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International Council on Archives
ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description
Adopted by the Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards
Stockholm, Sweden, 21-23 January 1993
(Final ICA approved version)
Ottawa, 1994
MEMBERS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
0. GLOSSARY OF TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENERAL RULES
1. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION
2. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION RULES
3. ELEMENTS OF DESCRIPTION
APPENDIX
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Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards
(Members shown without service years have been on the Commission from its inception in
1990.)
Christopher J Kitching, (Chair), United Kingdom
Hugo LP Stibbe, (Project Director), Canada
Ghislain Brunel, 1990-1991, France
Michael Cook, United Kingdom
Jan Dahlin, Sweden
Wendy Duff, Canada
Ana Franqueira, Portugal
Pedro Gonzales, 1990-1992, Spain
Chris Hurley, 1992-, Australia
Christine Nougaret, 1992-, France
Christine Petillat, 1991-1992, France
Sharon G Thibodeau, United States
Habibah Zon Yahaya, Malaysia
Charles Kecskeméti, Secretary-General, ICA
Wolf Buchmann, Secretary on Technical Matters, Representative of the ICA
Secretariat
Axel Plathe, Representative Unesco PGI
CANADIAN CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA
- Main entry under title:
- ISAD(G) : general international standard archival description : adopted by the Ad Hoc
Commission on Descriptive Standards, Stockholm, Sweden, 21-23 January 1993 : final ICA
approved version
- Issued also in French under the same title.
At head of title: Conseil international des archives, International Council on Archives.
ISBN 0-9696035-1-7
- 1. Archival materials Standards. 2. Cataloging of archival material Standards. 3.
Descriptive cataloging Standards.
I. International Council on Archives. Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards.
- Z695.2.I83 1994 025.3'414'0218 C94-900749-8
Secretariat
- c/o National Archives of Canada
Office of Archival Standards
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N3
Canada
Telephone (613) 996-7592 Fax: (613) 995-2267
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PREFACE
-
- A draft set of general rules was developed by a sub-group of the Ad Hoc Commission on
Descriptive Standards. The sub-group was established at the first plenary of the
Commission during its meeting in Hhr-Grenzhausen, Germany, October, 1990.
- The sub-group consisted of:
Wendy Duff, Coordinator
Michael Cook
Sharon Thibodeau
Hugo Stibbe, Project Director and Secretary
- The sub-group met in Liverpool, U.K., in July 1991 to complete the draft which was
discussed, amended and extended at the plenary of the Ad Hoc Commission at its meeting in
Madrid in January 1992. The draft was formally adopted at that meeting. It is known as the
Madrid draft of the "ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival
Description".
- The Madrid draft of the ISAD(G) was circulated for comment to the international archival
community in February 1992, translated into the languages of ICA and distributed as a
congress paper for the XII International Congress on Archives in Montreal in September
1992 where it was discussed in an open session. The Commission met again in Stockholm in
January 1993 to examine and revise the document in response to the comments received from
the world wide review and the open session in Montreal. The current document is the result
of that process.
- A 5 year revision cycle is proposed for this document and this will be recommended to
the ICA when the document is presented for publication.
- The ICA Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards acknowledges and thanks Unesco for
its financial support for this project. It also thanks the National Archives of Canada for
its support of the Secretariat and the institutions that have hosted the Commission during
the development of this document, the National Archives and the Ministry of Culture of
Spain and the National Archives of Sweden.
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INTRODUCTION
- This set of general rules for archival description is part of a process that will
- a. ensure the creation of consistent, appropriate, and self explanatory descriptions;
b. facilitate the retrieval and exchange of information about archival material;
c. enable the sharing of authority data; and
d. make possible the integration of descriptions from different repositories into a
unified information system.
- As general rules, these are intended to be broadly applicable to descriptions of
archives regardless of the nature or extent of the unit of description. The rules guide
the formulation of information in each of twenty-six (26) elements that may be combined to
constitute the description of an archival entity.
