To checkout records in the archive for image capture, follow these instructions:
Step 1: On the Manage Projects, Listings, and Folders screen, confirm the correct project and listing are highlighted.
Step 2: In the listing section, click Print.
Note: If you do not have a working printer, you can write down the listing name, dates, and locality, or take pictures of the screen with your phone.
Step 3: Take the printout and check with the archivist to find where the records are located. Ask the record archivist the process to retrieve the records and ask if they have any special instructions for handling the documents.
Step 4: If a separate index exists, ask for any special instructions for using it. You can add the instructions about the index to the listing information.
Step 5: Ask the record custodian to show you the records that will be digitally captured. Find and examine the documents in the listing. Pay special attention to each of the following points:
- Make sure that the details on the records fit within the range of the listings on the printout. If the titles of the records in the archive are different than the titles on the printout, write down the actual title. Make note of the record types and dates, and ask for clarification from your supervisor or manager.
- Compare the dates and locality in the actual records with the dates and locality on the printout. If the dates or the locality is different, write down the information from the actual records so that the listing information can be corrected.
Note: Some of the listing information comes from the project information. The records for the listing may cover only a portion of the dates or locality that appears on the printout. For example, the project may include records for all of the state of New Mexico, but the listing includes only Volume 10, and Volume 10 has records for only Guadalupe County. If this is the case, you need to correct the locality in the listing information.
- Make notes about which folders need to be created for the listing. Create folders based on the smallest natural groups within a set of records (See Folders and Natural Groups).
Be aware of how the record custodian has organized the records that you will be capturing. This will influence the way you create the folders that will be associated with the listings. For example, a book could be one digital folder. A manilla folder containing certificates 27892–27992 could be another digital folder, and a probate packet could be another. These groupings are called “natural groups” and are what make up a digital folder.