Before transferring any folders, take a closer look at the current filing arrangement. Folders in an archive box might be organized by date, project code, division, sender, or some other method that isn’t clear at first glance. Filing sequences may appear haphazard, but there may be a pattern behind it. Original order is an archival concept which means maintaining the filing order established by the creator of the records, when the original arrangement still has meaning.
Keeping the original filing sequence is often important because the connections between records can get lost when the materials are moved around. Consider the folder sequence based on internal tracking numbers. Recreating this filing sequence using subject titles may make more sense for the next person to use these records, but you may be separating records that were processed together. The original filing sequence can be a source of clues about how records were processed, assigned, created, and related to each other.
For those starting out, I recommend reviewing a handful of folders and recording what you find, without moving the folders yet. Write down the titles, dates, codes, and current filing sequence on your inventory form. Look for patterns in the sequence. Do the folders follow a date pattern? Are several of the codes related? Do certain types of records, like correspondence, reports, and forms, tend to be grouped together? This review period will help you determine if the filing sequence is disorganized but still meaningful, or if it’s truly jumbled.
It is sometimes difficult to determine whether the original filing sequence was intentional. Records may have been transferred between departments before getting to the archives, filed partially by a previous archivist, or stored together by mistake. Some folders may lack codes, have incorrect codes, or have unclear connections to other folders. Maintaining all of the folders in their exact original positions won’t necessarily maintain all of the relevant archival context. Your aim is to locate any evidence of the original intellectual filing sequence and avoid destroying that evidence before you understand it.
This is why good documentation becomes even more important when you have to make changes. For example, several loose papers might obviously fit inside a file, or two folders with identical titles may be far apart due to an error. Before fixing the sequence, make note of what you saw and the rationale behind the change. Maintain titles, dates, creators, and codes in your inventory, and only change them if you’re sure of what they mean. If you’re unsure about the meaning, note that in your documentation, rather than presenting your interpretation as gospel.
Preserving original order also illustrates why you shouldn’t conflate physical filing location with the intellectual filing sequence. One archival series might span several archive boxes, or one archive box might contain parts of multiple different files from the same series. Relocating a folder into a more appropriate container doesn’t mean you’ve changed where it belongs in the filing sequence. You can document this relationship by creating a finding aid or inventory that maps the series and file hierarchy to the current location in the archive.
If you encounter a messy filing arrangement, try not to jump straight to the conclusion that it needs to be fixed. Look for codes, adjacent dates, similar folders, or other evidence that there’s an intentional sequence behind it. Often, the best archival choice is not to impose a new filing structure, but to respect the structure that exists and document it well.
