Book Reviews 313 Eric Almstrom is head of conservation for the Michigan State University Librar- ies and Jennifer Teper holds a similar position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has written or coauthored a number of peer-reviewed articles in the field of preservation and conservation of library and archival mate- rials. Eleven other authors—one in private practice and the rest associated with the preservation and conservation facilities of major institutions in the United States— contributed practical essays that address varied aspects of project planning, speci- fications for equipment and specialized functions, and considerations unique to private conservation labs and those that focus on flat paper collections. Chapters related to planning provide helpful information on how to plan and carry projects to conclusion. Donia Conn’s essay on project management includes lists of details, components, and speci- fications to consider before embarking on the design of a lab. These include the proximity of a freight elevator, plumbing, lighting, the size and location of windows and doors, specialized spaces, security systems, appropriate work surfaces, er- gonomic design, and OSHA regulations. Some of these might seem self-evident, but failure to think about them could prove to be problematic. Eric Alstrom’s chapter on design and layout not only de- scribes such key components as furniture and equipment, but also includes “func- tional footprints” of lab equipment. Three case studies (Ohio University, Dartmouth College, and Michigan State University) contain descriptions and floor plans of the labs at those institutions. Many of these topics are addressed in more depth in subsequent chapters. Whitney Baker provides considerations related to labs for special collections, general collections, and hybrid ones. This chapter, too, contains useful case stud- ies and floor plans. Additional chapters describe processes and equipment for water purification, types and configura- tion of lighting, ventilation and exhaust systems, custom-built furniture and equipment, ergonomic considerations, and quarantine and segregation rooms. Jeffrey Peachey, a conservator in private practice, addresses concepts pertinent to private book conservation labs, and Claire Hoevel provides guidance on the devel- opment of labs for paper conservation. Most of these chapters contain helpful notes and bibliographies. Also included in the book are seven appendices, including four by Jennifer Te- per. These provide additional information on lighting and ventilation, procedures for dealing with mold and pests, guide- lines for crafting a program statement and equipment schedule, and tips for read- ing architectural plans. Teper’s “Quick Reference for Recommended Equipment Specifications” and glossary of terms round out the book. Planning and Constructing Book & Paper Conservation Laboratories: A Guidebook admirably fulfills its intended purpose. A careful reading of it prior to embarking on a project to build or remodel a conser- vation facility will enable users to plan wisely and avoid costly and frustrating mistakes.—Maurice C. York, East Carolina University. Pam Hackbart-Dean and Elizabeth Slomba. How to Manage Processing in Archives and Special Collections. Chi- cago: Society of American Archivists, 2012. 160p. alk. paper, $69.95 (ISBN 1-931666-43-1). LC2012-024050. The arrangement and description of col- lections are core functions of every ar- chives and special collections repository. Deciding which collections to prioritize, determining the level of processing, and establishing best practices are all critical efforts in making materials accessible to users. Over the past two decades, special collections and archives have experienced revolutionary changes in how they access, arrange, and promote collections. In the area of processing procedures, informa- tion specialists have strived to establish a uniform set of standards and practices, 314 College & Research Libraries May 2013 respond to the challenge of “hidden col- lections,” reevaluate traditional process- ing methods, and meet the processing needs of digital projects. Recognizing these ongoing changes in the field and an absence in the profes- sional literature on practices and policies associated with managing processing, au- thors Pam Hackbart-Dean and Elizabeth Slomba have written a concise, detailed, and timely manual that skillfully places processing within a broader discussion of access. Drawing on their 2009 ARL report and survey entitled Processing Decisions for Manuscripts and Archives (Spec Kit 314), Hackbart-Dean and Slomba note the dilemma and challenge that managers continually face when trying to balance conflicting demands for access. For exam- ple, where does a manager place his/her resources when considering the demands of remote users and the institutional priorities of addressing backlogs? The authors’ survey of ARL libraries revealed that respondents largely agreed on core principles of processing, but the actual implementation of policies was effected by institutional practices, culture, and resources. Hackbart-Dean and Slomba have arranged their manual in seven short chapters to address the issues of: planning, processing priorities, project management, preservation, processing standards, training and management of staff, and assessment. What sets this work apart from a straightforward “how-to” manual is the authors’ call for archivists and librarians to adopt a more flexible approach in determining an institution’s selection of processing levels. The authors argue that a processing plan should be based on mission, resources, and patron need and not on a single policy or practice. By encouraging readers to align planning to mission and user need, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba advocate for an operational approach and vision that could accommodate both MPLP processing and item-level processing, as long as the end goal is the broadening of patron access. While the authors’ primary audience is small repositories and “lone arrangers” who are interested in planning and managing day-to-day operations, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba (not surpris- ingly) also seek to engage professionals at larger repositories with their discussion of assessment tools, workflow strategies, and methods of capturing processing statistics. Influenced by their own experiences of working in large academic repositories, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba devote their first chapter to planning. The processing of collections is a substantial investment of staff and resources for any archive or special collections repository to make. Clear policies, procedures, workflows, and mission have to be developed and adopted to ensure a consistent approach to collecting and processing. Moreover, the authors note that planning has to fit an institution’s size, need, user demand, and funding. With an established plan based on clear goals, objectives, and time- lines, the processing manager can better supervise project staff and