Peabody Museum/Archival Collections: Recent Projects

VITAL RECORDS PRESERVATION AND ACCESS

CURRENT ARCHIVAL PROJECT:
Digital Reference Tool-Annual Reports Online

RECENT ARCHIVAL PROJECTS:
Hallam L. Movius, Jr. Papers Processing Project
Peabody Museum Letterbooks Project
Grant for Re-Housing Historic Accession Files
Preservation of Vital Historic Accession Ledgers

HALLAM L. MOVIUS, Jr. PAPERS PROCESSING PROJECT

A project team consisting of a project archivist and two processing assistants arranged and described over 187 linear feet of the Hallam L. Movius, Jr. Papers from June to September 1999. Dr. Movius (1907-1987) was a professor in Harvard University's Department of Anthropology, and a leading scholar in Paleolithic Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He was one of the first archaeologists to use carbon-14 dating in his work. His papers include a rich variety of extensive field notes, maps, photographs, professional correspondence, and bibliographic card files.

The team re-housed the papers in acid-free enclosures and created a database finding aid. Photographs were separated to the Peabody Museum Photo Archives. The Movius Papers are now open for research.

Anthony Reed waProject Archivist on the Movius Papers. Mr. Reed was assisted by Johnna Carll (M.L.I.S. Simons College, December 1999) and Paul Mussell (M.A. Boston College, 1999).

The project was funded by the combined grant monies of the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropology Research, the American School of Prehistoric Research, and the Peabody Museum.

EARLY LETTERBOOKS AVAILABLE TO STAFF AND RESEARCHERS

From 1866 to 1879, the curatorial and administrative correspondence of the Directors were laid into letterbooks. Letterbooks were used widely at the time to organize correspondence or other items into an indexed volume. Each page in a letterbook consisted of a gummed strip which when moistened provided a way to anchor an individual item in the volume.

Four letterbooks document the beginnings of both the Peabody Museum and of North American anthropology. These letterbooks contain information crucial to the registrarial and repatriation efforts of the PM and have been largely inaccessible due to their fragility and unstable bindings.

In order to make this information accessible, the archivist, Sarah R. Demb, and conservator, T. Rose Holdcraft, considered a multistage project through which the materials in the letterbooks would be stabilized, indexed anew, and possibly reformatted. The now completed first stage of the Letterbooks Project sought to make this information available to staff as soon as possible by disbinding the letterbooks and sleeving each individual item to protect it from acid migration and handling. Summary data describing the items is held in a database which can be searched by researchers before the physical objects are pulled for use. Index data is checked against the original indices of the volumes. To date, all 4 four of the volumes have been processed and entered into a database of 1,467 individual letters.

Now that all four volumes are stabilized and indexed, staff will be able to gauge the level of potential use items will receive by soliciting requests based on the information provided in the database. A high number of requests may result in reformating of the letterbooks as color photocopied bound volumes or perhaps migrated to a digital context.

PEABODY MUSEUM ARCHIVES COMPLETES GRANT FOR RE-HOUSING OF HISTORIC ACCESSION FILES

The Peabody Museum Archives (Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University) completed a sixteen-month grant from the Institute of Museum Services (now the Institute of Library and Museum Services) in February 1998. This grant enabled us to re-house the Museum's 100 linear feet of accession files, many of which date back near the museum's establishment to 1867. The grant also allowed us to reformat the Museum's catalog cards, which date back to 1932, and contain unique data and metadata relating to the Museum's acquisition history. Both the accession files and the catalog cards continue to be used daily by staff and researchers.

The accession files contain vital provenance information such as correspondence and fieldnotes from the expeditions which collected the PM's vast archaeology and ethnology holdings. The catalog cards track the Museum's acquisition process. Both files and cards are crucial to staff and researchers, although a separate project to migrate the card information to a database is underway. To date, all of the 49,000-plus catalog cards have been microfilmed by Harvard University's Imaging Services Department. The accession files have been refoldered from acidic envelopes to archival quality folders and placed in archival document boxes in new powder-coated cabinetry. Fragile items are sleeved in mylar, and some items have been transferred to the archives from the Collections Department Reading Room. New and/or improved finding aids to the accession files are being generated in an on-going project separate from the IMS grant, and folder and box labels have been generated from a FileMakerPro database.

Under the IMS grant the Archives hired 2-3 work-study students per term for the duration to rehouse materials under the supervision of the Archivist, Sarah R. Demb, who worked in tandem with T. Rose Holdcraft, a Peabody Museum Conservator. Without these students, the project would not be the success that it is. Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it possible! Special kudos go to Heidi Miller and Sean Perrone.

