Extensible Processing for Archives and Special Collections

This accessible how-to guide to extensible processing will show you how to reduce your processing backlog, maintain control of the stream of archival materials flowing into your collection, describe large aggregations of archival materials and improve user experience. A recent OCLC Research study found that an Internet accessible finding aid existed for only 44 percent of archival collections. With the strain of processing backlogs, many collections go undescribed and are essentially hidden from your users. Extensible processing offers an alternative: establish a baseline level of access to all your holdings, then conduct additional processing based on user demand and ongoing assessment. This flexible approach emphasizes decision-making, prioritization, and adherence to archival principles and standards. The goal is to give you the tools, confidence, and freedom to improve user experience. Author Daniel Santamaria provides an accessible how-to guide to extensible processing, including the following: the six key principles of extensible processing; international case studies, ranging from one-person shops to large universities: learn from examples of processes, systems, software, and metadata that were used successfully by others; eight steps in an extensible workflow process; how-to-use collection assessment surveys to reduce backlogs; and systematic step-by-step approach to reducing accessioning. Readers will learn how to use Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and be up-to-date on recent developments in digitization of archives and alternative strategies such as low-resolution scanning and repurposing existing metadata to ensure that baseline descriptions of all collection materials held by your archive or library are available online as quickly as possible.