--American Memory--

Contents

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1. Introduction

2. Substantive Writing
3. Mechanics of Writing
3.1 Abbreviations and Names
3.2 Illustrations: Captions and Legends
3.3 Notes and Bibliographies
3.4 Numbers and Dates
3.5 Punctuation
3.6 Spelling and Special Terms
 
4. Editorial Process
 
5. Editorial Support
 
6. Collection Framework
6.1 About the Collection
6.2 Acknowledgments
6.3 Building the Digital Collection
6.4 Cataloging the Collection
6.5 Copyright and Other Restrictions
6.6 Related Resources
6.7 Scope and Content Note
6.8 Selected Bibliography
6.9 Special Presentations
6.10 Other Components
 
7. Learning Page
 
8. Today in History
 
9. Glossary

6.1 About the Collection

This framework element is mandatory.

About the Collection should accomplish the following goals: establish the provenance, historical significance, and importance of the original collection; describe and quantify the content of the online collection; and explain the relationship between the physical and online collections. If necessary, it should include a brief statement on any collection materials that might offend some users. If applicable to the collection, it should also acknowledge support of a donor, explain the selection principles used, and describe future release plans.

Content should include:

  • Description of the original collection's origins, date, content, quantities of material, and historical significance;

  • Description of the online collection's date range and quantity of items, genre, digital formats available, and geographic areas covered (if applicable);

  • Description of the main topic areas in the online collection, with highlighted examples from the online collection materials;

  • Explanation of the distinction between the original and the online collection and of criteria for inclusion, where any apply;

  • Neutral discussion of any online materials that might offend some users.
Organization elements:

  • Appears as a heading on the collection home page and may also be linked to from the Scope and Content Note.

  • May include information that appears in the Scope and Content Note, but need not repeat the text in its entirety.

  • Should always be called About the Collection, or About the Collections (e.g., Built in America).

  • May vary in length, depending on the nature of the collection, the complexity of the collection content, or Divisional preference. Longer pieces should be divided into topical subheadings for clarity.

Examples

Models of shorter documents include:

Models of longer documents include:

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September 1999