Navigating Minimal Processing and Public Services Working Group

2011-2012 Annual Report

The Reference and Processing Collaboration Group of the Reference, Access and Outreach Section was formally organized in 2010 and was also endorsed by the Description Section. Shannon Bowen Maier and Daniel Santamaria served as the first co-chairs of the working group.

Objective: To gather and share information on customized levels of processing with particular emphasis on public services.

Responsibilities:

• Compile bibliography or literature review relevant customized levels of processing proposed by Greene and Meissner.
• Solicit repositories for processing manuals and other relevant policies from institutions using these processing techniques.
• Survey archivists regarding repositories' processing and public services practices as appropriate.
• Summarize and synthesize survey results, processing manuals, literature, and other appropriate resources and information.
• Propose assessment measures and models to judge the impact of customized levels of processing on users and public service archivists.
• Offer models, workflows, or other means for public service archivists and other repository staff to benefit collections and users.
• Ensure ongoing communication within the working group and the larger archival community while work is underway via appropriate means that allows and encourages communication, collaboration, and feedback.
• Maintain a wiki, blog, Ning group, or other appropriate tool to document the working group’s results and progress and encourage collaboration from outside of the working group.
• Actively participate in reviews of the group’s progress and purpose and make recommendations for appropriate further actions.

Reports and Communication: The working group will strive to provide timely updates to appropriate SAA constituent groups, other organizations, and the larger community of archivists as appropriate. At least two updates must be provided annually to the steering committees of endorsing sections including one in advance of and/or at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. These reports will then be made available in whole or abridged form as appropriate at a minimum via the section blog, newsletter, and/or listserv as well as via any additional communication mediums (wiki, blog, etc.) established by the working group. The working group may consider other formal and informal publication projects as appropriate and as opportunity allows. 2010 Annual Report

Working Group’s Role:  The working group serves an advisory role with its products intended to benefit the larger archival community and users of repositories.

Anticipated Date of Resolution:  The working group’s progress and effectiveness will be evaluated annually by the section steering committee, but action items should be completed by August 2012.

Data Driven Archives Wiki

Members:

Greg Kocken, Interim Chair, UW-Eau Claire

Dawn Schmitz,

Amanda Strauss, Simmons College

Helen Wong Smith, National Park Service

Steve Fisher, University of Denver

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