Finding aids are inventories that describe archival collection contents in greater detail. This page breaks down the essential parts of a finding aid. This will help you interpret the information presented in a finding aid. The sections of a finding aid explained here are broken down into six parts: Summary Information; Scope and Content Notes; History; Subject Terms; Citation; and Collection Inventory.
The finding aid we are going to be using as an example is the Guide to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Records and Photographs, 1885-2006.
This part of finding aid states the collection title, collection number, and dates of the material. Repository lists what departmental library in the ULS manages and facilitates use of the collection. The extent will tell you how large a collection is. The Abstract gives a brief description of what you can expect to find in the collection. When you request a collection, you'll need to know the full collection title and the collection number (collection numbers are like call numbers on a book).
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Records
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
AIS.1999.13
Bulk, 1936-2004
1845-2006
81.93 linear feet (61 boxes)
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) is a non-profit organization created to set aside and preserve tracts of land from large-scale commercial development. The land is usually deemed significant for its ecological, historical, or scenic importance. This collection contains the records and photographs of the WPC. The records of their preservation efforts include deeds, grants, and land transfers along with correspondence and legal documents. The photographs include prints of various sizes, negatives, 35mm slides, glass plate negatives, and lantern slides, depicting land which the WPC has worked to transform into some of today's most utilized parks, nature reserves, protected state game lands, and historical sites. Furthermore, the photographs document the WPC's efforts to beautify communities throughout Western Pennsylvania with the creation of gardens and greenways.
The history section of the finding aid will have a biography on either, the person or family (if it a collection of personal papers) or history of the organization.This section will help you to understand the context in which these records were created and sometime provide important background information.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) began as the Greater Pittsburgh Parks Association (GPPA) in 1932. The organization's first projects included transforming a barren stretch of land lying parallel to Bigelow Boulevard into a park (resulting in Frank Curto Park) and expanding Frick Park in Pittsburgh's East End. However, through the Depression and World War II, funding and interest for the Parks Association remained low, and accomplishments were sporadic.
By 1951 the GPPA reestablished itself as the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and began purchasing large tracts of land from willing individuals and communities. The next two decades were spent merging these properties and forming some of today's most utilized Western Pennsylvania parks. McConnell's Mill represents one of the first of these efforts. From 1945 and culminating in 1974, the WPC set aside the land for McConnell's Mill in Lawrence County, ultimately designating it a Natural Historic Park. In the early 1950s, the WPC began to attain the land that would later comprise the Ferncliff Peninsula. This project would widen in scope throughout the next fifteen years, resulting in the establishment of the Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County. Between 1959 and 1964, the WPC also created Muddy Creek, the central focus of Moraine State Park. The year 1963 marked a watershed year for the WPC. Much of the land for Raccoon Creek State Park was acquired and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. entrusted the WPC with the world famous Frank Lloyd Wright home, Fallingwater.
Beyond these accomplishments, the WPC was also instrumental in consolidating the land that would encompass Laurel Ridge and Oil Creek. The WPC worked simultaneously augmenting Cherry Run, McCoy Farm, and Conneaut Marsh, all protected state game lands.
Outside of land acquisitions, transfers, and the maintenance of Fallingwater, the WPC also played a large role in preserving historical sites. The Old Stone House Village, a nineteenth century stopover point for mail carriers, was restored and remains a Butler County attraction. Also, in keeping with the theme of the Greater Pittsburgh Parks Association, the WPC has worked with community organizations in and around Pittsburgh to plant and maintain gardens found along roadways, neighborhoods, and businesses.
Since 1932, the WPC has acquired over 85,000 acres of land, with the stated goal of pushing this total to 110,000 acres by 2010. This land has then been transferred to the state, maintained by the conservancy, or sold to private individuals under the condition that it remains free of commercial development. Today, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy boasts a small full-time staff and over 9,000 members, all of whom want to conserve the natural and cultural heritage of Western Pennsylvania.
The scope and content notes in a finding aid will describe what will be found in the collection. It will tell you the type of material (example- annual reports, correspondence, blueprints, etc.). It may also tell you what not to expect to find in a collection. This finding aid for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Records, which specifically states that it does not have records on the Fallingwater Estate.
This collection contains the records and photographs of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC).
The record series reflects the efforts of the WPC to buy and transfer land, some of which has led to the creation of the state's most visited parks. The series contains records from the acquisition of land necessary for McConnell's Mill, Ohiopyle, Ferncliff, Moraine, and Raccoon Creek State Parks. The records also document restoration projects, including the Old Stone House Village and the Johnston Tavern. The vast majority of records in this series date between the early 1950s and the late 1970s.
The photograph series contains both black and white and color prints of various sizes, 35mm slides, negatives, glass plate negatives, and lantern slides. While the earliest images date back to 1885 and include glass plate negatives of the Ohiopyle region, the majority of images date between the early 1950s and the early 2000s. Prominent among the photographs in this series are McConnell's Mill, Ohiopyle, and Raccoon Creek State Parks. Historic preservation projects are also very well documented, particularly the Burke Building. Finally, the photograph series depicts the WPC's ongoing efforts to protect and maintain greenways throughout Western Pennsylvania with the help of local communities.
Subject headings or controlled access headings are words used to describe the collection. You may find it useful to use subject terms when searching for additional collections relevant to your topic.
Greater Pittsburgh Parks Association.
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white prints (Photographs)
Color negatives
Color prints (Photographs)
Color slides
Lantern slides
Negatives (Photographic)
Frank Curto Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Frick Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
McConnell's Mill State Park (Pa.)
Moraine State Park (Pa.)
Moraine State Park Watershed (Pa.)
Ohiopyle State Park (Pa.)
Raccoon Creek State Park (Pa.)
Stone House (Butler, Pa.)
Associations
Environment
Parks -- Pennsylvania
Parks -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Every finding aid will also have a preferred citation that is the basic information needed for a citation. For a further guide on citing documents please see the Citation Guide found in the ASC Info tab.
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Records, 1885-2006, AIS.1999.13, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
No restrictions.
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Gift of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy on June 21, 1999. Photographs were acquired in May 2013.
Archival collections are not indexed item by item, but rather by folders. These folders may have only a few documents or contain hundreds of pages. The folder title will describe the subject of all the documents found in that folder. At the end of the finding aid they will be a section that lists the title of each folder and the box it is found in. This information will help you identify folders within collections that you'll want to review in person. You will need to know which box and folder numbers when requesting collections at one of the A&SC reading rooms.
