######################### Correspondence Guidelines ######################### Guidelines to create metadata for letters and other correspondence. **Reminders:** - These instructions are a sub-set of the full metadata guidelines but may not cover all options; be sure to look at help guides for individual fields to see additional examples and formatting guidelines - Occasionally, items may have project-specific exceptions to these rules - Institution and collection values will always be determined by administrators - Placeholder information is denoted by {{{3 brackets}}} which should be removed; other punctuation is intentional (examples show final formatting) ***** Title ***** .. note:: - Every letter should have one main title that describes known recipient(s)/sender(s) and date - Only include information that is known (e.g., some letters may not have a date, or may not use proper names) - More :doc:`Title ` formatting and examples Main Title ========== +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |Personal letter: [Letter from {{{{name}}} to {{{name}}} - {{{date}}}] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Leave out any unknown information | | [Letter from McCarty Moore to John E. Surratt - December 31, | |- Do not include salutations or nicknames (e.g., "My | 1925] | | Dearest Mother") | | [Letter from Samuel B. Foster - December 18, 1865] | |- A relationship may be used in place of a name | | [Letter from Paul Osterhout to his Grandmother - October 24, | |- Names may be abbreviated as initials, especially if the | 1874] | | title is very long or the name is irregular | | [Letter from Sterling Houston to San Antonio Light Editor - | |- Dates may be set off with a comma or dash, depending on | August 15, 1990] | | which is clearer | | [Letter fom T. L. James to D. W. Kempner - August 30, 1949] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When very little or no information is known, the title | | [Letter from Raymond Cheung Regarding Internship] | | may include a reference to the content instead | | [Letter to Jesse Grimes About Personal Topics] | |- This also applies if no names are listed | | [Letter Regarding Personal Updates, 1940s] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Business letters to a group: [Letter from {{{organization}}}, {{{date}}}] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- This generally applies to letters addressed to "members"|[Letter from Galveston Artillery Club - May 24, 1955] | | or "stockholders" or similar rather than an individual | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Multiple letters: [Correspondence Between {{{name}}} and {{{name}}}, {{{date-date}}}] (or title adjusted to "Letters") | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- This applies when multiple letters are grouped together | | [Letters from Meyer Bodansky to J. Leont'ev, March | | (e.g., because they are physically connected an cannot | 1936-September 1938] | | be separated, or a respondent answered on the same page)| | |- The title should reflect the whole content of the item | | [Correspondence Between Alex Bradford & Kent Cooper - May 1944] | | (e.g., a date range/month covering all correspondence) | | |- In some cases, it may be more appropriate to describe | | [80 Letters in Support of Cannon Air Force Base] | | the content | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Typed versions of handwritten letters: [Transcript of Letter from {{{{name}}} to {{{name}}} - {{{date}}}] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When we have a handwritten and typed version of the same|[Transcript of letter from Paul Osterhout to his Grandmother - | | letter, the titles will match, but the printed version |October 24, 1874] | | should start with "Transcript of" | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Other types of correspondence | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Adjust title descriptors for specific types of items as | | [Telegram from Fred Chandler, Jr., to R. I . Mehan, December 8, | | appropriate, e.g.: | 1956] | | | | | - E-mails | | [Air Force E-mails Regarding BRAC Analysis] | | - Telegrams | | | - Postcards | | [Postcard of Davis Home Sent to James Chambers] | | - Memos/memoranda | | | - Invitations | | [Invitation to Groundbreaking Ceremony, 1987] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- If the correspondence is primarily a solicitation rather| | [Telecord Advertisement] | | than a "letter," the title may be changed to something | | | descriptive (but other fields may still reflect that it | | [Flyer Advertising the Institute of International Relations - | | was mailed correspondence when relevant) | June 1946] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Added Title =========== +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |Most letters will not have added titles; here are some | | |specific times when they might: | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When there are (few) multiple letters, adding a | | [Letter from Alex Bradford to Kent Cooper - May 24, 1944] | | normalized title for each letter will make that | | [Letter from Kent Cooper to Alex Bradford - May 25, 1944] | | version searchable (optional) | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When a letter/e-mail includes a subject line (e.g., |B-1 Bottling Company of Houston, Inc. | | labeled "Re: " or "Subject: ") include that text as | | | a title | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Other Titles ============ - When in doubt, do not include additional titles (see other title documentation for more information) - For *certain collections*, records for letters may include appropriate series titles, e.g.: - archival series titles - fiscal year titles - legislative session titles - If names include organizational acronyms, it *may* be appropriate to include an alternate title (though generally the name should just be written out elsewhere in the record) ******************* Creator/Contributor ******************* .. note:: - For original letters: creator = letter writer; contributor = letter recipient - Entries may only include a single name; for multiple names (e.g., two senders), you will need a separate entry for each name - Remember that a name can only be a creator **or** contributor (not both) so for multiple letters, all parties may be listed only as authors/creators - More :doc:`Creator ` and :doc:`Contributor ` formatting and examples +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |Individual names (type = personal) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Format a personal name as: last, first middle |Bouldin, H. M. | |- Personal names **must** have a surname and should not be+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | included when unavailable (e.g., signed "Aunt Jennie" |Foster, Samuel B. | | with no additional information) +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Do not include titles (e.g., Rev.), degrees (e.g., |Bodansky, Meyer, 1896-1941 | | Ph.D.), etc. unless necessary to distinguish the person;+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | for married women, use the woman's name, if known |Carmean, E. A., Jr. | |- Use an authorized form of the name if available/relevant+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Other forms (e.g., abbreviations) can be added to "info"|Hunt, Mrs. Andrew | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |*Name:* James, Thomas Leroy | | | | | |*Info:* Thos. L. James | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Agency/organization names (type = organization) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Use an authorized form of the name if available/relevant|United States. Army. | |- Write out the name as it is written (e.g., in signature +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | line or letterhead) |Galveston Artillery Club | |- For organizations with divisions, list each part largest+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | to smallest, separated with periods |Committee for a National Trade Policy (U.S.) | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |Colombia. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Creator/Contributor Roles ========================= - Note that any creator/contributor entry *must* have a name, type (person/organization), and role - Choose roles based on who made the specific item: +----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ | |**Creator is:** |**Creator role:** |**Contributor is:** |**Contributor role:**| +----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ |Original letter |Person/organization that wrote |author |Recipient of letter (person or |correspondent | |(may be handwritten or|the letter | |organization) | | |typed) | | | | | +----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ |Transcribed letter |Person/organization that |transcriber |Writer of original/source |author | | |created the transcription | |letter | | | | | +-------------------------------+---------------------+ | | | |Optionally, include recipient |correspondent | +----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ |Telegram / card / |Sender (person/organization) |author |Recipient, if named |correspondent | |invitation / etc. | | | | | +----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ |Postcards (with |Person/organization that wrote |author |Recipient, if named |correspondent | |correspondence) |the message | +-------------------------------+---------------------+ | | | |Person/organization responsible|photographer, | | | | |for the image, if named |illustrator, or | | | | | |artist | | | | +-------------------------------+---------------------+ | | | |Postcard printer, if named | | | | | | |printer | +----------------------+-------------------------------+------------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ ************* Creation Date ************* .. note:: - More :doc:`Date ` formatting and examples +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |Use the date written on letter in the form YYYY-MM-DD |1944-03-12 | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |For multiple dates/letters, you can use a range (date/ | | |date) |1936-03-01/1938-09-21 | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |If there is no date on the item, leave this out, or add | | |a date based on other known information (when relevant): | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | - Add a tilde (~) to denote an approximate/"circa" |1913-12~ | | date | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | - Add a question mark (?) if the date is not |1868? | | completely certain | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | - Use a less specific known date (e.g., YYYY only) | | 1833-04 | | | | 1945 | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |If part of the date is illegible, a missing digit may be |184X-10-10 | |replaced with "X" | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |For transcriptions/translation, the creation date is |2012-11-12 | |when the *transcript* or *translation* was written | | | | | |- If this is unknown, leave the creation date blank | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ******** Language ******** .. note:: - More :doc:`Language ` formatting and examples - Choose the appropriate language from the list that matches the text - Add multiple languages if needed ******************* Content Description ******************* .. note:: - Start the content description with "Letter ... " or other relevant descriptor ("E-mail ..." / "Telegram ... " / etc.) - When important, other descriptive elements can be included at the start, e.g., "Photocopy of a letter ..." or "Transcript of a letter ..." - Most descriptions will be around 1-2 sentences - Adjust the description based on known information and type of content - Always mention/describe enclosures (when applicable) - More :doc:`Description ` formatting and examples +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |Personal letters | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Use the rough format: Letter from {{{name}}} to |Letter to Dr. Knickerbocker from Dr. Meyer Bodansky offering the | | {{{name}}} discussing ... (((brief details summarizing |position of chairman of the Texas Committee for Medical Refugees to| | whole letter and highlighting anything of importance}}} |Dr. Knickerbocker. | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |Letter