Finding Aid: Contains information about a collection. These are created by archivists or librarians to help you decide if the artifacts in a collection are relevant to your research.
Pay special attention to:
Scope: This is where you start to see if this collection is relevant to you. Does the description sound promising?
Collection restrictions: Are items onsite, or stored remotely? Plan your time accordingly and contact archivists early.
Subject headings: Remember that these are selected by the person who processed this collection. Are there subject headings listed that could lead you to similar items, collections or avenues of exploration?
Inventory: What is in each box and where is it stored? Pay attention to material types, subjects and dates.