communica- tions. According to Hackbart-Dean and Slomba, the periodic review of a plan and its alignment to the institution’s mission and overall strategic goals is necessary to ensure accountability, identify and address problems, and clarify the critical issue of how to decide when a collection is considered processed. In Chapter 2, the authors further refine the issue of what constitutes a processed collection in their discussion of processing priori- ties. In implementing a processing plan and assigning priorities, the staff has to conduct a review of collection develop- ment policies and collection strengths, examine current backlog, patron use and demand, donor agreements, and institu- tional priorities. But, how does a manager transition from information gathering to decision making? Hackbart-Dean and Slomba examine different strategies that can help set processing priorities. These strategies include the use of a decision matrix, a rating sheet, and a priorities worksheet with established categories of Book Reviews 315 levels of priority. The authors encourage managers to find a strategy that will work best with their institution’s organizational culture, staffing, and resources. Once processing priorities are set, the authors stress the need to review them annually in light of new collecting opportunities, shifting research trends, new institutional initiatives, and requests for digitization projects. Turning from planning to implemen- tation, Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the actual managing of processing and the challenges of preservation. In a step-by- step manner, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba outline how repositories create workflow plans to establish intellectual and physi- cal control over collections. Mirroring an actual decision-making tree, Chapter 3 documents the order of action steps from appraisal, to accessioning, to preprocess- ing, to arrangement, to preservation, to description, to publishing, and to admin- istration. This discussion is supplemented with references to sample forms and checklists, actual processing plans, and a lengthy bibliography. The authors also discuss how to create a processing manual and a work plan for each collection. The chapter ’s most significant contribution lies in its discussion of management strategies and techniques. After an intro- duction to the basics of processing, the authors quickly pivot to a discussion of minimal processing. Beyond describing the basics of MPLP, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba examine the possible effects of adopting streamline processing. Spe- cifically, they discuss the need to manage both institutional and donor expectations regarding the level of access to a specific collection. The authors recommend the managing of expectations by stress- ing the cost associated with item-level processing and the benefits of detailed online description. While acknowledg- ing the ongoing debate about levels of processing, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba emphasize the continued need to create processing manuals, individual process- ing plans, and a clear means of tracking progress (project wikis, Google Docs, and the like). In Chapter 4, Hackbart and Slomba discuss how the processor should factor preservation into each step of the processing plan. For example, a preserva- tion assessment can be conducted during the initial appraisal and acquisition of a collection. In turn, the findings of a pres- ervation assessment can then be factored into the institution’s processing priorities. With the growing expectation of us- ers to access collections through online tools, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba argue that processing plans now need to ac- commodate a range of access tools and descriptive standards (MARAC21, EAD, Dublin Core, and METS). Paper find- ing aids and in-house databases are no longer sufficient in providing access for researchers. With the adoption of online catalogs, online finding aids, and collec- tion management systems, repositories are required to standardize procedures, readjust manuals and workflow, and select finding aid templates. Institutions also have to adjust processing plans for item-level cataloging and metadata cre- ation to ensure digital access. These new requirements and tasks directly affect existing processing goals and timelines. In the case of unprocessed collections that have been identified for digitation, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba recommend radically altering processing work plans to treat metadata capture, digitization, and processing as one contained project. To implement these new standards and access tools, a successful processing pro- gram has to have a trained staff. To meet these new needs, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba in Chapter 6 consider the neces- sary skill sets and training for an effective and continual learning processing team. To justify the cost of a processing pro- gram and speak to its overall value to the organization, Pam Hackbart-Dean and Elizabeth Slomba believe that processing managers must annually assess program goals and policies, evaluate staff work, and benchmark with other comparable institutions. It is vital that a processing 316 College & Research Libraries May 2013 program set processing rates as well as determine the correct data points and types of data to collect for its statistics. Along with a quantitative approach, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba also suggest a qualitative assessment through the use of scoring rubrics. On their surface, assess- ment tools seem to focus on program effi- ciencies. Yet, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba are careful to remind managers that an assessment program’s outcomes should be used to support and meet the user’s needs. Ultimately, policies, procedures, and goals should be evaluated in light of this primary mission objective. In How to Manage Processing in Archives and Special Collections, Pam Hackbart- Dean and Elizabeth Slomba provide a solid and thorough overview of the steps taken to implement a processing program. Along with the central narra- tive, the book also includes a detailed bibliographical essay, sample forms, and a listing of web resources. For lone ar- rangers and newly promoted managers of processing programs, this handbook is a critical addition to the professional literature in the planning, running, and assessing of a program. Yet, embedded within each of the chapters, the authors discuss key challenges and issues that are buffeting existing processing practices and assumptions. Through the conven- tional format of a “how to” manual, Hackbart-Dean and Slomba quietly offer the processing manager practical steps in balancing competing demands of process- ing and access. Their call for flexibility and a patron-driven approach to process- ing is delivered in an open manner that values individual professional judgment and welcomes further collective discus- sion.—Keith Gorman, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.