The Finding Aid Template for CFS Archive
First developed by Zahra Abedinezhad and Rhiar Kanouse in October 2023
Collection Name/Title, Dates [Here you should identify the collection name/title as well as the first date of materials in the collection to the last date (Ex. Margaret Mills, 1990-2020).]
SUMMARY OF THE COLLECTION
Collection ID: CFS. [Use an abbreviation of the collection name (Ex. Use “MM” for Margaret Mills).]
Language: [Identify the language(s) used in the collection.]
Physical Description: [Identify the size of collection. (Ex. Size and type of archival boxes used) How much space is needed for preservation? Are there any limitations in terms of the collection preservation, etc.?]
Repository/Location: [Identify the room location: Hagerty 472, Hagerty 468, or Remote Storage], Center for Folklore Studies, The Ohio State University
ABSTRACT
[In a paragraph, describe what is in the collection, including the types of materials that are present.]
CONTENT
Biographical and Historical Notes
[Here you should identify the artists or tradition bearers whose materials are in this collection. For instance, do you know any information about their professional/folklore life? How was the collection acquired? Was it donated or acquired by somebody at CFS? Be sure to establish the relationship between the collection owner and the archivist who accessioned the collection into the archive.]
Scope
[Expand on the abstract. Explain the content of the collection. How was it acquired? If you can find any information that can be useful for the public and researchers when they look in the archive to find related materials to their research/general interests, you can link some of that information here. For instance, you might point to external pages if they are helpful and related to the content in the collection. (Ex. If a paper is published by Mills and her preliminary fieldwork related to that paper exists in the collection, you can link the fieldwork to the published paper.)]
Research Strength/Suggestions
[Here, you should consider what aspects of this collection can be useful for future researchers. Usually, an archivist does not do in-depth research, but she/he/they is/are enough knowledgeable to say what the research strength of the collection is. You can subjectively suggest some research directions here.]
ACCESS AND USE
Arrangement notes
[How is the collection organized? How many series are in the collection? Has it been processed, or does it need more processing, etc.?]
Administration
[Who are the people working on the collection currently, or who has worked on the collection? This includes who wrote the finding aid, help you to gather information for writing the finding aid, etc.]
Using the collection
[Do you have any suggestions on how to use the collection? Where can the researchers access them? Are there any specific conditions that researchers or interested public/communities should know before accessing or while studying the collection? Who should they contact, etc.?]
Preferred Citation
[Name/title of the collection, Center for Folklore Studies Archive, The Ohio State University]
More Information
[Are there any general or specific regulations that the OSU and/or the CFS Archive hold for using and accessing the materials?]
Keywords
[Provide useful keywords for further research or connecting the related archival collections together. One of the ways for adding keywords is to use folklore genres. Some of folklore genres are the following: folk song, folk music, folk dance, verbal folklore, legends, folktales, myth, jokes, proverbs, riddles, urban folklore, women’s folklore (or folklife), folk belief, folk art and material culture, etc.]
BOX/FOLDER LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS
[Identify each box and briefly describe what the materials are in each box, as well as within the folders (if folders are present).]
The Finding Aid Template was created and developed by CFS Graduate Research Associates Zahra Abedinezhad and Rhiar Kanouse in October 2023. A Word document of the template is available for download below: