PROCEDURAL
LEAFLET

June 2001

PROCEDURES FOR LOOSE RECORDS PREPARATION

BY COUNTY PROJECT VOLUNTEERS

The following procedures are intended to assist local volunteers in preparing loose county records for microfilming by the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). Records filmed under this program will be available for research at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH). ADAH will also provide each participating county with a free copy of its film.

1. Types and Cut-off Dates of Records to be Microfilmed

Loose probate records eligible for filming include: estate case files, marriage licenses, guardianships, apprenticeships, manumissions, bastardy bonds, and Confederate pension records. Divorce cases and (if approved by GSU) other circuit court case files are also eligible. Filming will begin with a county's earliest loose records and end at the following cut-off dates: 1915 for estate case files; 1950 for marriage licenses and divorces. Confederate pension records , manumissions, and bastardy bonds will be filmed in their entirety. Approved circuit court case files may be filmed through 1900.

Bound records that were missed in earlier microfilming cycles can be inventoried and filmed under the loose records program, so long as they fall within GSU's microfilming guidelines. Because of copyright restrictions, private collections are more problematic. However, they and other types of records (such as church records or funeral home records) may be included in a county's inventory and will be evaluated by the GSU as possible candidates for filming. If you have questions about what records may be eligible, contact ADAH.

2. Beginning a Loose Records Project

County government officials, or local historians and genealogists, who wish to start a project should first contact the ADAH Government Records Division at the numbers listed below. ADAH archivists will arrange training for local volunteers and provide a limited number of boxes and file folders for use in records preparation. Before beginning work on their county's loose records, volunteers should ensure that they have permission from the probate judge and/or circuit clerk. These officials, or their staffs, can assist volunteers in locating the loose records. They can often provide a work area for records preparation and will need to find a suitable room where the records can be filmed. ADAH can assist new projects in making arrangements with county officials or recruiting volunteers. Each project should appoint a coordinator to act as a liaison with ADAH and GSU staff.

3. Records Inventorying Procedures

Records to be microfilmed under the loose records program should be inventoried at the beginning of the project, using GSU's standard inventory form (see sample and blank forms on pp. 5-6). ADAH staff members will assist local volunteers in completing this form and may, in fact, compile a rough inventory on their initial visit to the county. As shown on the sample, a single entry (listing the title and inclusive dates) is sufficient for each type of record to be filmed. "Estimated exposures" are the total number of camera "shots" (images) that will be needed to microfilm the records. The following information may assist in estimating exposures:

• One side of any piece of paper up to legal-size (8½ x 14") = 1 camera "shot" or image. (Any piece of paper-regardless of its size-that has writing on it should be counted as a shot.) Both front and back sides should be counted unless one side is completely blank. Most loose records will have writing on both sides. Usually, therefore, 1 sheet = 2 shots.
• In estimating the volume of loose records that are still folded up inside their Woodruff files (the metal file drawers in which such records are usually stored), one file drawer = 1/3 cubic foot. Thus, 3 Woodruff file drawers = 1 cubic foot.
• A one-cubic-foot records carton (the standard box that ADAH supplies for storing loose records after they are flattened and foldered) can hold up to 2,400 sheets of paper if folders are packed tightly; thus, a box might contain up to 4,800 camera "shots," if every page had writing on both sides. However, most boxes and folders will be less than full, and not every page will have writing on both sides. For inventory purposes, therefore, GSU has asked volunteers to estimate: 1 cubic foot = 3,000 images.

Volume estimates should be reasonably accurate but need not be exact. If in doubt, estimate "high" instead of "low." Send completed project inventories to ADAH as soon as possible, because microfilming cannot proceed until GSU headquarters in Salt Lake City has approved the inventory and placed the project in its microfilming schedule. This process may take several weeks or months.

4. Arranging Loose Records to Be Microfilmed. The primary tasks of volunteers will be to remove loose records from their Woodruff files or other storage units, flatten them, and arrange them in file folders and boxes prior to filming. (Note: Instructions for compressing or humidifying loose records to flatten them, for surface-cleaning records, and for removing fasteners, are contained in separate leaflets available from the ADAH Government Records Division or on the ADAH web site.)

4.1. Arrange loose records by series, then alphabetically. Loose records should first be separated by series (marriage licenses, estate case files, etc.), then arranged alphabetically in file folders and boxes. This method of arrangement is easy for researchers who use the microfilm to follow, even without an index to the records. Alphabetize by the "main name" of a case or file (e.g., decedent's name for estate case files, or husband's name for marriage licenses). Exception: On the instructions of the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC), leave divorce files and other circuit court records in case number order, unless they are already alphabetically arranged. These records will therefore require a separate index in order to be accessed.

4.2. Use acid-free file folders and boxes. ADAH will supply each county project, free of charge, with 25 acid-free boxes and 1,000 acid-free file folders. Depending upon available supplies and funding, we may be able to sell additional folders and boxes to projects at our cost (currently $.25 per folder and $3.50 per box). The use of acid-free materials is strongly recommended for storing historical loose records, as the acids in untreated containers speed up the records' deterioration. However, if acid-free materials are not available when a project is ready to start work, non-acid-free boxes and folders may be used temporarily without damaging the records.