PEABODY MUSEUM ARCHIVES TAKES NEW STEPS TO PRESERVE VITAL ACCESSION LEDGERS

In the 1980s, it became apparent to the Peabody Museum Collections and Conservation Departments staff that the Museum's historic accession ledgers were in dire condition. The ledgers date back to 1866 and keep a proper record of all items and collections acquired by the Museum. This record provides vital documentary evidence and information required by many collections staff in their daily work. Over the 132 years of the Museum's history, these ledgers had been consulted by many staff and later by researchers, and had unfortunately begun to show the strain of this use. By the 1980s, it was apparent that in order to protect the ledgers themselves and the information contained within the volumes, the museum would need to find some type of data migration system. The ledgers were microfilmed in black and white and two reference copies were made by Harvard's Imaging Services Department. One microfilm copy resides at the Tozzer Library next door to the Museum, and the other is reserved for staff use at the Museum.

The NAGPRA repatriation mandate of 1990 increased the need for consultation of ledger information in both original and microfilm form. It was clear that the microfilm copies were not of sufficient quality to meet the needs of repatriation efforts and increased researcher scrutiny. An attempt at producing black and white photocopied versions of the ledgers proved that the missing "metadata" contained in different colored inks and other types of writing media was crucial to current research.

In the spring of 1997, the PM committed funds to have bound, color photocopied surrogate volumes made for collections, repatriation, and other staff research use. (We respectfully ask that unless outside researchers need to see the writing media and/or color inks, etc. that they use the Tozzer Library microfilm copy.) The project was completed in June 1998 with 36 volumes copied and available for reference use.

The original ledgers underwent expert conservation work by the Northeast Conservation Document Center in Andover, MA to repair crumpled pages and damaged edges. The volumes were then shipped in groups of four to Acme Bookbinding in Charlestown, MA to be copied. The surrogates were copied on archival quality acid-free paper and bound in tough over-sewn library bindings. The originals have been unbound and will be stored in the Museum Archives with their original bindings in custom phase boxes made by the Harvard College Preservation Office.

The surrogate volumes allow staff to see the original information, media and format without danger of further damage to the original ledgers. As vital records of the museum, it is important that the originals sustain no further wear and tear unless absolutely necessary. By keeping consultation of the original ledgers to a minimum, the Museum is able to preserve these volumes and the information they contain for future use under protected conditions. Much of the ledger information has been migrated to a database, but some metadata will never make that leap. The surrogate volumes ensure access to that information while preserving the original artifacts for future generations of Museum staff and researchers.

All material copyright © 1998 President and Fellows of Harvard College, all rights reserved

