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Finding Aids Online

View a list of the finding aids currently available online

Finding aids are the keys to our manuscript holdings. They give the background of a collection, its scope and content, along with an inventory of the collection, often with detailed descriptions.

When collections are received they are often disorganized and require extensive organization to make them usable for researchers. The term used to describe this activity is "processing." Since preservation is also a great concern, processing might include cleaning documents, removing staples and paper clips, flattening, providing special care for fragile items, and other measures to insure long-term survival of a collection.

During the course of processing, an inventory is created. This is a list of each folder in the collection, usually briefly listing the contents of the folder and the inclusive dates. Thus, when a finding aid is finished, it will consist of three major sections:

• Background, biography, or history provides the context for the creator of the collection, whether it be a business, individual, or organization. Manuscript collections are described as "records" for businesses and organizations, and "papers" for individuals.
• Scope and content is a summary of what the collection consists of and how it might be used by a researcher. It may include comments on the collection's weaknesses or strengths.
• Box and folder listing provides the contents and inclusive dates of each folder. In some cases, with smaller collections, individual items may be listed and described.

The collections represented by these online finding aids are only a portion of the unpublished records available at the Washington State History Research Center.

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