Most collections are organized into series. A series may be subdivided into sub-series; otherwise, it will usually consist of files or groupings of files.
Arrangement at the series level involves analysis of the background of the creator and the context and content of the collection. The goal is to identify, as far as possible:
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the types and extent of record formats present within the collection
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existing patterns of organization
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the functions, roles, occupations, interests, or avocations of the creator, as well as his or her record-keeping practices
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the custodial, acquisition, and accessioning history of the collection
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any other circumstances of creation, maintenance, and use, that have affected the physical and intellectual state of the collection.
Based on these considerations, the archivist determines a series scheme that reflects the key activities of the creator, previous maintenance of the records, key formats present within the collection, or some other meaningful order. As a general rule, series are arranged in descending order of significance, determined by apparent research value and past and anticipated use. See Section 3.3: Common Series.
A certain amount of file-level assessment is required to carry out series-level arrangement. However, it is not necessary to survey the contents of all files. In order to carry out series-level arrangement in an efficient and effective manner, it is necessary to distinguish those files that require more granular analysis from those that require less, and work accordingly.
Restricted fragile material should remain arranged intellectually within the collection, with a restriction note added at the collection, series, and component levels for the restricted item.
Similarly, oversize material should be arranged intellectually within the collection. When adding an oversize container to a finding aid inventory, include the word “Oversize” after the container indicator (i.e. Box 10 (Oversize)).
Intentionally assembled collections may be organized into series by provenance, by accession, or by type or format of material. For collections comprised of material from various sources for which pertinence is more important that provenance, such as the Eugene O’Neill Collection, material may be organized into series in a manner similar to archival collections (e.g. Correspondence, Writings, Photographs, and Other Material). When provenance is equally as important as pertinence, material may be organized into series by provenance (e.g. series titled “Murl Barker Collection of Nina Berberova” and “John Malmstad Collection of Nina Berberova” in the Nina Berberova Collection).