1. Processing planning. This is the creation of a roadmap for our work with the records (“collection”) and what needs to be done to make the collection research-ready. Creating a good processing plan ensures the timely, cost-efficient opening of collections to researchers. Center processing plans are either authored in their entirety by the Head of Collections Services (HCS) or by a designated Processing Archivist in partnership with the HCS. A processing plan includes:

• Information about the collection creator
• The intellectual scope and content of the collection as acquired by the Center
• An analysis of the relationships the records have to other collections
• A review of the record formats, types, and intellectual content found in the collection, as achieved by sampling boxes in the collection
• An overview of the physical condition of the collection as determined during sampling
• A proposed organizational structure (how the records will be grouped)
• A proposed preservation plan for records in poor condition
• A summary of how the work will be conducted and how many staff members are needed
• An estimate of the time required to make the collection usable and accessible to researchers

2. Physical processing. This is the work Center staff performs to physically rehouse paper-based records and/ or create bit level electronic copies of born digital records. Related work includes transcribing titles off of original folders or digital media (such as floppy disks) and numbering the folders so that the contents are citable. Physical processing enables the Center to stabilize the records so that they will be available to many generations of researchers to come. During physical processing:

• Paper records and other record types, such as photographs, are placed in acid free folders and other enclosures as appropriate
• A spreadsheet is created for the entire collection that includes box numbers, folder numbers, folder titles, the date spans, and topical notes
• Restricted content (such as protected health information) is identified, flagged, and recorded
• Electronic media (such as 3.5 diskettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and data sticks) are assigned a media control number, logged, and imaged at a digital forensics workstation;  use copies of records are created
• Records are physically grouped according to the processing plan to reduce off-site storage  retrieval requests

3. Description. After physical control is established, the collection is described according to archival standards and best practices. Good description is at the heart of the discovery. Without investing in description, researchers may never know collections relevant to their work exist. Having undescribed collections also diminishes the value of costs associated with rehousing and storing collections in perpetuity. Processors centralize their descriptive information in a guide, or “finding aid” to help researchers determine whether or not the records are appropriate for their investigations. A finding aid includes a biography of the records creator or institutional history, a collection summary, subject access points to aid in the discovery process, individual descriptions of the groups of records found in the collection, and a list of all the folder titles in the collection. The guide is prepared using xml encoding software and is published in OASIS (http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/advancedsearch?_collection=oasis), Harvard’s publicly accessible system for searching and browsing finding aids. Additionally,

• The processor creates or revises an online catalog record  to reflect processing (such as those found in Harvard’s online catalog, HOLLIS:  http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ois:hollis+)
• The Center’s list of processed collections on its website is updated (https://www.countway.harvard.edu/chom/collection-guides)
• The collection record  in the Center’s collection management system is updated

4. Promoting the opened collection. Once the collection is open to researchers, the Center uses a wide variety of web and social networking tools to promote newly opened collections and generate user interest. Promoting opened collections alerts our user communities to new resources that may benefit their work, connects us to other repositories with similar collections, and enables us to publicly acknowledge the financial gifts of our supporters. Tools include:

• The Center’s blog (https://cms.www.countway.harvard.edu/wp/)
• The Center’s website (https://www.countway.harvard.edu/chom)
• Discipline-specific and history of medicine listservs
• The Center’s newsletter
• Professional newsletters and publications
• Facebook
• Twitter

Special Collections Processing Workflow

• First, all items are rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes.  Fragile items are photocopied to acid-free paper, and photographs and negatives are either interleaved with archival paper or stored in polyester sleeves.
• Each folder is then listed, capturing the original folder titles, date ranges, and any information that would help a researcher to understand the contents of the folder.
• Folder-level notes are also made to alert the researcher to the presence of non-paper formats, types of research data, and sensitive information (including patient, student, and personnel information, which is restricted for 80 years from the date of record creation, and Harvard University institutional records, which is restricted for 50 years from the date of record creation).
• Non-paper formats, including audio, audiovisual, and electronic media are logged to ensure intellectual control over the various formats in the collection.
• Where format permits, electronic media is also imaged using the FRED (or Forensic Recovery of Evidence Device), and use copies are extracted.
• Afterward, the collection is rearranged into series and subseries to restore the original order or best reflect the context in which the records were created and used.
• Finally, a finding aid and catalog record are created to improve access and discovery.  The finding aid provides information necessary to the researcher’s understanding and use of the collection, including acquisition and custodial history, processing decisions, collection- and series-level descriptions, box-and-folder lists, subject headings and access points, and information about accessing the collection.