Some archives maintain accession records/numbers for each
item/group/folder/box
that arrives and then a separate numbering/storage system for the
collections them-
selves.   I don't do this here, but I can see how it keeps a record of
everything
arriving in the Department, even if you decide not to keep it, or
combine it with
something else, etc.    Here we give collections a number that is both
an accession
and collection number...e.g. M2006-01, M2006-02, M2006-03, etc.    That
preserves
both the accession sequence and also simplifies storage on the shelves.
I generally
in appraising a collection, do not give it a number if it is going to be
combined into
another collection (latest arrival of newspaper clippings, or additional
Faculty Senate
minutes) or if it obviously not going to be kept.   I do maintain a
monthly report that
lists "acquisition" (e.g. Dept. of Management Annual Reports 2.0 c.f.)
but we've found
item accessioning to be inefficient.

Since you're going to use month/day/year as an accession number, you
might consider giving the collection a number close to that, e.g.
2006-06-15,

Dean


Dean DeBolt
University Librarian, Special Collections
John C. Pace Library, University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
850-474-2213
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