Archival Description: Writing a Finding Aid

Archival description in the Archival Processing unit is fully integrated into ArchivesSpace (ASpace). Whether you create your container list using the processing spreadsheet or enter the components manually, there are a number of tasks that need to be completed in ASpace in order to create your finding aid. This section will detail those tasks, the rationale for why you must complete specific fields, the proper way to word certain statements, and the preferred formatting for various types of collections. 

While this section will address the theoretical rationale for our descriptive practices, and will help you confirm that your finding aid meets those standards, the ASpace User Guide will assist you in performing these tasks. This documentation and the ASpace Guide are intended to be used together, so this section will make frequent reference to the ASpace User Guide, and link to relevant sections when appropriate. Additionally, we have created an Archival Processing Checklist document to provide archivists with a quick overview of required content and common tasks.