- Each rule consists of:
- a. the name of the element of description governed by the rule;
b. a statement of the purpose of incorporating the element in a description;
c. a statement of the general rule (or rules) applicable to the element; and
d. where applicable, examples illustrating implementation of the rule(s).
- The organization of the rules reflects a preferred structure for any given description
incorporating elements governed by the rules. Within this structure the elements are
grouped in six information areas:
-
- 1. Identity Statement Area
- (where essential information is conveyed to identify the unit of description)
- 2. Context Area
- (where information is conveyed about the origin and custody of the unit of description)
- 3. Content and Structure Area
- (where information is conveyed about the subject matter and arrangement of the unit of
description)
- 4. Condition of Access and Use Area
- (where information is conveyed about the availability of the unit of description)
- 5. Allied Materials Area
- (where information is conveyed about materials having an important relationship to the
unit of description)
- 6. Note Area
- (where specialized information and information that cannot be accommodated in any of the
other areas may be conveyed).
- All 26 elements covered by these general rules are available for use, but only a subset
need be used in any given description. A very few elements are considered essential for
international exchange of descriptive information:
- a. reference code;
b. title;
c. date(s) of creation or date(s) of accumulation of the material in the unit of
description;
d. extent of the unit of description; and
e. level of description. If the name of the creator is not included in the title, then
the element of description that contains that name is also essential for international
exchange.
- The extent to which a given archival description will incorporate more than the
essential elements of information will vary depending on the nature of the unit of
description and the requirements of the information system (manual or automated) of which
it is a part. Some systems may include descriptions of the constituent parts of the fonds
(e.g., series, items) as well as the fonds itself. To assure the efficiency and clarity of
such systems, preparation of the multilevel descriptions within them should be guided by
the rules concerning their linkage and informational content. Multilevel rules designed to
accomplish this have been incorporated in these general rules.
- The areas of description covered by these general rules are those thought to have the
widest applicability in an international archival context. This is only the beginning of a
standardization effort. Further specific rules should be formulated to guide the
description of special categories of material (such as cartographic materials, motion
pictures, electronic files, or charters, notarial deeds, property titles).
- Access points are based upon the elements of description. The value of access points is
enhanced through authority control. Because of the importance of access points for
retrieval, international guidelines should be developed for formulating them. The Ad Hoc
Commission on Descriptive Standards is developing a standard description for authority
records. Vocabularies and conventions to be used with access points should be developed
nationally, or separately for each language. The following ISO standards are useful when
developing and maintaining controlled vocabularies: ISO 5963 Documentation -
Methods for examining documents, determining their subject, and selecting indexing terms
and ISO 2788 Documentation - Guidelines for the establishment and development of
monolingual thesauri.
- In citing a published source in any element of description, follow the latest version of
ISO 690 Documentation - Bibliographic references - Content, form and structure.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENERAL RULES
0.1 The following glossary with terms and their definitions forms an integral
part of these rules of description. The definitions are to be understood as having been
formulated specifically for the purposes of this document.
- Access
- The ability to make use of material from a fonds, usually subject to rules and
conditions.
- Access point
- A name, keyword, index term, etc. by which a description may be searched, identified and
retrieved.
- Appraisal
- The process of determining the archival value of a set of records.
- Archival description
- The creation of an accurate representation of a unit of description and its component
parts, if any, by the process of capturing, collating, analyzing, and organizing any
information that serves to identify archival material and explain the context and records
systems which produced it.
- Arrangement
- The intellectual operations involved in the analysis and organization of archival
material.
- Authority control
- The control of standardized forms of terms including names (personal, corporate or
geographic) used as access points.
- Corporate body
- An organization or group of persons that is identified by a particular name and that
acts, or may act, as an entity.
- Creator
- See Provenance.
- Date of accumulation
- The period over which the material within, or forming part of, the unit of description
has been accumulated by the creator.
- Date of creation
- The actual date at which the archival material in a unit of description was created.
- File
- An organized unit of documents grouped together either for current use by the creator or
in the process of archival arrangement, because they relate to the same subject, activity,
or transaction. A file is usually the basic unit within a record series.
- Finding aid
- The broadest term to cover any description or means of reference made or received by an
archives service in the course of establishing administrative or intellectual control over
archival material.
- Fonds
- The whole of the documents, regardless of form or medium, organically created and/or
accumulated and used by a particular person, family, or corporate body in the course of
that creator's activities and functions.
- Form
- The type or kind of material comprising a unit of description, e.g., letters, minute
books.
- Formal title
- A title which appears prominently on or in the archival material being described.
- Item
- The smallest intellectually indivisible archival unit, e.g., a letter, memorandum,
report, photograph, sound recording.
- Level of description
- The position of the unit of description in the hierarchy of the fonds.
- Location
- The repository, or address of a private owner, at which the archival material is held.
- Provenance
- The organization or individual that created, accumulated and/or maintained and used
documents in the conduct of personal or corporate activity.
- Series
- Documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because
they result from the same accumulation or filing process, or the same activity; have a
particular form; or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation,
receipt, or use. A series is also known as a records series.
- Sub-fonds
- A subdivision of a fonds containing a body of related documents corresponding to
administrative subdivisions in the originating agency or organization or, when that is not
possible, to geographical, chronological, functional, or similar groupings of the material
itself. When the creating body has a complex hierarchical structure, each subgroup has as
many subordinate subgroups as are necessary to reflect the levels of the hierarchical
structure of the primary subordinate administrative unit.
- Supplied title
- A title supplied by the archivist for a unit of description which has no formal title.
- Title
- A word, phrase, character, or group of characters that names a unit of description.
- Unit of description
- A document or set of documents in any physical form, treated as an entity, and as such,
forming the basis of a single description.
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1. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION If the fonds as a whole is being described, it should be
represented in one description, using the elements of description as outlined below in
section 3 of this document. If description of the parts is required, they may be described
separately also using the appropriate elements from section 3. The sum total of all
descriptions thus obtained, linked in a hierarchy, as outlined in the model in the
Appendix, represents the fonds and those parts for which descriptions were made. For the
purposes of these rules, this technique of description is called multilevel description.
Four fundamental rules apply when establishing a hierarchy of descriptions. They are
set out in rules 2.1 to 2.4.
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2. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION RULES
2.1 DESCRIPTION FROM THE GENERAL TO THE SPECIFIC
- PURPOSE:
- To represent the context and the hierarchical structure of the fonds and its parts.
- RULE:
- At the fonds level give information for the fonds as a whole. At the next and subsequent
levels give information for the parts being described. Present the resulting descriptions
in a hierarchical part-to-whole relationship proceeding from the broadest (fonds) to the
more specific.
2.2 INFORMATION RELEVANT TO THE LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION
- PURPOSE:
- To represent accurately the context and content of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Provide only such information as is appropriate to the level being described. For
example, do not provide detailed file content information if the unit of description is a
fonds; do not provide an administrative history for an entire department if the creator of
a unit of description is a division or a branch.
2.3 LINKING OF DESCRIPTIONS
- PURPOSE:
- To make explicit the position of the unit of description in the hierarchy.
- RULE:
- Link each description to its next higher unit of description, if applicable, and
identify the level of description. (See 3.1.4.)
2.4 NON-REPETITION OF INFORMATION
- PURPOSE:
- To avoid redundancy of information in hierarchically related archival descriptions.
- RULE:
- At the highest appropriate level, give information that is common to the component
parts. Do not repeat information at a lower level of description that has already been
given at a higher level.
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3. ELEMENTS OF DESCRIPTION
3.1 IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA
3.1.1 Reference code(s)
- PURPOSE:
- To identify the repository and to provide a link between the archival material and the
description that represents it.
- RULE:
- Record the country code in accordance with the latest version of ISO 3166
Codes for the representation of names of countries, followed by the repository code in
accordance with the national repository code standard followed by a local repository
specific reference code, control number, or other unique identifier.
Examples:
CA NAC ANC-C2358
US LC 72-064568
MY P/AMM Z4
MY MS ANM P/PESU.H.C.O 410/1915
FR AD 53/234 J
3.1.2 Title
- PURPOSE:
- To name the unit of description.
- RULES:
- When the unit of description bears a formal title, transcribe it exactly as to wording,
order and spelling but not necessarily as to punctuation and capitalization.
Examples:
Account of occurrences at Peace River 1832
Hue and cry and Police Gazette 1828-1842
Shipments of rubber for Italy and France
Société ardoisière de l'Anjou. Exploitation de Renazé (Mayenne)
Fonds Perret
Fonds Hennebique
If appropriate, abridge a long formal title, but only if this can be done without loss
of essential information.
Alternatively, compose a concise title. At the fonds level, include the name of
the creator. At lower levels include, for example, the name of the creator and a term
indicating the form of the material comprising the unit of description and, where
appropriate, a phrase reflecting function, activity, subject, location, or theme.
Distinguish between formal and supplied titles according to national or language
conventions.
Examples:
Minute books of the Women's Christian Temperance Movement
Letters of Presbyterian missionaries serving in Manitoba
Videotapes of Ronald Reagan's campaign speeches
Records of the Coast and Geodetic Survey
(Fonds level title)
- Records of the Office of the Superintendent
(Sub-fonds level title)
- Letters sent
Letters received
Drafts of Annual Reports to the Congress
(Series level titles)
- Draft of the First Report
(File level title)
Papers of the Rockefeller Family
(Fonds level title)
- Papers of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
(Sub-fonds level title)
- Correspondence relating to business affairs
Correspondence relating to philanthropic activity
Personal correspondence
(Series level titles)
- Letters to J. Pierpont Morgan
Letter to Theodore Roosevelt
(Item level titles)
3.1.3 Dates of creation of the material in the unit of description
- PURPOSE:
- To identify and record the date(s) of creation of the material in the unit of
description.
- RULES:
- Give the dates of creation of the material in the unit of description as a single date
or a range of dates as appropriate. A range of dates should always be inclusive unless the
unit of description is a record-keeping system (or part thereof) in active use.
Examples:
- 1900-1919
- (The New York State Joint Legislative Commission to investigate seditious activities
operated and accumulated records from 1917 to 1919. The actual dates of the records within
the series, however, are 1900-1919, reflecting the creation of the original documents
collected as evidence in the commission's investigations) (Compare approach in 3.2.3)
23 Mar 1927
circa 1930
1858
before 1850
1907-1949
1907-
21.2.1915 - 21.12.1915
Optionally, also record
(a) the predominant dates or significant gaps. Never enter predominant dates without
inclusive dates.
Examples: 1703-1908 (predominant 1780-1835)
1923-1945 (lacking 1933 to 1935)
(b) date(s) for records in custody.
Examples: Contents: 1703-1908 Contents in custody: 1703-1868
(predominant 1708-1835) Contents: 1907- Contents in custody: 1907-1958
(predominant 1930- ) (predominant 1930-1958)
3.1.4 Level of description
- PURPOSE:
- To identify the level of arrangement of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Record the level of this unit of description.
Examples:
Fonds
Series
Sub-series
File
Item
3.1.5 Extent of the unit of description (quantity, bulk, or size)
- PURPOSE:
- To identify and record
a. the physical extent and
b. the type of material of the unit of description.
- RULES:
- Record the extent of the unit of description by giving the number of physical units in
arabic numerals and the specific unit designation appropriate for the broad class of
material to which the unit of description belongs.
Examples:
2 film rolls
128 photographs
19 folders
25 volumes
20 enclosures
20 m (548 articles)
Alternatively, give the linear shelf space or cubic storage space of the unit of
description.
Examples:
300 boxes (30 m)
If the statement of extent for a unit of description is given in linear terms and
additional information is desirable, add the additional information in parentheses.
Examples:
4 m (ca. 10 200 items)
Optionally, where the unit of description is a record-keeping system (or part
thereof) in active use, show
- the known extent at a given date; and/or
the extent in custody.
Examples:
128 photographs (at 6 Feb. 1990) In custody: 58 photographs
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3.2 CONTEXT AREA
3.2.1 Name of creator
- PURPOSE:
- To identify the creator (or creators) of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Name the organization (or organizations) or the individual (or individuals) responsible
for the creation of the unit of description provided this information does not appear in
the title.
3.2.2 Administrative / Biographical history
- PURPOSE:
- To provide an administrative history of, or biographical details on, the creator (or
creators) of the unit of description to place the material in context and make it better
understood.
- RULES:
- Record concisely any significant information on the origin, progress, development and
work of the organization (or organizations) or on the life and work of the individual (or
individuals) responsible for the creation of the unit of description. If additional
information is available in a published source, cite the source.
For persons or
families record information such as full names and titles, dates of birth and death, place
of birth, successive places of domicile, activities, occupation or offices, original and
any other names, significant accomplishments, and place of death.
Examples:
Louis Hémon was a French writer born at Brest, France in 1880. He died in Canada at
Chapleau (Ont.) in 1913. He studied law at La Sorbonne in Paris. He spent eight years in
England before going to Canada in 1911, where he lived in Montréal and on a farm at
Péribonka (Lac Saint-Jean). In his short career, he wrote several books and articles.
Hémon is famous for: Maria Chapdelaine : récit du Canada français, published for
the first time in 1916
For corporate bodies record information such as the official name, the dates of
existence, enabling legislation, functions, purpose and development of the body, its
administrative hierarchy, and earlier, variant or successive names.
Examples:
The Freedmen's Bureau was established in the War Department 3 Mar. 1865, to supervise
all activities relating to refugees and freedmen and to assume custody of all abandoned or
confiscated lands or property. Abolished 10 June 1872, and remaining functions transferred
to the Freedmen's Branch, Office of Adjutant General and after 1879, to the Colored
Division of the Office of Adjutant General
The Kingston Steam Trawling Company was incorporated in 1891. Hellyer Bros acquired a
majority shareholding in 19[?] and the company was absorbed into Associated Fisheries when
Hellyer Bros merged with that company in 1961. It ceased trading in 1965 and was dissolved
in 1972
La société ardoisière de l'Anjou a été constituée le 16 juillet 1894 par quatre
actionnaires dans le but d'acquérir et d'exploiter plusieurs carrières en Maine-et-Loire
(Trelazé et Noyant-la-Gravoyère) et dans la Mayenne. L'acquisition des ardoisières de
Renazé s'est étalée sur quatre ans: propriétaire de la carrière d'Ensuzières et
actionnaire majoritaire de la Société de Laubinière (1894); propriétaire des
ardoisières de la Touche et du Fresne (1895); propriétaire de Laubinière (1897).
Victime de la concurrence espagnole vers 1960, la société ardoisière de l'Anjou a
fermé son dernier puits à Renazé le 31 décembre 1975
3.2.3 Dates of accumulation of the unit of description
- PURPOSE:
- To supply date(s) of accumulation of the unit of description (e.g., series, file) by its
creator.
