Make a rough inventory.
A useful scope description answers these questions without exposing the contents.
- Approximately how many pages, folders, or boxes?
- Are page sizes mixed? Are there staples or bindings?
- Are sheets fragile, faded, folded, or handwritten?
- Do you need visual copies, searchable copies, or structured data?
Agree handling before dismantling.
Fragile originals and bound material may need a different approach. Do not remove bindings or separate a collection until its order and handling rules are understood.
Plan custody and return.
Ask who receives the material, how the handoff is recorded, how it will be held, and how originals return. Local availability must be confirmed. Mailing and destruction are not implied.
Define what a complete result means.
Agree page grouping, count checks, orientation, filenames, and what happens to unreadable pages. Keep questions about legally required retention with qualified advisers.