You didn't say if any donor relations issues were involved. Is your repository this author's official archives? Are you wooing the author for a donation? If not, then I don't see an archival issue here. From your description, the photocopies seem to comprise only a clippings or reprints file; that is, the kind of file many librarians stopped creating or maintaining after the advent of ILL. Putting the articles in a box doesn't make them archival, or magically transform them into a collection. It just makes them a bunch of articles in a box. If the articles are available through ILL, then you're needlessly duplicating information. Throw the articles away. If it's important to document this author's work (and if your repository is not the author's official archives, then why would it be important for you to do that?), then a bibliography or citation file would suffice (per Kim and Kelly's advice), and throw the articles away. If its important to document this author's work but compiling a bibliography would take too much effort (as Dean suggested), then file the title pages and throw the rest of the articles away. The fact that someone gives you something doesn't mean you have to keep it. The fact that something's subject may relate to your archives' collection policy doesn't make it archival. Throwing things away can be hard, but knowing what to toss and having the strength to toss it is fully as important a part of archival work as knowing what to keep. Lee ---- Leon C. Miller, Manuscripts Librarian Special Collections, Jones Hall Tulane University Libraries New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 ph: 504-865-5685, fx: 504-865-5761, [log in to unmask] http://specialcollections.tulane.edu <http://specialcollections.tulane.edu/> -----Original Message----- From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Taylor, Tomaro Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 9:52 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Another question about photocopies... We have an interesting situation in our special collections department. A "collection" of photocopies of a particular author's writings (primarily journal articles) has been created and maintained for a number of years A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>