- RULE:
- Give the date(s) of accumulation of the unit of description by the creator (or creators)
as a single date or a range of dates. The date or dates recorded here refer to the record
keeping actions of the creator (or creators) and may not antedate the date of
establishment of the creating corporate body (or earliest creating corporate body) or the
date of birth of the creating individual (or earliest creating individual). These dates
may differ from the dates recorded at 3.1.3 Dates of creation of
the material in the unit of description in cases where the unit of description
resulted from an activity involving accumulation of documents created prior to filing by
the creator (or earliest creator), such as documents accumulated from a variety of sources
during an investigation or legal action.
Examples:
1917-1919
(The New York State Joint Legislative Commission to investigate seditious activities
operated and accumulated records from 1917 to 1919. The actual dates of the records within
the series, however, are 1900-1919, reflecting the creation of the original documents
collected as evidence in the commission's investigations.)
(See also approach in 3.1.3)
21.2.1915 - 21.12.1915
3.2.4 Custodial history
- PURPOSE:
- To provide information on changes of ownership and custody of the unit of description
that is significant for its authenticity, integrity and interpretation.
- RULES:
- Record the successive transfers of ownership and/or custody of the unit of description,
along with the dates thereof, insofar as they can be ascertained. If the custodial history
is unknown, record that information.
Optionally, when the unit of description is
acquired directly from the creator, do not record a custodial history but rather, record
this information as the Immediate source of acquisition. (See 3.2.5)
Examples:
The Ocean Falls Corporation records remained in the custody of Pacific Mills Ltd., and
its successor companies, until the mill and townsite were taken over by the British
Columbia provincial government in 1973. In 1976 the records were transferred to the Ocean
Falls Public Library, which began the rearrangement of the records in their current
form...
Originally collected by George Madison and arranged by his nephew, John Ferris, after
Madison's death. Purchased by Henry Kapper in 1878 who added to the collection with
materials purchased at auctions in Philadelphia and Paris, 1878-1893
Records inherited by Houghton Urban District Council in 1937 and later deposited at
Durham Record Office. Transferred to Tyne and Wear Archives Service on 28 July 1976
Le fonds de l'exploitation de Renazé comprend, probablement depuis les années
1895-1897, deux fonds d'entreprises absorbées: ceux de la société ardoisière de
Laubinière et de l'ardoisière de la Touche, établissement Bourdais et Cie
3.2.5 Immediate source of acquisition
- PURPOSE:
- To record circumstances of the immediate source of acquisition.
- RULE:
- Record the donor or source from which the unit of description was acquired and the date
and/or method of acquisition if any or all of this information is not confidential. If the
source or donor is unknown, record that information. Optionally, add accession
numbers or codes.
Examples:
Transferred from Department of Geography, 16 June 1977
Donated by the sisters of Peter Neve Cotton, Mrs Mary Small of Saltspring Island and
Mrs Patricia Jarvis of Bellevue, Washington, March 1983
Purchased at Sotheby's auction, 29 Mar 1977
The orderly books were transferred from Pension Office, 1909; the letter books were
transferred from the State Department, 1915
Received from: Euroc AB, Malmö. Date of acquisition: 1978-10-27
Transferred from the Selangor Secretariat, Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Kuala Lumpur,
1967
Don de la Société ardoisière de l'Anjou (exploitation de Renazé) aux Archives
départementales de la Mayenne, 1969
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3.3 CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA
3.3.1 Scope and content / Abstract
- PURPOSE:
- To identify the subject matter and the form of the unit of description to enable users
to judge its potential relevance.
- RULE:
- Give a brief summary of the subject content (including time period) of the unit of
description. Include information on form as appropriate for the particular level of
description. Do not repeat here information already given elsewhere in the description.
Examples:
General policy files and registers of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of
Housing and Local Government relating to extinguishment of tithe rent charges. The files
contain information about grants to local authorities, rates and rate refunds, and
evidence submitted to the Royal Commission on Tithe Rent-charge in 1934. The registers
contain records of payments of grants to various authorities from 1938 to 1955 under the
Tithe Act 1936
3.3.2 Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
- PURPOSE:
- To provide information on any appraisal, destruction and scheduling action taken.