4.2.1. Arrange records and label file folders. Once loose records are unfolded and flattened, each file folder should contain from 30 to 50 pages. (Note: Estate case files, and other lengthy cases, should always be placed in a separate folder or folders, never mixed with other cases. Conversely, marriage licenses, or other records having only a few pages, can be interfiled-in alphabetical order-within the same folder, up to the 50-page limit.) Folders should be numbered consecutively within a box, including the box number so they may be returned to the right box. For labeling file folders, use a soft lead pencil (most ink is acidic), bear down, and print in large and legible script. During filming, the GSU camera operator will use the folder as an identification "target" for each case, so legibility is paramount. Shown below is the proper method of labeling a folder (along the back top margin) for an estate case file:

[Name] County		Box 10
Estate Case Files	LINCOLN, William Allen, Case no. 321 (1881-83)	Folder 3 of 10

Other names found in a case (brides' names, descendants' names, slaves' names, etc.) should-if time allows-be written on the front of the file folder, further assisting genealogical researchers who use the microfilm. If desired, the "packet" that held the loose papers in their Woodruff file may be placed at the front of the folder, but it will not be microfilmed and takes up extra space.

4.2.2. Place the records in folders "backwards." For most loose records, one side of a sheet will contain only basic identifying information, such as name of the case and date. There will therefore be much blank space on that side of the sheet. Because GSU camera operators use this blank space to adjust the contrast on their cameras, project volunteers should place each document in the file folder "backwards," with the "blank" side up. Documents in the same case should be in chronological order to follow the case's natural progression. For an arrangement "short cut," place the most recent documents on top and the oldest documents on the bottom; then turn the whole pile backwards in the folder. The documents will be in the correct order for filming. When different documents (such as marriage licenses) are mixed in a folder, chronology does not matter. Arrange these records alphabetically, placing them "backwards."

4.2.3. Label the storage boxes. Boxes should be labeled consecutively and include the names of the first and last files within the box , following this example: "[Name] County. Estate Case Files, 1850-1915 [Use the date span covering the entire record series.] Box 1 of 10: ADAMS - COOPER.". If ink is used to label boxes, it should preferably be acid-free.

4.3. Inserting "Letter" Targets. As an additional aid to researchers looking for "names" on the microfilm, volunteers should insert plain paper targets bearing a large "A," "B," or subsequent letter between folders when case names beginning with that letter have been reached. ( Note: All other identification and technical targets on the film will be inserted by the GSU camera operators.)

4.4. Compiling an Index. All records filmed during the loose records program will be indexed in GSU's computerized, all-name index in Salt Lake City and will appear on its web site . (However, it may be years before a county project's information appears there, because GSU microfilms and indexes local records on a world-wide scale.) If volunteers have arranged the loose records alphabetically, quick access to individual names on microfilm should be possible without an index. Projects that wish to compile a separate index to their records should note the following guidelines:

4.4.1. Use a computer. If possible, the index should be created on a computer, as using one will generally allow work to be faster, more accurate, and more comprehensive.

4.4.2. Be thorough. An index to loose records should be as detailed and comprehensive as the project's time and resources will permit. An "all-name" index is best, while cross-referencing (e.g., brides' and grooms' names for marriage licenses) will provide a useful finding aid. Other information in the index can include date, file/docket numbers, and originating office.

4.4.2. Don't worry about a deadline. The index does not have to be ready when GSU's camera operators arrive to film a county's records, or even by the time they finish. If volunteers complete the index later, they can send it to ADAH, where it will be forwarded to Salt Lake City. The best plan, in fact, may be to wait until after the county receives its microfilm before compiling the index, because indexed names can then be linked to individual microfilm roll and frame numbers.

5. Procedures for Quality Control, Filming, and Protection of Loose Records

Project coordinators should ensure that volunteers consistently follow procedures outlined in this leaflet. If questions arise, they should contact ADAH before proceeding further. Besides training volunteers initially, ADAH archivists are available for follow-up visits a nd will inspect the project's loose records when preparation is completed. If at all possible, access to the loose records should then be restricted until they have been microfilmed. Otherwise, record information is likely to be disarranged, and the records may be filmed in incorrect order. ADAH will try to schedule filming promptly so that the loose records will not be closed for an extended period of time.

Before the camera operators arrive, GSU's area coordinator will consult county officials to find a suitable location in the courthouse for the records to be filmed. (Ideally, the room chosen should be close to the records, able to be locked and darkened, and have a source of water and a telephone nearby .) Once the county receives its copy of the finished microfilm, it should consider using the film for public reference and moving its original loose records into storage, thus protecting them from further "wear and tear."

6. Sources of Additional Assistance

For assistance during any phase of a loose records project, contact Tom Turley, Frank Brown (local records archivists) or Linda Overman (ADAH conservation officer) at the

ADAH Government Records Division

P.O. Box 300100, Montgomery, AL 36130-0100

Telephone: (334)242-4452; fax: (334)353-4321

E mail:tom.turley@archives.alabama.gov

frank.brown@archives.alabama.gov

linda.overman@archives.alabama.gov

ADAH web site: http://www.archives.alabama.gov