from the Congressional Delegation of California to | | |Commissioner Sue Ellen Turner regarding Marine Corps Air Station | | |(MCAS) Miramar and Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego. | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |Letter from J. Bouldin to her sister, Bettie Wade, discussing her | | |health, an upcoming Sunday school celebration, and other news. She| | |says that she has still been sick with the chills and Pa has a | | |toothache. The recent rain made the rivers rise so high that the | | |stages could not come in for about a week. | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |Letter from Dr. Felix P. Miller to Dr. Chauncey D. Leake discussing| | |the exhibition of an X-ray machine at a conference and the purchase| | |of an electron microscope for University of Texas. A newspaper | | |clipping from the El Paso Times is enclosed, featuring a piece on | | |Dr. Miller and his work developing X-ray technology. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Business letters to a group | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Use the rough format: Letter from {{{organization or |Letter from the Committee for a National Trade Policy's executive | | person at organization}}} discussing ... (((brief |director referencing the political platform statements, which the | | details summarizing whole letter and highlighting |Committee is sending to members, describing Republican and | | anything of importance}}} |Democratic candidates' positions in relation to trade. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ******************** Physical Description ******************** +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |General format: # p. ; h cm. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- List the number of pages and height rounded up to next |[1] p. ; 28 cm. | | whole centimeter (cm.) | | |- If pages are unnumbered, list the pages of *content* in | | | [brackets] | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |For odd page sizes or folded pages: ... ; h x w cm. OR ... ; h x w cm., folded to h x w cm. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Add height x width rounded up to next whole centimeter | | [2] p. ; 5 x 20 cm. | | (cm.) when size is disproportionate or important to item| | |- Include total (open) height x width and folded height x | | 6 p. : ill. ; 40 x 22 cm., folded to 26 x 22 cm. | | width when relevant | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |If there are illustrations (e.g., letterhead or doodles): # p. : ill. ; h cm. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When the content has illustrations, add a note between | | [1] p. : col. ill. ; 29 x 20 cm. | | pages and dimensions, preceded by colon | | |- For color illustrations, use "col. ill." | | 5 p. : ill. ; 18 x 11 cm. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |If the letter includes an envelope or an enclosure: ... + {{{# item type}}} (ill., h x w cm.) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- For any items that "accompany" the main content, after | | 2 p. ; 28 cm. + 1 envelope (11 x 24 cm.) | | the letter description add "+" and for each type of item| | | list number and type of item, with details and | | [1] p. ; 28 cm. + 1 clipping (ill. ; 31 x 16 cm.) | | dimensions in parentheses | | | | | 12 p. ; 20 x 13 cm. + 1 envelope (9 x 14 cm.) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |For cards: 1 {{{item}}} : {{{b&w or col.}}} ; h x w cm. | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- For postcards or greeting cards, change # p. to the item| | 1 postcard : col. ; 9 x 14 cm. | | type: 1 postcard or 1 card | | |- Note whether the illustrations are black-and-white or | | 1 card : col. ill. ; 12 x 17 cm., folded to 12 x 9 cm. | | color (rarely, a postcard is text-only and the middle | | | segment would be omitted: 1 postcard ; h x w cm.) | | 1 card ; 8 x 11 cm. | |- Dimensions should be h x w rounded up to next whole | | | centimeter (cm.), but may include folded sizes for | | | greeting cards (same as above) | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ******* Subject ******* .. note:: - 2 subject values (any type) are required for every record - 1 UNTL-BS term is required for all Portal records - Ideally, at least one subject should be added that is "more specific" to the individual item content - More :doc:`Subject ` formatting and examples +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |University of North Texas Libraries Browse Subjects (UNTL-BS) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- There is a "correspondence" term that applies for these |Social Life and Customs - Correspondence | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Depending on the content, it may be appropriate to add | | Education - Colleges and Universities | | one or two additional UNTL-BS terms | | | | | Agriculture - Farming | | | | | | | Social Life and Customs - Customs - Holidays - Christmas | | | | | | | Business, Economics and Finance - Advertising | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Keywords (KWD) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Depending on the content, add one or two keywords that | | medical research | | are specific to the item | | |- Keywords should be lowercase and plural, unless they are| | anecdotes | | proper names | | | | | Kiwanis Club | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When applicable, choose a more specific content type | | Business correspondence | | description | | |- Do not add terms that duplicate resource type (e.g., | | Personal correspondence | | "Postcards") | | | | | Greeting cards | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Named Person (named_person) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- When the sender/recipient are individual people, add | | Spies, John W. | | them as named persons if they are discussing themselves | | |- This may apply to any individual person who is important| | Turner, Susan Ellen | | to the content (i.e., it is "about" them not just every | | | person mentioned in passing) | | Phillips | |- Named persons *must* have at least a surname | | |- Personal names may be added as keywords, instead, if | | Coker, Mrs. | | there is no full name or it is not "about" them | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- If authorized, relevant LCSH terms are available (e.g., | | King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 | | business names or famous people) add them as subjects | | | | | Imperial Sugar Company | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ************** Primary Source ************** .. note:: - More :doc:`Primary Source ` formatting and examples - Original letters are considered primary sources - When in doubt, mark "N/A" (not applicable) ******** Coverage ******** .. note:: - Add information about the places/dates that the content is *about* - This may or may not match creation information - More :doc:`Coverage ` formatting and examples +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Guideline** | **Examples** | +===========================================================+===================================================================+ |Place Name | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- If relevant, add the place(s) that are discussed in the | | United States - Texas | | letter | | |- Places *may* include the location of the sender (i.e., | | India | | "what is happening here") and/or the recipient (i.e., | | | "what is happening there, with you") | | United States - Illinois - Cook County - Chicago | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Coverage Date | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- Add a single coverage date entry for the date or date | | 1937/1970-01 | | range described in the content | | |- Formatting follows the same rules as the date field | | 2000-08-24 | |- Occasionally this will be the same as creation (e.g., | | | "what's happening today") but will often be a range of | | 1866-12 | | time, or a less specific date (e.g., a month instead of | | | a day) | | 1907-07~ | |- For transcripts, coverage date will represent the | | | content of the original letter | | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Time Period | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |- For Portal records, add relevant time period(s) that | | mod-tim (Modern Times (1939-Present) | | correspond to the date(s) covered | | | | | new-sou (New South, Populism, Progressivism, and the Great | | | Depression, 1877-1939) | +-----------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ******** Relation ******** .. note:: - Relationships only apply when we have multiple items in the Digital Collections that should be connected - If you are unsure whether this applies, look at the relation field guidelines for a description of the types of appropriate relations - More :doc:`Relation ` formatting and examples - For each entry, choose the appropriate relation type and add {{{title, ARK}}} for the *related item* - Relationships are reciprocal, so A >> B *and* B >> A - Here are examples of relations that may be applicable to correspondence: **Handwritten letter & typed transcript** +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Original letter |*Has Transcription* |(points to typed |[Transcript of Letter from Josephus Moore to Charles Moore - | | | |version) |February 16, 1865], `ark:/67531/metapth203126 | | | | |`_ | +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Typed version |*Is Transcription of*|(points to original|[Letter from Josephus Moore to Charles Moore - February 16, 1865], | | | |letter) |`ark:/67531/metapth203348 | | | | |`_ | +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ **Letter with separate enclosures** (these are sometimes together and sometimes separate) +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Letter | *References* |(points to |[Photograph of Kathleen Marie Bleu as a Baby], | | | |enclosure/s) |`ark:/67531/metapth1329515 | | | | |`_ | +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Enclosure item |*Is Referenced By* |(points to letter) |[Letter from Charlotte to Jeane and D. W. Kempner - February 5, | | | | |1948], `ark:/67531/metapth1339795 | | | | |`_ | +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ - "References/Is Referenced By" relationships can also be used when letters refer to one another, or refer to other non-enclosure items (e.g., content in a report that both people have read) - This may not always be appropriate, depending on the collection scope, e.g., if there are many letters that all reference one another back-and-forth, it may not be as helpful to include every reference and users can still sort them chronologically **A letter & a translated version** +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Original letter |*Has Translation* |(points to English |[Translation of Letter from H. Fehr, September 19, 1928], | | | |version) |`ark:/67531/metapth624275 | | | | |`_ | +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ |English version |*Is Translation of* |(points to original|[Letter from H. Fehr, September 19, 1928], | | | |letter) |`ark:/67531/metapth606680 | | | | |`_ | +-----------------+---------------------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ************* Resource Type ************* .. note:: - More :doc:`Resoure Type ` formatting and examples - Original letters and transcripts should be labeled as "Letter" (text_letter) - For other correspondence that is primarily text/solely communication (e.g., telegrams), also use "Letter" - For postcards (with or without correspondence) use "Postcard" (image_postcard) - For other types of materials that have been mailed, the type may vary depending on the primary content, e.g.: - flyers/advertising mailers: Pamphlet (text_pamphlet) - greeting cards that are primarily correspondence: Letter (text_letter) - greeting cards that are largely blank: Artwork (image_artwork) ****** Format ****** .. note:: - More :doc:`Format ` formatting and examples - Generally "text" but will match type prefix (e.g., "image" for postcards) ********** Identifier ********** .. note:: - More :doc:`Identifier ` formatting and examples - Correspondence may have partner-assigned identifiers (to match physical and digital items) - These are added (or left in records) as Local Control Numbers (LOCAL-CONT-NO), e.g.: - DSMA_91-004-00008 - UTSA_MS218-01-02-027