I. Definition & scope of archives collection:

• How do archives fit into the overall collecting policy and holdings of the repository as a whole?
• What characterizes the archives collection in terms of provenance, subject focus, or discipline supported?
• Is anything considered 'out-of-scope' for the archives collection within the subject, form/genre, or media focus.

Methods of acquiring material:

• How do archival materials come to the repository?

  Active search and solicitation for materials in scope?

  Reactive as approached by potential donors?

  By-product of other repository collecting (e.g., coming as an adjunct to a specimen or artifact acquisition)?

• Does the repository have an explicit collection development or acquisitions policy?
• Is there a formal procedure for repository-level consideration of potential acquisitions?
• Are there faculty, trustees, or others who advise or approve on acquisitions?

II. Organization and description of archival material

• What is the primary system for providing researchers with access to descriptions of holdings of the repository as a whole?
• Are descriptions of archival materials included in this system?
• Are the archival materials described at a collective or summary level (collection-level record)? If so,

  Where do these descriptions live?

  What standards do they follow?

• Are the archival materials described at a more detailed level (finding aid / inventory / container listing)? If so,

  Where do these descriptions live?

  What standards do they follow?

• According to the repository’s standards, what percentage of the repository’s archival materials are:

  Fully described (no further work is anticipated)

  Preliminarily described (can be discovered and used but could use fuller description)

  Undescribed

• How much staff time (FTE) is devoted to descriptive work?
• Are the staff, space, expertise (e.g., language skills, subject expertise, media expertise, knowledge of professional standards), equipment, tools, and other resources needed to describe archival holdings adequate? If not, what additional resources are needed?
• Are there established standards and procedures for arranging and describing special collections? Is there a written manual?

III. Collections management

Accessioning

• What is the process by which special collections are accessioned formally into the repository's holdings?

Space management – housing of collections

• Where are the archival holdings of the repository housed?
• Are the areas where archives are stored adequate in terms of:

  Available space for current holdings and growth

  Environmentally controlled and monitored

  Physically secure from theft or unauthorized access

• Is the transport of materials from their shelving area to the areas where they are used or worked on convenient, secure, and reliable?

Preservation

• Does the repository have standards for the preservation housing of holdings and are they consistently followed?
• Are there adequate resources for preservation supplies?
• What percentage of the repository’s archival collections are:

• Adequately preserved (no further work is anticipated)
• Survivable (can be used but could use fuller treatment)
• Endangered

Security

• What measures does the repository take to protect its archival holdings from damage or theft? Are these adequate

Rights management

• To what extent does the repository know what rights it has in the intellectual property represented in its special collections?
• Does the repository systematically maintain information on who holds the intellectual property rights in its special collections and does it make this information available to users?
• How does the repository interact with users when they seek permission to publish, reproduce, or otherwise use special collection materials?

IV Use and outreach

• Who are the users of the repository’s archival collections?

  College / university / seminary students

  Faculty

  Church leaders

  Researchers from elsewhere

• What are the archival collections used for?

  Research

  Teaching and learning

  Exhibition

• Is there a procedure for registering users?
• Are records documenting which users used which materials maintained by the repository?
• Is space for users to use the archival collections adequate? Amount of space? Security?
• Are users monitored while using archival holdings?
• How does the repository satisfy requests for reproduction of archival materials?
• What information does the repository provide to users regarding intellectual property rights in its archival collections?
• Does the repository announce recently acquired or opened archival holdings, new services, or other information about developments in the repository to institutional, local, and other media?
• Does the repository regularly exhibit its archival materials?

V. Equipment and technology

• Does the repository have computers available for creating and delivering finding aids?
• Does the repository have systems expertise available for creating databases and web sites?
• Does the repository have a web site where archival finding aids or guides can be mounted?
• Does the repository have microform reading/printing facilities?
• Does the repository have access to microfilming facilities (cameras)?
• Does the repository have scanning facilities?
• If so, what systems and standards are used for the digitization of materials?
• Does the repository have in place a system for backing up electronic data?
• Does the repository have adequate funding for necessary replacement of hardware and migration of applications and data?