Introductory page viii of the new descriptive manual *Describing Archives: A Content Standard* (2004, published and distributed by SAA) says "Gone is the motion of the 'artificial' collection. Materials that are gathered together by a person, family, or organization irrespective of their provenance are intentionally and consciously assembled for some purpose. Most repositories in the U.S. have such collections, and they need to be handled and described the same way as materials traditionally considered to be 'organic.'" Further to this, on page xv, in "Statement of Principles," under "Principle 8," "The repository as collector does not need to be described." So under current rules of description, you do everything the same as if the collector were outside your repository, but you do not need to describe the repository under "administrative" or "biographical" history. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I about DACS could elaborate? Arel (the usual disclaimers) Arel Lucas, C.A. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Campus -----Original Message----- From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bishop, Lawrence P Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 9:38 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Help or advice re:Artificial collections Hello all, I'm writing about a subject that seems to be generally ignored in the literature; artificial collections, i.e. archival colections of disparate types of materials, from multiple sources, or from unknown sources, but connected topically. Can anyone point me to any scholarly texts on the subject? Are there any? The phrase "artificial collection" appears in glossaries of archival terms, but nowhere have I yet to find writing on the pros and cons or the processing methodologies used in such collections. How do archivists generally approach such "collections?" I would very much appreciate any suggestions or insights on this topic. Larry Bishop, California State University, Sacramento [log in to unmask] 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]> 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]>