University of Missouri - Columbia Archives


Policy Number 27: Processing Tube Materials - Revising the Planning and Blueprint Records Table
02/2002, Revised 03/2005


1. POLICY:

Materials housed in archival tubes should be entered and described in the Microsoft Access database file entitled Plans_Blueprints. This table should be uploaded to the web in order to revise the Plan and Blueprint Records Table online finding aid.

2. PURPOSE:

In 2001, a Microsoft Access database was created for the purpose of making blueprints more accessible in storage and retrieval. In 2004 the database underwent heavy revision as part of a grant from the Missouri Historical Records Grant Program. The following guidelines are to be followed in order to describe building plans and other material which are housed in archival tubes or rolled on cardboard cores.

3. SCOPE:

This policy applies to all University of Missouri - Columbia Archives staff members and student workers.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES:

Any staff member or student worker who is processing plans or blueprints to be stored in archival tubes or rolled on cardboard cores is responsible for following these guidelines. The Technical Services Archivist should be consulted if difficulties arise.

5. DEFINITIONS:

5-1. Blueprint - The term will be used in this document not only to refer to reproductions produced by the blueprint process but to other reproduction techniques such as diazotype or electrostatic processes as well.

5-2. Roll - A set of plans or drawings as it is found within a tube or on a cardboard core.

6. PROCEDURES:

Initial Note: If materials originate from the Campus Facilities Department, all of the blueprints from a particular accession should be listed in one summary on the UMC; Administration; Campus Facilities Department; Planning and Blueprint Records summary page: https://muarchives.missouri.edu/c-rg1-s16.html, following the example of Series 25.

6-1. Make additions to the database:

6-1-1. Locate the Microsoft Access database file plans_blueprints.mdb.

6-1-2. Copy the file onto your computer's hard drive. Since Microsoft Access automatically saves any changes to the database as they are made, it is important that this back-up is done in order to avoid irreversible damage to the database. Do not modify the original at this point!

6-1-3. After a new copy of the file is made, open it by double-clicking.

6-1-4. A text box may appear warning that the database may harm your computer. Click open.

6-1-5. A new box will appear. Select Forms from the column on the left, and then double-click Plan_Blueprint_entry_frm.

6-1-6. At the bottom left corner of the screen, locate and click the Create New Entry button, marked with a Right Arrow and a Star. A new form will appear. Enter all known information into the blank fields.

6-1-7. After desired additions are made to the database, make sure the remaining entries in the database have no other changes or missing parts and exit the program. Copy the modified database back to its original location. When asked to replace the existing file by the same name, first make sure that the file being replaced has an earlier date and time than the updated one.

6-1-8. When changes are made to the database, the online finding aid should reflect them. See the Section 6.2 for instructions on how to do this.

6-2. Create an HTML table for the web:

Note: If a Roll's title and description do not provide the researcher with adequate information about the roll or if unique aspects of the plans would make sheet-level description valuable to researchers, a subset page for that particular Roll ID and link from the table must be created. In this case, follow the steps in Section 6-3 before going on in this section.

6-2-1. Copy the database to your computer's hard drive and then open it.

6-2-2. After telling Access to open the database, select Queries from the left column of the dialog window and then double-click generate_main_html_qry on the right.

6-2-3. Make sure any recent additions to the database can be found in this table.

6-2-4. From the File drop-down menu, select export.

6-2-5. Choose a directory to which the table will be exported, enter the desired file name, and from the Save as type option menu, select HTML Documents (*.html, *.htm).

6-2-6. Before clicking Export All, make sure to check the Save Formatted box.

6-2-7. In the HTML Output Options window that appears, make sure to select the Unicode (UTF-8) button.

6-2-8. Locate the exported HTML file in the directory you specified, right-click it, select Open With and then click Notepad.

6-2-9. Copy all of the code starting with <thead> and ending with </table>.

6-2-10. Download the file p-btable.html from the appropriate web server to the hard drive.

6-2-11. Open the file in Notepad by right-clicking it, selecting Open with, and clicking Notepad.

6-2-12. Replace all of the code starting with <thead> and ending with </table> in p-btable.html with the new table information copied from the file saved in Section 6-2-5.

6-2-13. Make sure to update the Revised Date and save the file p-btable.html before uploading it to the web.

6-3. Create sub-set information pages for certain Roll IDs and create links to them from the table.

6-3-1. Identify which roll of materials needs its own page in order to provide the researcher with more information. For example, these should be rolls whose Building Name and Description as seen on the table do not provide adequate information on what the roll contains.

6-3-2. Copy the database to your computer's hard drive and then open it.

6-3-3. After telling Access to open the database, select "Queries" from the column and the left and single-click subset_info_for_html_qry

6-3-4. From the File drop-down menu, select export.

6-3-5. Choose a directory to which the table will be exported, enter the desired file name, and from the Save as type option menu, select HTML Documents (*.html, *.htm).

6-3-6. Check the Save Formatted box and click export.

6-3-7. In the HTML Output Options window that appears, make sure to select the Unicode (UTF-8) button and then click Ok.

6-3-8. A dialog window will appear entitled Enter Parameter Value. In this window, enter the Roll ID number for the roll requiring an individual page and then click Ok.

6-3-9. Locate the exported HTML file in the directory you specified, right-click it, select Open With and then click Notepad.

6-3-10. Copy all of the code starting with <tbody> and ending with </tbody>.

6-3-11. Locate the file idtemplate.html

6-3-12. Make a copy of this file and rename it idXXX.html where the XXX stands for the Roll ID number. Make sure to always use 3 digits. That is, Roll ID 1 would be id001.html and Roll ID 50 would be id050.html

6-3-13. Open the new file in Notepad by right-clicking it, selecting Open with, and clicking Notepad.

6-3-14. Delete the instructions found in the middle of the template file and in its place paste the code from the Access output document.

6-3-15. Make sure to update revised date as well as Roll ID number, building name, and other information fields marked with asterisks.

6-3-16. Upload the page to the web like any other.

6-3-17. Open the database.

6-3-18. Select "Tables" from the left column of the dialog window and then double-click Planning-Blueprint_tbl

6-3-19. Locate the Roll ID for which the subset information page was created.

6-3-20. In the column titled hyperlink, located furthest to the right, type the filename of the page created for the roll. For example, Roll ID 35 should receive the entry id035.html

6-3-21. Save the database.

6-3-22. Proceed with the instructions in Section 6-2.

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(Revised: 01 March 2005)

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