Finding Aids

What is a finding aid? From the Society of American Archivists: n. ~ 1. A tool that facilitates discovery of information within a collection of records. - 2. A description of records that gives the repository physical and intellectual control over the materials and that assists users to gain access to and understand the materials. What does that mean? A finding aid is a descriptive guide for archival collections and usually includes information about the creator of the materials, formats included, dates covered, and how the materials are arranged. A finding aid helps researchers and archivists to learn more about the collections and to find the materials in a collection that will be most helpful for their research questions.

To search the archival collections, use the Special Collections Search. Search Tip: Enter coll* in the Call Number field in addition to your other search terms. This will limit your search to archival collections only.


Search Finding Aid Text

List of Finding Aids

Collection # Collection Name Parent Collection
Collection # Collection Name Parent Collection
1 Philip M. Wagner papers
2 Perry Hall Improvement Association records
3 Rita Saltz collection
4 Ferdinand C. Latrobe papers
5 Barbara Young papers
6 Mildred Grossman papers
7 David F. Bischoff papers
8 American Society for Cell Biology records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
9 International Union of Immunological Societies records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
10 American Type Culture Collection records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
11 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
12 American Association of Immunologists records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
13 Society of Protozoologists records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
14 Biophysical Society records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
15 Society for Industrial Microbiology records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
16 Tissue Culture Association records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
17 R.D. Allen film and videotape collection Center for Biological Sciences Archives
18 Keith Porter papers Center for Biological Sciences Archives
19 University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
20 Hugh Bolton Jones letters
21 American Association of Anatomists records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
22 Society for Developmental Biology records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
23 Jule Eisenbud collection on Ted Serios and thoughtographic photography
24 Baltimore Sun foreign bureaus records Baltimore Sun Archives
25 Ernest Kempe collection
26 Brian C. Daley papers
27 Stabler family papers
28 Thomas F. Monteleone papers
29 John Price Bell papers
30 American Genetic Association records Center for Biological Sciences Archives
31 Margaret J. Bennett Home ledger
32 Baltimore Sun memorabilia collection Baltimore Sun Archives
33 Harold A. Williams papers Baltimore Sun Archives
34 Baltimore Sun financial and selected labor records Baltimore Sun Archives
35 Geoffrey Fielding collection of Baltimore Sun cartoons Baltimore Sun Archives
36 Stephen Tall papers Special Collections
37 Kathleen Skullney collection
38Jo Ann Argersinger manuscriptsUniversity Archives
40Software and Information Industry Association records
41Mark Rice papers
42Jacob Riis letter
43Dick Higgins collection
44Albin O. Kuhn papersUniversity Archives
46Baltimore Camera Club records
47Marvin Mandel collection
48Carl Baker oral history interviewsCenter for Biological Sciences Archives
49Henry Clay B. Norris diary
50President's Office recordsUniversity Archives
51Democratic National Convention collection
52University Senate recordsUniversity Archives
53Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences recordsUniversity Archives
55UMBC Oral History collectionUniversity Archives
56Africana Studies recordsUniversity Archives
57Alumni Relations recordsUniversity Archives
58American Studies recordsUniversity Archives
59Ancient Studies recordsUniversity Archives
60Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation recordsUniversity Archives
61Biological Sciences recordsUniversity Archives
62Board of Regents recordsUniversity Archives
63Career Services Center recordsUniversity Archives
64Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture recordsUniversity Archives
65Campus Scheduling and Guest Services recordsUniversity Archives
66Visual and Performing Arts recordsUniversity Archives
67Dresher Center for the HumanitiesUniversity Archives
68English recordsUniversity Archives
69Gloria Oden papersUniversity Archives
70International Archives for Aerospace Art records
71Facilities Management recordsUniversity Archives
72John Starr papersUniversity Archives
73Graduate School recordsUniversity Archives
74Human Resources recordsUniversity Archives
75New Media recordsUniversity Archives
76Interdisciplinary Studies recordsUniversity Archives
77Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery recordsUniversity Archives
78Mathematics and Statistics recordsUniversity Archives
79Meyerhoff Scholars Program recordsUniversity Archives
80Ethnomusicology recordsUniversity Archives
81Political Science recordsUniversity Archives
82Provost Office recordsUniversity Archives
83Theatre Department recordsUniversity Archives
84James Arnquist papersUniversity Archives
85Television scriptsSpecial Collections
86Barbara S. Kraft papersSpecial Collections
87Margaret Lewis Reed microscopeCenter for Biological Sciences Archives
88Morton Rubin papersUniversity Archives
89Institutional Research recordsUniversity Archives
90Residential Life recordsUniversity Archives
91John M. Titchener papersUniversity Archives
92Joseph L. Sanders correspondence
93John Haskell papersUniversity Archives
94Women's Center recordsUniversity Archives
95Sam McCready papersUniversity Archives
96Willie B. Lamouse-Smith papersUniversity Archives
97Institutional Advancement recordsUniversity Archives
98Sandra Herbert papersUniversity Archives
99Harold A. McDougall papers
100O'Donnell family papers
101Leonardo J. Sirios papers
102Jonathan Finkelstein papersUniversity Archives
104Jaromir Stephany papersUniversity Archives
105Society for Invertebrate Pathology recordsCenter for Biological Sciences Archives
106Solidarity collection
107UMBC historic documentsUniversity Archives
111Joseph L. Arnold papers
114Lynne Sachs papers
115Robert Burchard papersUniversity Archives
116Maryland Folklife Program recordsMaryland Traditions Archives
117Baltimore Sun photographsBaltimore Sun Archives
118Jack Engeman collectionThe Photography Collections
119Eleanor Hovda collection
120Maryland Traditions recordsMaryland Traditions Archives
121Dorothy Howard collectionMaryland Traditions Archives
122Ola Belle Reed collectionMaryland Traditions Archives
123Jason Pate collectionMaryland Traditions Archives
126F. Belle Devilbiss journal of school lessons
127Kuhn family scrapbookUniversity Archives
129Student Affairs recordsUniversity Archives
132Robert W. Fichter collection
133Steven Gentry manuscript
134Robert Gerle papersUniversity Archives
146Elaine Eff papersMaryland Traditions Archives
147Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Glee Club collectionThe Photography Collections
148Public Policy recordsUniversity Archives
149Tim Ford photographsUniversity Archives
151Annie Greene manuscript
152 John Q. Lane sketchbook
153J. H. Swartz manuscript
154John Dos Passos letter
155Lizette Woodworth Reese manuscript
156Die-cut scrapbook
157Commodore Philip Voorhees log book
158Autograph book
159Michael J. Geraghty manuscript
160Andrew D. Jack journal
161Account sheets
162Baudour Porcelain records
163Chinese paper money
164John Lofland manuscript
165Charles J. Ingersoll papers
166Levy Lammott promissory note
167John H. B. Latrobe letter
168 Puerto Rico official documents
169 A. Bertram Chandler manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
172 Robert Chilson manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
173 Isaac Asimov manuscripts Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
174 Roger Zelazny Papers Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
175 Gerard F. Conway manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
176 Gordon R. Dickson manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
177 V. K. Findlay scrapbook
179 John K. Diomede manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
180 Herbert Franke manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
181 M. A. Foster manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
182 Raymond Z. Gallun manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
183 Joseph Green manuscripts Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
184 Charles L. Harness papers Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
185 Michael Kurland manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
186 John Norman manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
187 Frederik Pohl manuscripts Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
188 John Rackham manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
189 Cecil Snyder III manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
190 Brian Stableford manuscripts Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
191 Louis Trimble manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
192 E. C. Tubb manuscripts Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
193 William Walling manuscript Science Fiction Literary Manuscripts
194 Jim Mohr papers University Archives
195 Hugh Davis Graham papers University Archives
196 W. Edward Orser papers University Archives
197 Raymond Starr papers University Archives
198 Slobodan B. Petrovich papers University Archives
199 Renate Fischetti papers University Archives
200 Grancel Fitz papers
201 James Hall Bready collection
202 Rita Colwell papers Center for Biological Sciences Archives
205 France-TV records University Archives
206 Edward Bafford recordings
207 George La Noue papers University Archives
208 David Lewis papers University Archives
209 Will Backstrom collection University Archives
210 Painted Screen Society of Baltimore collection Maryland Traditions Archives
260 Lawrence Watts-Evans papers
278 East Baltimore Documentary Photography Project collection
308 New Media Studio Collection Maryland Traditions Archives
309 Edwin Remsberg Collection
310 Douglas McMurtrie papers
312 Left Bank Jazz Society Inc. collection
314 Ashley Minner Maryland Traditions Archives
315 George Cruikshank collection
320 Charles L. Wagandt II collection
324 Harry Rowe collection
326 Howard Ehrlich collection
328 Monument Quilt collection
330 Tom Klinkowstein collection
331 Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation collection
332 Human Being Productions collection
334 Women's Movement in Baltimore collection
335 To Say Their Own Word prison program collection
336 Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Folklife collection
341 St. Mary's College of Maryland Folklife collection
351 9 to 5 Baltimore Working Women Organization collection

