For an assignment for a Description and Access for Archives class, I transferred the content of an old PDF file finding aid, written by the Reuther Library, into an ArchivesSpace entry accessible on Wayne State University Library System’s web site.

I transferred the metadata from the Mae Mallory papers. Mallory was active in the civil rights movement. She was accused of a crime but the case was later dismissed. I chose to work with this collection because Mallory was a Black woman who had been incarcerated. These populations are underrepresented in archives.

Throughout the project, I became familiar with entering metadata into ArchiveSpace’s entry fields and adding Library of Congress Subject Headings to the collection for improved access.

A finding aid that exists in several different formats, including both a PDF file and an ArchivesSpace collection, increases access for archives’ users.

Below are some of the steps that I took to transfer the old finding aid into ArchivesSpace.

The old finding aid for the Mae Mallory papers as a PDF

I transferred the content of the finding aid into an ArchivesSpace collection entry

The updated entry on Wayne State University Library System’s web site.