Archival Processing

As of 2017, OU Libraries use DACS (Describing Archives, A Content Standard) rules for archival collection titles. See Section 2.3 of DACS or contact the Special Collections Processing Coordinator for help.

DACS collection titles can be formal titles (taken from titles that appear prominently on the materials being described), or devised titles (that we create ourselves based on our knowledge of the collection). When devising a title, take the information from any reliable source. The title should be brief, and should uniquely identify the material. DACS titles typically consist of two parts, and the third part is optional, used if needed for clarity:

1. Name segment
2. Nature of the archival unit
3. Topic of the archival unit

Examples of DACS collection titles:

• Andrew Jackson letter
• John and Leni Sinclair papers
• William Gedney photographs and writings
• Eugenia Rawls and Donald Seawell theater collection
• Harvey family papers
• Sarah Dyer zine collection
• British American Tobacco Company records
• National Academy of Sciences correspondence
• Clarence McGehee collection on Ruth St. Denis
• Collection of California vacation albums [devised title for an assembled collection of purchased albums]
• Collection on Isadora Duncan [Duncan is the subject of the collection, she is not the collector]
• Collection of Robert Browning materials
• Catherine Clarke civil rights collection