In my experience, "artificial collection" was--until the revision of
descriptive standards reflected in DACS--the way a group of materials
collected by a repository itself was described.

That is, when I was at the Tobacco Control Archives at UCSF, the stuff that
just seemed to turn up, an item or two at a time, or that we collected as
newspaper articles related to our subject matter, was labeled an "artificial
collection" with the repository named as the creator.  (Orphaned materials
are found on archives's doorsteps as a matter of course.)

Here at Embry-Riddle we have such a collection as a casual matter.  People
do not wanted to be listed as donors of miscellaneous materials they've
picked up; we find newspaper articles of interest, etc.  According to DACS,
these collections would now be simply described as having the repository as
creator, with no biographical or administrative history necessary.

Anybody please correct me if I'm wrong?

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 R L
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: What is Artificial collection?

Just a quick question, what is artificial collection?


Thank You



> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lucas. Arel" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Help or advice re:Artificial collections
> Date:         Thu, 15 Jun 2006 09:55:17 -0700
> 
> 
> 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]
> 
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the
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