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- Archival Film Flashes Back to 70s Student Life
- Manuscript Traces 911吃瓜's Architectural History
- Early University News Publications Now Digitally Available
- Digitized Programs Commemorate 911吃瓜鈥檚 Opening & Installation Ceremonies
- Archives Celebrates Fall Convocation with Release of Digitized Programs
- Films Capture Visual History and Sentiment of Time Gone By
- Lost and Found: Simon Fraser Letters
- Oral History Provides Glimpse into Mind of 911吃瓜鈥檚 First Chancellor Gordon Shrum
- Early 911吃瓜 Photos Tell a Story That Frames Our World
- Aerial Photos Capture Campus Landscape & Photographer鈥檚 Legacy
- You have what...?!! and other interesting things you didn't know about the 911吃瓜 Archives
- Charting the course of history: documenting 911吃瓜's early days from the student perspective (Part 1)
- Charting the course of history: documenting 911吃瓜's early days from the student perspective (Part 2)
- Helping others find their history in the future: Preserving the records of the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry at 911吃瓜
- Preserving the sparks of global revolution in the Adbusters Media Foundation fonds
- Reflections of a co-op student
- Debunking popular myths and conspiracies with the Barry Beyerstein fonds
- In "The Beginning...": First student film returns to 911吃瓜
- "Got any pictures of Terry Fox?"
- My summer in the archives: a co-op placement retrospective
- Seeing the world through Arthur Erickson's eyes
- Beer (records) in the Archives!
- Quartet in the Quadrangle: PSQ Records Come to 911吃瓜
- Navigating silences and filling gaps: finding Black stories in the Archives
- Boxes, boxes, and more boxes: my summer co-op at 911吃瓜 Archives
- Finding queer joy in the 911吃瓜 Archives: Out On Campus records now available
- The Selma Wassermann fonds
- Personal and political in the archives of Andrew Petter
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Post-Transfer
From the standpoint of 911吃瓜 staff or private donors sending records to the Archives, a transfer is complete once the Archives has accessioned the records into our preservation system and assumed custody and control over them. For the Archives, however, this is just the first step in a longer process of preserving the records and making them accessible over time. This page briefly describes what happens to the records post-transfer. It also provides instructions for requesting access to files you have transferred.
Accession to backlog
On completion of a transfer, an archivist registers the transfer in our Accessions database (assigns an Accession Number). The archivist processes the Transfer Package through , the Archives' digital preservation platform, and assigns it to backlog storage.
The records remain in backlog until an archivist arranges and describes ("catalogues") the materials in , the Archives' online finding aid system.
If there are no access or privacy restrictions, digital access copies will be directly available from the 911吃瓜 AtoM description.
Note that there may be a considerable time lag between accessioning (backlog) and full processing (arrangement and description).
Archival processing
Processing involves the arrangement and description of the materials, their integration into the existing archival holdings of the records creator, and the transformation of the Transfer Package into a standardized Archival Information Package (AIP).
The Archives always retains records in the original file formats in which they were transferred, but it may also create access and preservation copies in other formats according to rules set out in the Archives' Format Policy Registry (FPR) that is implemented in the Archivematica preservation platform.
During processing, an archivist:
- Appraises the records in more detail; some files may be weeded or destroyed as having no enduring archival value.
- Generates (through Archivematica) preservation and access copies of the files selected for retention.
- Creates (through Archivematica) the finalized AIP and sends it to offline storage.
- Assigns files to new or existing records series in the aggregate holdings ("fonds") of the records creator.
- Creates / updates finding aid descriptions in 911吃瓜 AtoM.
- Reviews materials for access and copyright restrictions to determine whether or not the files themselves can be made available to the public directly through 911吃瓜 AtoM.
Retrieval requests
To obtain a copy of digital files previously transferred to Archives, it is a good practice to first check the online finding aid in , as a copy may be directly available online.
Many files, however, will not be available online because:
- They are not yet described in 911吃瓜 AtoM (remain in backlog).
- They have been described, but not yet reviewed for access or copyright clearance (Access status = "pending review").
- They have been reviewed but they contain confidential or personal information or are subject to third-party copyright restrictions; in these cases the records cannot be posted online for general public access.
If any of these situations apply, contact the Archives to request a retrieval.
- Refer to the Transfer Completion Notices you received from Archives to locate the file in a transfer and identify the Transfer Number.
- Email archives@sfu.ca to request a copy, providing the File name and Transfer Number.
- An archivist will consult with you to determine the best method of delivery (e.g. via 911吃瓜 Vault).
Do not "return" your copy when you no longer need it for reference.
- The Archives retains the original files; what it has sent you is a copy.
- You can typically retain your copy if it is needed for ongoing business purposes.
- There may be situations where you should destroy the copy when no longer needed (e.g. if it contains sensitive personal or confidential information); consult with an archivist if in doubt.
- If you do keep a copy, revise it and / or integrate into your active records, it now becomes a new record.
Last updated: June 12, 2024