| Arrangement | The original arrangement of the LDGSL series is not suitable for modern archival cataloguing. The material was not arranged according to creator, rather it was placed amongst a range of references on a subject, ie LDGSL 1-18 was deemed 'Society correspondence'. However this method does not allow for expansion, new accessions have to be appended on the end as there is no room to accommodate them within the various sequential categories. This has resulted in material which is either difficult to find, duplicated throughout a number of files or fragmented. Additionally many of the items designated 'deposited papers' are in fact the central administrative records of the Society but were placed here presumably as they did not fit in with the established 'business paper' series.
The central administrative series has been expanded and, where this can be done easily, relevant LDGSL files will be integrated. Others, such as the earliest Society correspondence, have been left where they were as there would have to be substantial rearrangement to accommodate them.
Where possible, material relating to a particular creator will be brought together to conform to ISAD(G). However in some instances the files which comprise the series will still retain their original LDGSL reference for ease of location (ie Murchison) and in this case see: Alt Ref field. Files where the contents were clearly originally together (ie a manuscript and an accompanying illustration) but which were separated under the old arrangement will be reunited and given a single reference.
To rearrange and recatalogue the entire collection will take a substantial amount of time, so to allow as much access as possible whilst the process is ongoing, the original descriptions will be available but gradually replaced once they have been updated. If the new arrangement entails a new reference, the original will be noted in the Alt Ref Field.
It should be stated that the attribution of a 'creator' for many of the drawings, prints and maps in this section is rather complicated. Although individuals such as say Gideon Mantell, did not actually draw or were involved in the printmaking process at all, they are indexed as the chief creator as the images were expressly commissioned by them either for inclusion as illustrations for papers or as separately publlished prints to be distributed to their peers. Additionally, items were donated to the Society by figures such as George Bellas Greenough, but whether they were involved in their creation at all is hard to determine as this information is not recorded in the original catalogue record which was created in the 1980s. Therefore, to retain the provenance of the items, the main name heading which appears in the 1980s catalogue is retained. Where an actual artist or printmaker can be determined this is also included. |