Archival Standards – ISAD(G) & ISAAR (CPF)

Archival Standards

Archival Description

Archival Standards

Archival Description

• The nature of archival description• The purpose of archival description• The result: Finding aids• The basic principles

Archival Standards

Archival Description

• The nature of archival description•origin, context, provenance•filing structure•form and content•relationship with other records•ways to be found and used

Archival Standards

Archival Description

• The purpose of archival description•to provide access to archival materials•to promote the understanding of such materials

•to establish their authenticity

Archival Standards

Archival Description

• Finding aids•summary description of archival materials•statement of the context•other information to support

•management•discovery•use• interpretation

Archival Standards

Archival Description

•... the findings aids in the Nationaal Archief in The Hague ....

Archival Standards

Archival Description

• The basic principles

•the principle of respect des fonds

•the principle of provenance

Archival Standards

Archival Description

.... respect des fonds, original order ???

Archival Standards

Standards for Archival Description

• Standards, why ?•to ensure creation of consistent, appropriate and self explanatory descriptions

•to facilitate retrieval and exchange•to enable the sharing of authority data•to integrate descriptions from different locations

Archival Standards

Standards for Archival Description

• What standards?•national

•APPM in the US (now: DA:CS)•RAD in Canada•MAD in Great Britain•ACPM in Australia

•international•ISAD(G) EAD•ISAAR(CPF) EAC

Archival Standards

Standards for Archival Description

• History•1898: Dutch Manual (Muller, Feith and Fruin)•1980’s: need for standards – automation and exchange

•1988: ICA – Commission on Descriptive Standards

•1994: ISAD(G)•1996: ISAAR(CPF)•2000: ISAD(G) 2nd edition•2004: ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF)

• ISAD(G) : General International Standard Archival Description

• Encoded Archival Description (1998 / 2002)

• ISAAR (CPF) : International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families

• Encoded Archival Context (draft)

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• General rules:

• Archival arrangement is based on•a system of hierarchical levels

• Archival description is based on •the method of multilevel description

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) : the hierarchical levels

Archival Standards

Archival Description

•... the fonds, record group or collection ....

Archival Standards

Archival Description

•... the series or class....

Archival Standards

Archival Description

•... the file ....

Archival Standards

Archival Description

•... the item or piece ....

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• General rules:

• Archival arrangement is based on•a system of hierarchical levels

• Archival description is based on •the method of multilevel description

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• Multilevel description•descriptions are presented from the general to the specific

•information provided at each level of description must be appropriate to that level

•repetition of information at different levels must be avoided

•relationships between levels of description must be clearly indicated

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• Multilevel description (1)•descriptions are presented from the general to the specific

• present the hierarchical structure of the fonds in part-to-whole relationship

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• Multilevel description (2)•information provided at each level of description must be appropriate to that level

• example:•Department of Agriculture and Fisheries•history and mandates of the department

• Bureau for Agricultural Education• history and mandates of this bureau• Bureau for Scientific Research• history and mandates of this bureau

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• Multilevel description (3)•repetition of information at different levels must be avoided

do not:- Annual report, fiscal year 1950/51- Annual report, fiscal year 1951/52- Annual report, fiscal year 1952/53- Annual report, fiscal year 1953/54

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• Multilevel description (3)•repetition of information at different levels must be avoided

do:- Annual report, fiscal years 1950/51-1953/54

- 1950/51- 1951/52- 1952/53- 1953/54

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• Multilevel description (4)•relationships between levels of description must be clearly indicated

•in the designs of the database applicationand / or

•in the labels or headings of the elementsand/or

•in the lay out of the presented descriptions

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• seven areas of descriptive information

•identity statement area•context area•content and structure area•condition of access and use•allied materials area•note area•description control area

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• identity statement area

•reference code(s)•title•date(s)•level of description•extent and medium of the unit of description

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• context area

•name of creator(s)•administrative / biographical history•archival history•immediate source of acquisition

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• content and structure area

•scope and content•appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

•accruals•system of arrangement

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• conditions of access and use area

