alumni of Yale, check the alumni directories.

Example: Herman W. Liebert Manuscript Collection (GEN MSS 237)

These (full or partial) can be used to delineate complex family relationships otherwise documented in the collection. In extensive charts, the names of individuals whose correspondence figures prominently in the collection should be highlighted (usually underlined). Explain the purpose of the underlining in a note at the head of the chart. A chart that only delineates relationships between individuals documented in the collection should bear a disclaimer clarifying its scope.

Examples: Jonathan Edwards Collection (GEN MSS 151);
Peter Newell Family Papers (YCAL MSS 62).

The primary purpose of the collection description is to provide an overview of the entire collection and to bring particular strengths or weaknesses of the collection to the attention of researchers and staff. The Description of the Papers is not intended to be an exercise in individualized creative writing, and should not be treated as such. Rather, it should be a concise, informative, and to some degree boiler-plate driven delivery of key information about the contents of an archive. The library intends for its finding aids to achieve a relatively consistent "Beinecke tone" and "style" across collections and curatorial units, without regard to who processed a specific archive.

Beinecke prefers to rely heavily on this section for descriptive information about the collection, even to the folder level if it seems warranted, rather than to include extensive notes in the box and folder list or in the Series Header notes. Links to the box and folder list for items mentioned in the Description of the Papers should be clear and unambiguous. Specific references to boxes and folders, if used, are normally enclosed in parentheses.

Here as well as in the series headnotes of the box and folder list, the terms "organized" and "arranged" should be used. (In the past, "divided" was often used instead, but it is not as accurate as "organized" and "arranged.") Collections are "organized" into series, subseries, and sub-subseries (at Beinecke designated by the terms "headings" and "subheadings"); therein, the material is "arranged" in some fashion (usually chronologically or alphabetically). This wording reflects actual processing practice, and is consistent with wording used to describe the series in the catalog record (MARC field 351 - Organization and Arrangement).

The introductory paragraph should include a general summary of the scope and content of the collection, including span and bulk dates, and an iteration of the basic series and subseries organization of the papers, describing in general terms how and where to find needed material. The existence and location (at the end) of Restricted Papers and Restricted Fragile may be reiterated here, if the materials are particularly significant and likely to be of special interest to researchers, as may the fact that preservation photocopies or photographic prints have been supplied in place of the originals. In most cases, however, the notes on these materials in the Administrative Information portion of the register will be sufficient.

Later paragraphs provide an in-depth description of the organization and content of each series and subseries, emphasizing major features of each, including subjects covered and names of correspondents or other individuals who figure prominently in the collection. Obvious research strengths and weaknesses are noted, including subjects and individuals about which there are useful materials, as well as subjects one might reasonably expect to find covered but that are not well represented.

Each paragraph introducing a new series begins with a boiler-plate style statement, including the series name, iteration of container type(s) and numbers encompassed, span of dates, and subseries present (if any). More detailed discussion of contents then follows.

In describing the contents of a collection, terminology similar to that found in the Library of Congress Subject Headings should be used to provide a link between the cataloging of the papers and the papers themselves.

VI.B.2. Box and Folder List

VI.B.2.a)Series Headnotes

Series headnotes appear at the head of each series in the box and folder list. The basic rule is, keep it simple and brief. Extensive discussion should be confined to the Description of the Papers. Notes merely expand upon information about organization and arrangement of the series and subseries without further discussion of content. Nevertheless, for clarity, incorporating additional information about contents into the headnote or reiterating information presented earlier may be appropriate in some cases.

The heading for the series description includes the quantity of materials in that series (approximate number of linear feet and, in parentheses, the number of boxes). Also give the inclusive dates for the materials in the series.

If the arrangement is self-evident and additional information is not required, the folder list begins immediately beneath the caption.

Within the series note, series titles are underlined. Subseries are not underlined, but all principal words are capitalized.

VI.B.2.b) Box and Folder List

This usually consists of a folder-level list of contents; in exceptional cases, container-level or item-level lists might be used. Various levels can be included in a single box and folder list. For technical specifications for formatting box and folder lists, see the Microcomputer Manual for Registers.See also the section on punctuation and style in Chapter IV for general formatting and punctuation guidelines and notes.

See sample pages in Appendix B for general format.

VI.B.2.c) Special "Series" - Oversize and Restricted Papers Lists

These lists appear after the body of the box and folder list. They are not numbered as series in the Table of Contents or in the box and folder list itself. No date ranges are given.

For Restricted Fragile, in place of folder content descriptions, the box numbers and folder numbers from which the Restricted Fragile items were removed are listed. For Oversize, an abbreviated folder content description is used.

VI.B.3. Appendices

These are free format except for the Guide to the Microfilm. Besides the Guide to the Microfilm, which is used whenever preservation microfilm of an archive (or entire sections of the archive) exists, appendices are used only as needed, to accommodate important information that does not logically fit into the standard register elements.

