Archival appraisal of AV

[Nancy Marrelli <nmareli@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am doing some work on archival appraisal (NOT monetary appraisal but the
issues of enduring value) of AV archival materials.

Like many institutions, we do not have enough resources to reformat all the
AV material which comes our way and we have to make some tough decisions
about what we will commit ourselves to for the long haul and what will get
left behind or be deaccessioned.  This is an issue both at the time of
acquisition and when dealing with materials already in the archives which
are in need of reformatting  now or in the near future.  It is both a
selection and a selection for preservation issue.

I am interested in knowing if and how other archives conduct archival
appraisal of their AV materials.  I am particularly interested in knowing
if you have developed a systematic approach using fixed criteria or a
numerical value system of any kind, and how physical condition may be
factored into decision-making.

You can reply to me privately, or to the list if you think others may be
interested in how your institution goes about archival appraisal.

Nancy Marrelli
Concordia University Archives
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd West
Montreal, Quebec  H3G 1M8

Voice:  (5l4)848-7776     Fax:  (5l4)848-2857
e-mail:  nmareli@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Visit our websites:
     http://archives3.concordia.ca/
     http://archives3.concordia.ca/Jazz.html