•conditions governing access•conditions governing reproduction•language / scripts of material•physical characteristics and technical requirements

•finding aids

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• allied materials area

•existence and location of originals•existence and location of copies•related units of description•publication note

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• notes area•note

• description control area•archivist’s note•rules or conventions•date(s) of description

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

• 6 out of 26 elements are required:

•reference code (e.g. NL-HaNA_1.10.35)• title•date(s)• level of description•extent of the unit of description•creator

• 3 (administrative/biographical history, scope and content, access conditions) are recommended

Archival Standards

ISAD(G)

The Karl Marx / Friedrich Engels Papersa small exercise

Analyze the text, describing the Karl Marx / Friedrich Engels Papers, and mark the ISAD(G)

elements

use brackets [ and ] for marking the beginning and the end of an element

use the codes 3.1.1 – 3.7.3 as the name of the markings

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• General rules:

• Creators of archival materials must be described

• For each creator at least one authorized form of the name must be determined

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• Archival authority records•similar to library authority records•with additional information on history, status, functions, structure and relations

• Rules for authorizing names can rely on international, national or local standards

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• four areas of descriptive information

•identity area•description area•relationships area•control area

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• identity area

•type of entity•authorized form(s) of name•parallel forms of name•standardized forms of name according to other rules

•other forms of name•identifiers for corporate bodies

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• description area

•dates of existence•history•places•legal status•functions, occupations and activities•mandates / sources of authority•internal structures / genealogy•general context

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• relationships area

•names / identifiers of related corporate bodies, persons or families

•category of relationship•description of relationship•dates of the relationship

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• control area•authority record identifier•institution identifier•rules and / or conventions•status•legal of detail•dates of creation, revision or deletion•languages and scripts•sources•maintenance notes

Archival Standards

ISAAR (CPF)

• 4 out of 27 elements are required:

•type of entity•authorized form(s) of name•dates of existence•authority record identifier

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF)

ISAAR (CPF) ISAD(G)

Archival authority record

Description of archival material

5.1 identity area5.2 description area5.3 relationships area

3.2.2 administrative / biographical history

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF)

ISAAR (CPF) ISAD(G)

Description of archival material

in The Hague (NL)

1816-1845

Archival authority record

Governor of Curaçao, 1816-1948

Description of archival material

in Willemstad (NA)

1846-1948

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF)

ISAAR (CPF) ISAD(G)

Archival authority record

Governor of Curaçao, 1816-1948

Description of archival material

Archives of the Governor of Curaçao,

Archival authority record

1846-1948in Willemstad (NA)

Colonial Council, 1862-1926

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF): the tools

• How to create finding aids and archival authority records ?

• with pen and paper• with old fashioned typewriteror• with word processor• with spreadsheet• with a database applicationor• with an open source markup language: XML

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF): the tools

• XML – Extensible Markup Language

• example:MessageMary: please call John Smith in London

• in XML: <message>

<heading>Message</heading><addressee>Mary: </addressee><text>please call John Smith in London</text>

</message>

Archival Standards

ISAD(G) and ISAAR (CPF): the tools

• Encoded Archival Description• ISAD(G) : General International Standard Archival

Description

• Encoded Archival Context• ISAAR (CPF) : International Standard Archival Authority

Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families

Archival Standards

Example: finding aid in XML format

Archival Standards

Example: basic description (minimal)

Archival Standards

Example: finding aid printed in PDF format

Archival Standards

Example: finding aid in HTML format

Archival Standards

Standards for Archival Description

• Standards --- are you ready ?

•The question is not IF you would implement these standards, but only WHEN and HOW.

Archival Standards

Standards for Archival Description

• More information ?

•ISAD(G) & ISAAR (CPF)http://www.ica.org

•EADhttp://www.loc.gov/eadhttp://www.archivists.org/saagroups/ead/

•EAChttp://xml.coverpages.org/eac.html

Archival Standards

Archival Standards – ISAD(G) & ISAAR (CPF)

... the Nationaal Archief in The Hague, the Netherlands ...thank you