Introduction

This page outlines some guiding principles to consider when arranging archival material.

Principles have been adapted from the Nova Scotia Archives' Archival Arrangement Policy and Rules for Archival Arrangement.

The Principles assume that an arrangement plan is prepared by the appraising archivist and not necessarily the person implementing the arrangement, though in many cases the same person carries out the archival appraisal and all of the archival processing activities.

Guiding principles

1. Arrangement shall commence after the archival unit has been defined and determined. This is usually after an archival appraisal has been completed and the contents of the fonds is known.
   
   

2. Arrangement shall precede description.
   
   

3. Accessions can be an archival unit.
   
   

4. Accruals to a fonds shall not be physically interfiled with it.
   
   

5. Arrangement shall respect, or where possible, restore original order.
   
   

6. Sources providing evidence of the creator's record keeping practices may be both internal and external. Sources include, but are not limited to:
   
   

   1. Physical organization

   2. Form of material

   3. Alphanumeric designations

   4. File lists produced by the creator

   5. Electronic recordkeeping systems

   6. File classification schemes
      
      

7. Arranged material shall be physically stored in accordance with the University Archives' procedures for housing and physical storage.
   
   

8. The physical organization of a fonds may reflect its archival arrangement.
   
   

9. Physical (re)organization of a fonds should only be carried out when there are compelling reasons to do so (for example, to meet preservation requirements and facilitate access).