Summary descriptions of Record Series will be prepared and posted to the University Archives web site for all accessioned material. When appropriate, a separate box list web page will be provided for each summary. Summary descriptions may be superceded by full inventories at a later date.
Present resources do not allow the immediate production of complete web-based inventories for all collections in the University Archives holdings. However, it is a priority of the Archives to post summary descriptions of these collections to alert the Archives' patrons to the availability of these holdings.
This policy applies to all University of Missouri - Columbia Archives staff members.
4-1. The Technical Services Archivist under the direction and oversight of the University Archivist is responsible for the format and organization of all summary descriptions posted to the web site.
4-2. The University Archives staff are responsible for creating and posting to the web site appropriate summary descriptions for all Series that do not have prepared web-based Inventories. This responsibility is especially important in dealing with records which are newly accessioned into the holdings of the University Archives. When warranted by the records in each Series, separate box list web pages will be provided for each Series' summary.
5-1. Accession Number - a unique number assigned to each group of received records. The number begins with the letter A, and is followed directly by the last two numerals of the current year, a hyphen, and the next sequential number not used in the Accession Register. The number is usually set within parentheses, e.g., (A98-14).
5-2. Call Number - a number which provides two pieces of information about the collection or record group. The first line, within parentheses and starting either with the letters UW or C, is derived from the record classification system. The subsequent lines of the call number indicate the physical location of the records.
5-3. Dates - dates of archival materials are noted in two forms, span dates and bulk dates. Span dates indicate the first and last date of materials in a body of records being described; bulk dates indicate the date span of most of the materials or the bulk of the records.
5-4. Location Codes - indication of storage location and/or storage facility.
5-5. Record Sub-Group - body or bodies of organizationally-related records that deal specifically with a major function or responsibility of the office of origin or creator of the records.
5-6. Record Series - file units or documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they result from the same filing or creation process.
5-7. Summary Description - an abbreviated finding aid for those collections (generally unprocessed) that are awaiting processing and a complete inventory. The summary description consists of the block identifier which contains information concerning the Record Group and Record Sub-Group numbers, title, dates, and volume of the collection, the call number (consisting of the collection number and the location descriptors), accession numbers, scope and content note which briefly describes the contents of the collection, and a short description of each Record Series within the collection.
5-7-1. A summarized Record Sub-Group may contain one or more closely related record collection summaries. The Record Series designation in this case is used as a temporary organizational convenience. Each Record Series within a summary Sub-Group description may eventually be expanded to a full inventory and will then be designated as an individual Record Sub-Group.
5-7-2. When a Record Series is reconstituted as a complete inventory Record Sub-Group the volume and date of the Sub-Group must be modified accordingly and the volume reduced.
5-8. Box List - a listing of folder titles or other content of a storage box or container.
6-1. Follow procedures 6-6-1 through 6-6-8 under Policy #8, Archival Finding Aids, noting the difference in listing call numbers for summary descriptions under 6-6-4. Restriction Statements, may need to be included if applicable as per section 6-7-10 of Policy #8, Archival Finding Aids. Note to Researcher, may need to include the notation that a collection is unprocessed and thus limited in public access as described in section 6-7-11 of Policy #8.
6-2. The names of all individuals, academic divisions, and administrative offices central to the creation and use of that summary-description's contents should be included in the summary description. Including these names facilitates search engine indexing.
6-3. Once a summary description has been expanded into a full inventory, its former series location should become a hyperlink to the full inventory page for that record collection. The hyperlink text should take the following form:
Former Series #12 C: 0/47/8
UMC; University General; Photographs
This Series has been enlarged to a full inventory. Please follow this link to reach the inventory. This former Series contains a photograph album entitled University of the State of Missouri. Photographs of Officers, Faculty and Instructors and individual photographs transferred to the University of Missouri-Columbia from Ellis Library, (ca. 1890-1959).NOTE: The font color=#FF0000 command included in the first line of the example above will render the Series and number in red text. This is intended to alert our patrons to the re-designation of a summary they may have formerly utilized. Please note that if there are accession numbers, they should be included on the first line following the call number. A descriptive sentence including the dates should also be included in the block text.
6-4. When a full inventory is created, it has an entirely new web location. The number given to the Record Sub-Group in the title block is the same as the number given to the new html page. As an example, see the url and sub-group at the following link, Alumni Association Negatives, Prints, and Slides.
6-5. The Kardex Control card of a collection that has been expanded from a summary description to a complete inventory must be updated to reflect the new Sub-Group and the web file name.
6-6. The full inventory should also be added to the inventory section of the web summary page for that particular Record Group. Follow this link to review the practice Record Group 3C, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
6-7. When a substantial photographic collection is added, whether in full inventory or summary form, the collection should also be added to the Topical Guide inventory section. This link identifies the Topical Guide Topical Guide for Photographs.
6-8. The creation of all new summary descriptions and expansion of summary descriptions to sub-group inventories may require the updating of the Kardex Concordance.
Return to the Table of Contents
7. APPENDIX:
7-1. Composite Summary Description Finding Aid.
Revised: 03 May 2024
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URL: https://muarchives.missouri.edu/man-p9.html
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