EAD-XML

In 2015, the Special Collections department of the Albin O. Kuhn Library at UMBC will begin to use Encoded Archival Description (EAD-XML) to create finding aids. Information about this project and the work created will be added to this page as it is finalized.

What is EAD-XML? Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is a standard format of XML that is used to create finding aids. XML is a mark-up langauge that is used for structured data or to make a document machine-readable - this means that a computer can parse out different sections and identify the sections by the XML tags. Why is it important? Creating finding aids using EAD allows archives and libraries to share their files and make them available in shared catalogs like ArchiveGrid. It also means that the finding aids are somewhat uniform, although how the finding aid is displayed to the user can vary quite a lot.

Want to learn more about EAD-XML and/or XML in general?

A resource list is available (opens as a PDF).

Implementation at UMBC

NHPRC logo

In 2014, UMBC was awarded a grant through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) Access to Historical Records program. The project plan for the grant, "Implementation of an EAD compliant work flow at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County," includes standardizing collection level and finding aid data creation, repurposing data across multiple systems (PastPerfect, Aleph, and CONTENTdm), and using multiple standards (MARC, Dublin Core, and EAD3).

Want to learn more or ask questions?

For questions related to the NHPRC grant, the description manual, or EAD, please contact Special Collections Archivist Lindsey Loeper at lindseyloeper@umbc.edu.

For questions related to the use of MARC XML, please contact Catalog Librarian Vicki Sipe at sipe@umbc.edu.


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