NOTE: To print an appendix as part of a register you must modify the .reg file to direct the program to look for and retrieve the .app file. For specifics, see the Microcomputer Manual for Registers.

Precise guidelines dictate the formatting of the various elements of Beinecke's registers. They must be followed to achieve the desired degree of uniformity in the registers and to expedite their creation, maintenance, and distribution in printed and online form. If they are not followed, the register formatting, diagnostic, cleanup, and output macros will not work.

Specs for keying data into the register files are outlined in the Microcomputer Manual for Registers. The manual also includes instructions for invoking and processing register box and folder list files, front matter files, and appendices, as well as instructions and helpful hints on handling a variety of technical issues associated with the creation and maintenance of these data files.

An online template for the register front matter (the .frn file) contains the basic structure and some of the boiler plate texts. There is no corresponding template for the box and folder list. The default tabs and other settings (e.g., page length, body width) required for proper data alignment in the box and folder lists, however, are set as the default in the Edix configuration (config) files installed on each of the Manuscript Unit PCs.

Remember, for detailed information on keying and formatting specs for the box and folder list, including punctuation, consult the Microcomputer Manual for Registers.

Also, be sure you understand the length limitations for Headings (i.e., single line, and a maximum of 70 characters) in the box and folder list. Details are shown in a Register Template, found in Chapter V of the Microcomputer Manual for Registers. It will sometimes be necessary to use an abbreviated version of the name or title constituting the Heading and use a Heading Note immediately below the heading to give the full name or title. See the General Manuscript Miscellany (GEN MSS MISC) for examples.

VI.D. ARCHIVING AND DISTRIBUTING COPIES OF REGISTERS

Once a register is completed, it is sent to the finding aids database. An archival set of the the online files (.box, .frn, and .reg) is stored in the "j:\mssunit\urarc" subdirectory.

Printed copies of registers to completed collections are produced for the Reference Shelf in the lobby of the reading room, for the stacks, and for the curator if he/she requests one. The copy for the Reference Shelf should be delivered to the Public Services Librarian, who will route it to Public Services staff, after which it will be shelved in alphabetical order by name of collection in the lobby of the reading room. The stack copy should be shelved immediately ahead of the first box of the collection.

VI.E. MARKING PAPER COPIES OF REGISTERS

Standard gray Acco binder covers are used in most cases; larger black 3-ring binders should be used for particularly bulky finding aids.

Labels are created in Microsoft Word macro, "Register Labels," by filling in the required information when prompted.

Beinecke Library
YCAL MSS 30

The curator's copy, if any, just has the center label (no label in the upper lefthand corner).

Copies of registers are provided to individuals for a modest fee, by Public Services. Complimentary copies may be provided to donors, if requested, either by the Public Services department or by the Manuscript Unit.

VI.F. UPDATING/REVISING REGISTERS

For full instructions on updating registers, see the Microcomputer Manual for Registers.

If the change is very minor and has no effect on the file outside of the single page on which the corrections are made, work can be done in the "urarc" subdirectory and the single page printed by invoking the wrkprint [page number] command. In most cases, however, even the revision of several words will cause the lines to shift, necessitating the re-printing of several pages. Copy the ".frn" and ".box" files from the j:\mssunit\urarc directory to the archivist's c: drive in order to make the changes.

After making the necessary revisions (including completing the "Last Updated" portion of the ".frn" file), the file must be "ripped and rapped" and resubmitted to the finding aids database.

Print out copies of the pages that have been affected by the changes and replace pages as needed in all paper copies of the register. Copies of the revised pages, marked to indicate the changes made, should be referred to the finding aids database administrator, so that he can handle whatever database follow up is required. (For details on printing, consult the Microcomputer Manual for Registers.)

VI.G. MOUNTING INTERIM REGISTERS FOR IN-PROCESS COLLECTIONS

In most cases, a register is not loaded into the finding aids database until it has been completed. Heavily used collections, however, are handled somewhat differently, to alleviate the paging and retrieval problems for an in-process collection. A draft finding aid for the entire collection or for a significant portion of it may be loaded to the finding aids database, and a paper copy is sent to the Public Services Librarian, when previous lists are no longer viable.

When this is done, obsolete lists (including cards in the manuscript catalog) should be withdrawn from use. Notify the Public Services Librarian and the curator that the new, draft register now supercedes previous lists, and that the superceded lists and cards have been withdrawn. Always save a copy of such lists, at least until work on the collection has been completed. In some cases, copies of old lists and card sets from the manuscript catalog are retained, indefinitely, or as is more likely for cards, for a few years, as a precaution. Retained cards should be boxed, clearly labeled as to contents and retention period, and shelved with other such sets, in the Manuscript Unit.