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	VITAL RECORDS PRESERVATION AND ACCESS CURRENT ARCHIVAL PROJECT: Digital Reference Tool-Annual Reports Online RECENT ARCHIVAL PROJECTS: Hallam L. Movius, Jr. Papers Processing Project Peabody Museum Letterbooks Project Grant for Re-Housing Historic Accession Files Preservation of Vital Historic Accession Ledgers HALLAM L. MOVIUS, Jr. PAPERS PROCESSING PROJECT A project team consisting of a project archivist and two processing assistants arranged and described over 187 linear feet of the Hallam L. Movius, Jr. Papers from June to September 1999. Dr. Movius (1907-1987) was a professor in Harvard University's Department of Anthropology, and a leading scholar in Paleolithic Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He was one of the first archaeologists to use carbon-14 dating in his work. His papers include a rich variety of extensive field notes, maps, photographs, professional correspondence, and bibliographic card files. The team re-housed the papers in acid-free enclosures and created a database finding aid. Photographs were separated to the Peabody Museum Photo Archives. The Movius Papers are now open for research. Anthony Reed waProject Archivist on the Movius Papers. Mr. Reed was assisted by Johnna Carll (M.L.I.S. Simons College, December 1999) and Paul Mussell (M.A. Boston College, 1999). The project was funded by the combined grant monies of the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropology Research, the American School of Prehistoric Research, and the Peabody Museum. EARLY LETTERBOOKS AVAILABLE TO STAFF AND RESEARCHERS From 1866 to 1879, the curatorial and administrative correspondence of the Directors were laid into letterbooks. Letterbooks were used widely at the time to organize correspondence or other items into an indexed volume. Each page in a letterbook consisted of a gummed strip which when moistened provided a way to anchor an individual item in the volume. Four letterbooks document the beginnings of both the Peabody Museum and of North American anthropology. These letterbooks contain information crucial to the registrarial and repatriation efforts of the PM and have been largely inaccessible due to their fragility and unstable bindings. In order to make this information accessible, the archivist, Sarah R. Demb, and conservator, T. Rose Holdcraft, considered a multistage project through which the materials in the letterbooks would be stabilized, indexed anew, and possibly reformatted. The now completed first stage of the Letterbooks Project sought to make this information available to staff as soon as possible by disbinding the letterbooks and sleeving each individual item to protect it from acid migration and handling. Summary data describing the items is held in a database which can be searched by researchers before the physical objects are pulled for use. Index data is checked against the original indices of the volumes. To date, all 4 four of the volumes have been processed and entered into a database of 1,467 individual letters. Now that all four volumes are stabilized and indexed, staff will be able to gauge the level of potential use items will receive by soliciting requests based on the information provided in the database. A high number of requests may result in reformating of the letterbooks as color photocopied bound volumes or perhaps migrated to a digital context. PEABODY MUSEUM ARCHIVES COMPLETES GRANT FOR RE-HOUSING OF HISTORIC ACCESSION FILES The Peabody Museum Archives (Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University) completed a sixteen-month grant from the Institute of Museum Services (now the Institute of Library and Museum Services) in February 1998. This grant enabled us to re-house the Museum's 100 linear feet of accession files, many of which date back near the museum's establishment to 1867. The grant also allowed us to reformat the Museum's catalog cards, which date back to 1932, and contain unique data and metadata relating to the Museum's acquisition history. Both the accession files and the catalog cards continue to be used daily by staff and researchers. The accession files contain vital provenance information such as correspondence and fieldnotes from the expeditions which collected the PM's vast archaeology and ethnology holdings. The catalog cards track the Museum's acquisition process. Both files and cards are crucial to staff and researchers, although a separate project to migrate the card information to a database is underway. To date, all of the 49,000-plus catalog cards have been microfilmed by Harvard University's Imaging Services Department. The accession files have been refoldered from acidic envelopes to archival quality folders and placed in archival document boxes in new powder-coated cabinetry. Fragile items are sleeved in mylar, and some items have been transferred to the archives from the Collections Department Reading Room. New and/or improved finding aids to the accession files are being generated in an on-going project separate from the IMS grant, and folder and box labels have been generated from a FileMakerPro database. Under the IMS grant the Archives hired 2-3 work-study students per term for the duration to rehouse materials under the supervision of the Archivist, Sarah R. Demb, who worked in tandem with T. Rose Holdcraft, a Peabody Museum Conservator. Without these students, the project would not be the success that it is. Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it possible! Special kudos go to Heidi Miller and Sean Perrone.
	PEABODY MUSEUM ARCHIVES TAKES NEW STEPS TO PRESERVE VITAL ACCESSION LEDGERS In the 1980s, it became apparent to the Peabody Museum Collections and Conservation Departments staff that the Museum's historic accession ledgers were in dire condition. The ledgers date back to 1866 and keep a proper record of all items and collections acquired by the Museum. This record provides vital documentary evidence and information required by many collections staff in their daily work. Over the 132 years of the Museum's history, these ledgers had been consulted by many staff and later by researchers, and had unfortunately begun to show the strain of this use. By the 1980s, it was apparent that in order to protect the ledgers themselves and the information contained within the volumes, the museum would need to find some type of data migration system. The ledgers were microfilmed in black and white and two reference copies were made by Harvard's Imaging Services Department. One microfilm copy resides at the Tozzer Library next door to the Museum, and the other is reserved for staff use at the Museum. The NAGPRA repatriation mandate of 1990 increased the need for consultation of ledger information in both original and microfilm form. It was clear that the microfilm copies were not of sufficient quality to meet the needs of repatriation efforts and increased researcher scrutiny. An attempt at producing black and white photocopied versions of the ledgers proved that the missing "metadata" contained in different colored inks and other types of writing media was crucial to current research. In the spring of 1997, the PM committed funds to have bound, color photocopied surrogate volumes made for collections, repatriation, and other staff research use. (We respectfully ask that unless outside researchers need to see the writing media and/or color inks, etc. that they use the Tozzer Library microfilm copy.) The project was completed in June 1998 with 36 volumes copied and available for reference use. The original ledgers underwent expert conservation work by the Northeast Conservation Document Center in Andover, MA to repair crumpled pages and damaged edges. The volumes were then shipped in groups of four to Acme Bookbinding in Charlestown, MA to be copied. The surrogates were copied on archival quality acid-free paper and bound in tough over-sewn library bindings. The originals have been unbound and will be stored in the Museum Archives with their original bindings in custom phase boxes made by the Harvard College Preservation Office. The surrogate volumes allow staff to see the original information, media and format without danger of further damage to the original ledgers. As vital records of the museum, it is important that the originals sustain no further wear and tear unless absolutely necessary. By keeping consultation of the original ledgers to a minimum, the Museum is able to preserve these volumes and the information they contain for future use under protected conditions. Much of the ledger information has been migrated to a database, but some metadata will never make that leap. The surrogate volumes ensure access to that information while preserving the original artifacts for future generations of Museum staff and researchers.
	All material copyright © 1998 President and Fellows of Harvard College, all rights reserved General Information \| Holdings \| Finding Aids On-Line \| Current Projects \| Opportunities Departments \| Peabody Museum www.peabody.harvard.edu/archives/