{"id":7061,"date":"2017-11-27T12:35:08","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T16:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7061"},"modified":"2017-12-04T13:11:25","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T17:11:25","slug":"reprocessing-the-robert-breen-papers-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7061","title":{"rendered":"Reprocessing the Robert Breen Papers – Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello all! Amanda here again on Vault 217. Today I will be writing about something that I feel is not often discussed in the archival world – <\/span>re<\/span><\/i>processing! <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve read any of my previous blog entries (such as the C-SPAN chronicles<\/a>, where I discussed archival processing at length) you\u2019ll understand that processing is an often arduous and intellectually challenging task. Even the most experienced archivists struggle to process collections in the most efficient and accessible way possible. Moreover, processing standards have changed and fluctuated over the years. Every archivist and institution subscribes to a slightly different processing methodology, and this is reflected in the archival record. Unfortunately, some of these past standards are no longer considered up to snuff. This means that collections processed fifty, thirty, twenty, even ten years ago need revisiting, revising, and occasionally, reprocessing. Here in Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), we are in the process of what I like to call \u201ccleaning up\u201d collections, or in other words, assessing collections for potential reprocessing. This could range from simply updating or adding information to a finding aid, to completely refoldering, describing, and rehousing an entire collection in addition to finding aid edits. All of this is done in an effort to make collections more accessible to researchers, and to ensure the archival record is accurately reflected to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

One collection that needed reprocessing attention was the Robert Breen papers<\/a>. Consisting of records that document the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) and Robert Breen, who alongside his wife Wilva, was instrumental in transforming ANTA into what it would become from the years 1944 to 1952. The Breen papers, totaling to almost 68 linear feet, were in acceptable access condition – foldered with descriptions and a large finding aid. However, as it was accessed, it was noted that the Breen papers were no longer in 100% acceptable processed condition to be turned over to researchers. Though the Breen papers do not need to be completely reprocessed, there are a few areas that needed attention, such as: <\/span><\/p>\n