Archival Retrievals

When Retrieving from Stacks:

• Have the customer complete the Archival Retrieval Form.
• Retrieve the entire box or boxes, storing them between the desks or on/under the card catalog or in those general vicinities as space allows.
• Give the customer one item at a time asking them to return the material(s) to you when done. This will help to make sure that materials don’t migrate from one folder to another.
• If a customer asks to have access to an entire box, please use your best judgment speaking both to good customer service and the safety of the collection(s).
• Note checked out folders, materials, etc. on the back of the Archival Retrieval Form, checking it off as you receive the materials back. Keep the retrieval forms for “in use” collections filed in the folder labeled “Archival Collections In Use”.
• When all of the materials return, remove the form from the “Archival Collections In Use” folder and file it in D2. Move the box(es) onto one of the shelving carts so that it is clear which boxes are ready to be reshelved.

When Retrieving from Donor Files:

• Donor files are never to be brought to the public. The reasoning behind this is that they contain legal documents that we cannot risk losing and also behind-the-scenes processing documents that are not for public consumption.
• If there is useful information in the donor file (like a photocopy of an obituary, photographic identification sheets, some sort of index, etc.) then remove that bit from the file and show only that to the patron.
• Mark the spot in the file where you removed the documents with a place finder (and until we receive those that we’ve ordered, please use a piece of yellow paper turned tall so it sticks up out of the folder. Some will be available on top of the newly cleaned donor filing cabinets).
• Place the documents in a folder (some will be available on top of the filing cabinet) and mark on the cover which donor file the documents came from (please reuse these – just cross out any previous notation and write in a new one).
• Mark on the back of the archival retrievals form that you’ve brought materials from the donor file.
• Have the patron return the materials to the desk. Check off on the back of the archival retrievals form that you’ve received them back, and confirm that they are clearly marked for “reshelving”.

Thank you all for implementing these new procedures!