This is similar to what we do when necessary -- we often include a brief
note stating "An item level inventory has not yet been created for this
collection" or "The item-level inventory for this collection has not yet
been converted to electronic format" etc. See
http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/a/alexander_fo.htm or
http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/a/ace_books.htm for examples of this
barest minimum. At the next level, where we provide a box list, we include
a note to the effect that "This is a simple box list, this collection has
not been processed" (see
http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/b/blatas_a.htm for an example of this
level).

While there are drawbacks to the aptly-termed "triage approach" there are
also benefits -- the biggest being, in my opinion, that with even a minimal
finding aid out there, at least people will know we have the material. In
addition, creating a minimal level EAD record requires much the same
information as creating a basic MARC record so you can get two for the price
of one.

Michele

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sam Passey" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 11:12 AM
Subject: Re: EAD and minimal-level processing - preliminary inventories
online?


At the University of Utah, many of what other institutions would call
preliminary inventories are on-line. The sad fact is that with this
triage approach (Minimal level processing) to processing collections,
some inventories are never revisited. The preliminary inventory becomes
then the inventory. Examples can be seen by searching our EAD database
at:
http://db2-sql.staff.library.utah.edu:8801/lucene/search.jsp#

Sample Search: Michael Joseph Gorrell

_______________________________
Sam Passey