I work at the LBJ Library and Museum in Austin, Texas in the AV Archives.

We have boxes of prints from a White House photographer named Abbie Rowe. (not a joke)
He sent them to us in subject order. The original order has been thoroughly documented.

I want to rearrange the photographic prints in chronological order so that they will be much easier to locate. Each print has a serial number and date on the back of the print. A new finding aid will be produced.

I want to scan the prints and name the files according a  yyyy-mm-dd-serial # format.
That way the computer files will sort in chronological order.
 

Does anyone know of any reason a professional archivist would object to this?

I have been here five years and I want to do this. My supervisor has been here 37 years and says " it is against all archival principles to physically change the order of this collection". I say he is full of bull. What say ye all?

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