Alphabetical arrangement by the name of the correspondent is common in archival collections. Partial alphabetical arrangement is also an option. In collections processed at the baseline level and in legacy collections, for example, it is not uncommon for only the better-known correspondents and larger files to be identified by name, or for portions of correspondence to be arranged chronologically, or unsorted. While it is usually easy and advisable to preserve an existing alphabetical order, it is possible to arrange groups of correspondence at a file, folder, or higher level (e.g. John McDonald Papers; Meriden Gravure Records).
Item-level processing of correspondence
Arrange correspondence with individuals and/or institutions alphabetically by the appropriate heading.
File names according to Library of Congress rules.
For correspondents with established name headings, file under that heading.
For correspondents who lack established name headings but who are prominent in a field pertinent to the collection or important to the creator, file under the form of the name used most frequently in the correspondence.
Use volume as a guide to determine whether or not correspondence is pertinent or important to the creator. As a general rule of thumb, if there are five exchanges between the correspondent and the creator, establish a file for that correspondent rather than filing in “letter general” (see below).
Arrange all other correspondence alphabetically in “letter general” files (e.g. “B” general).
Within files, arrange multiple letters from individual and joint correspondents chronologically.
File joint letters (e.g. letters from spouses or partners) under the name of the principal correspondent. When authorship is shared, and the letter is written on behalf of more than one individual, file the letter under the name that is of greatest interest or perceived importance in the context of the collection.
File round-robin family letters either under the name of the person with whom the letter originated, or the intended recipient, if all contributing parties are clearly writing to a single individual. See the George Wilbur Family Papers (WA MSS S-1611) and Thornton Wilder Papers (YCAL MSS 108).
File single third-party letters by correspondent. File letters from multiple correspondents to a particular third-party recipient by recipient (see: Alan Pryce-Jones Papers).
In some cases a third-party letter formerly enclosed with a letter elsewhere in the collection can be reunited with the letter it originally accompanied. Do this only when the link is obvious.
Fan mail from “known” individuals may be removed from unsorted files. Fan mail may also be found and kept in a Writings series with files for specific works.
Correspondence is commonly unidentified because it:
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bears an illegible name
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bears a first name only
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bears a single ambiguous name
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lacks any identification
Such correspondence can usually be filed at the end of the alphabetical sequence as “Unidentified.”
Item-level arrangement of unidentified correspondence
If only the correspondent’s surname is known, the letter(s) can be filed alphabetically in the main run of correspondence or in the appropriate “letter general” folder.
If only the correspondent’s first name is known, a single letter can be filed with other “First Name Only” or “Unidentified” correspondence. A substantial number of letters from the same person can be filed together by first name at the end of the alphabetical sequence.
Correspondence lacking any form of identification should be filed as “Unidentified” at the end of the alphabetical sequence.
There may be cases where it is helpful to file together all unidentified correspondence about a certain topic.