Services
Backlog works with organizations to organize, care for, and sustain their archives, records, and digital materials. Our work focuses on clarity, access, and long-term use.
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Understand what you have and what to do next. We review physical and digital materials, storage, access, staffing and current practices, then develop practical priorities for the work ahead.
Typical deliverables: Collection survey, needs assessment, preservation priorities and a phased action plan.
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Give staff clear guidance on what to keep, how to manage it and when it belongs in the archives. We develop retention schedules, transfer procedures, access and handling guidance, and emergency plans that fit how your organization works.
Typical deliverables: Retention schedule, policy documents, procedures and staff guidance.
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Turn unprocessed materials into collections people can find and use. Our archivists inventory, arrange, rehouse and describe collections, with a processing approach matched to your priorities and resources.
Typical deliverables: Processing plan, organized collections, inventories, finding aids and archival descriptions.
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Build the structure needed to manage digital materials over time. We plan digitization projects, organize metadata, map collection information into systems such as ArchivesSpace, and develop workflows for access and digital preservation.
Typical deliverables: Digitization plan, metadata mapping, system setup or migration support, and documented workflows.
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Keep projects moving with experienced archival support. We provide recurring project oversight, on-site work, staff coaching and help implementing priorities as your program develops.
Typical deliverables: A scoped work plan, recurring project support, progress reviews and staff guidance.
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Help employees and volunteers care for collections and use consistent procedures. We provide practical training and documentation for new responsibilities, new systems and changes in staffing.
Typical deliverables: Training sessions, reference guides, onboarding materials and workflow documentation.