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Re: linear feet...it's all relative



I think we're getting to the crux of the matter here.  I document two "size"
fields for each collection I process.  One gives the researcher a suggestion
of how much material there is:  20 photographs; 6 (archival boxes); 14
annual reports; 2 folders; whatever seems most meaningful.  For myself, I
record a linear feet figure which lets me track how much shelf space is
required to store the collection:  30" (six archival boxes that are each 5"
wide); 10 feet (e.g., bound volumes of annual reports); etc.  I use 1/2" as
a minimum amount for any collection (i.e., one photograph or a 6 page
booklet).  For oversize materials, I use the linear feet of shelf space
required to hold the box in which the materials are stored; say 24 inches
for a box 18 x 24 x 3".  If I store more than one collection in this box
and/or I stack two boxes on top of each other, I estimate a figure
accordingly.  It's far from exact, but at the end of the year, I am able to
say "This year, x number of linear feet of materials were added to the
archives, reducing the amount of available shelf space by that amount."

Catherine Bruck
University Archivist
Illinois Institute of Technology
Paul V. Galvin Library
35 W. 33rd St.
Chicago, IL  60616
312/567-6840
312/567-5318 (FAX)
bruck@iit.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU]On
Behalf Of Golding, Elisabeth
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 11:11 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: linear feet...it's all relative


> . . . the size of a collection usually isn't as important
> as the amount of space required to store it.

That's very true for archivists, with all our space worries
and woes.  For researchers, I think the opposite would probably
be true -- it matters much more to them "how much stuff" they
have to look at than how much room it takes up in our stacks.

Beth "HOW-Many-Ballots-Do-You-Want-Us-To-Store???" Golding
Florida State Archives
egolding@mail.dos.state.fl.us

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