n. (also collections file)an internal set of records kept by an archives that documents the acquisition and management of an archival resourceDuckett 1975, 114Today, if the curator wants to know the provenance . . . he may consult his accession record, but he may also go to his donor/source file or his collections file, which in a real sense are part of the accession records.Duckett 1975, 117The collection file will contain a variety of materials, which constitute a source of background information on specific manuscript collections.Crawford 1983, 144The archivist should keep in his collection file the deed of gift or other document that transfers copyright to the archives and any other correspondence or notes concerning the copyright owners, or probable owners, if doubtful. Here, too, should be found any agreements limiting copying and permission to publish. . . . If the information in the inventory is not sufficient for the researcher’s purposes, then the archivist should willingly consult the collection file with or for him.Light and Hyry 2002, 224Most archives keep track of this information but keep it in the privileged spaces of collection and/or donor files, which are off limits to researchers. While obviously these files should be kept private for reasons of confidentiality and donor agreements, we should make information in them available as much as possible, because hiding it also hides a good deal of context about the collection.Meehan 2010, 41There is typically not much, if any, direct information available to the archivist about these particular facts of the custodial history, but what clues there are (annotations on individual items, handwriting on the folders, or possibly correspondence with the archives found in the collection file) could be used to imagine and draw certain conclusions about the possible interaction(s) between the custodian and the records.Christen 2011, 204All digital collections files are housed on hard drive arrays that are configured at RAID 5 and recorded to data tape weekly.Harris and Stine 2011, 641Ultimately, collection files, whether they be physical, electronic, in a database, or any combination thereof, are the vital records of any repository in that they document legal transfers of ownership and rights, the core functions and activities of the repository, and, most critically for institutional memory, its decision-making processes. Collection files, which are essentially the records of collecting records, should be reviewed regularly to update donor contacts and to address any issues that raise red flags.Flynn 2020, 12After doing research into the museum’s collection files, the registrar was not able to find any documentation of deaccessions or transfers dating back to the 1960s or early 1970s, but she did identify the numbers as the museum’s accession numbers, recorded on index cards in a card catalog.Eagle Yun 2021a, 36As soon as a collection is identified as a potential acquisition, the archivist should create a file to track the collection or accrual within their own files or work-tracking system. This file will be a catch-all for donor correspondence, meeting notes, field and/or appraisal notes, surveys, photographs of materials and how they are stored upon transfer, nonstandard inventories or other descriptive information provided by the donor, and other administrative documentation until the deed of gift or purchase is completed and a permanent collection file is created.Eagle Yun 2021a, 37Upon finalization of the deed of gift (or bill of sale, loan agreement, etc.), the archivist should create the permanent collection file (also known as a control file or donor file) in a location that is accessible by stakeholders in the repository.Zamon 2024, 43Save the documentation—for a collection file if you will keep the collection or for a deaccession record if you will not keep it.
Notes
A collection file is also called a control file. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably with accession file, acquisition file, or donor file, though technically collection file can be used more broadly to include archival resources the repository did not acquire.Collection files typically contain preliminary historical or background research, correspondence with donors or transferring agencies, deeds of gift (in the case of donations), transfer documentation (in the case of institutional records), and summaries or preliminary lists of contents. Collection files may also contain processing plans, conservation plans, loan agreements, or other records relating to the management of the archival resource after acquisition. Such a file is generally for internal use only, though its contents may sometimes be of value to a researcher and the archivist could consider providing supervised access.