- RULES:
- Record any appraisal actions taken on the unit of description if that action affects the
interpretation of the material.
Where appropriate, record the authority by which the
action has been taken.
Examples:
Files of every tenth year have been retained
All files are kept permanently under the National Archives of Malaysia ruling:
"Permanent retention of records dated before 31.12.1948"
Très peu d'éliminations ont été effectuées au cours du classement de ce fonds :
seuls les brouillon informes ou illisibles, les formulaires vierges ou en exemplaires
multiples en ont fait l'objet. Globalement, ces éliminations n'ont pas dépassé la
valeur d'une liasse
3.3.3 Accruals
- PURPOSE:
- To inform the user of possible changes in the extent of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Indicate if future accruals, additional transfers or deposits are expected. Where
appropriate, give an estimate of their quantity and frequency. Examples:
Records from
the Office of the Ceremonials Assistant are transferred to the archives five years
following the academic year to which the records relate. On average, 40 cm of records are
transferred to the archives annually on Aug. 1
Accruals are expected
3.3.4 System of arrangement
- PURPOSE:
- To provide information on the arrangement of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Give information on the arrangement of the unit of description. Specify the principal
characteristics of the internal structure, the order of the material and, if appropriate,
how these have been treated by the archivist.
Examples:
Records are maintained according to their original provenance, the direct result of
organizational activity of the organizing body: the High Commissioner's Office
Files arranged alphabetically by file title. A subseries of 17 files (numbered
163/1-17) depend on file 163, dealing with the purchase of the Seaford Dock
Chronological/enclosure number within file
Le plan de classement adopté est le suivant : administration, comptabilité et
finances, personnel, fonctionnement, matériel d'exploitation et outillage, propriétés
immobilières, entreprises absorbées
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3.4 CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA
3.4.1 Legal status
- PURPOSE:
- To provide information on the legal status of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Record information on the legal status of the unit of description.
Examples:
Public records transferred under section 4(1) of the Public Records Act 1958
Transferred under the National Archives Act, No. 44/1966
Archives publiques consécutivement au don
3.4.2 Access conditions
- PURPOSE:
- To identify any conditions that restrict or affect access to the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Give information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the unit of
description. Indicate the extent of the period of closure and the date at which the
material will open.
Examples:
No access may be given to the material without the written permission of the director
of the firm
Family correspondence closed until 2010
All records subject to Access to Information and Privacy Act
No access until microfilmed
Accessible to all registered researchers
La majorité des documents contenus dans ce fonds est librement consultable.
Néanmoins, la communication de certains dossiers relatifs au personnel est soumise à des
conditions ou à des délais de consultation particuliers
3.4.3 Copyright / Conditions governing reproduction
- PURPOSE:
- To identify any restrictions on the use or reproduction of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Give information about conditions governing the use or the reproduction of the unit of
description after access has been provided. If conditions governing use, reproduction or
publication in respect to the unit of description are unknown or if there are no
conditions, no statement is necessary.
Examples:
Rights held by CHYZ-TV
No reproduction without permission of the president of the company
Photographs may be copied for reference purposes only. Use of photographs in a
publication cannot be made without written permission of Kenneth McAllister
Malaysia copyright Act of 1987 records in public domain, reproduction with permission
of the National Archives of Malaysia
3.4.4 Language of material
- PURPOSE:
- To identify the language(s), scripts and symbol systems employed in the unit of
description.
- RULE:
- Record the predominant language(s) of the materials comprising the unit of description.
Note any distinctive alphabets, scripts, symbol systems or abbreviations employed.
Examples:
In Portuguese
Main text in Latin; endorsements in Norman French
In English
Français
3.4.5 Physical characteristics
- PURPOSE:
- To provide information about any important physical characteristics that affects use of
the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Indicate any important physical details and/or the permanent physical condition of the
material that limits use of the unit of description.
Examples:
Images faded
Legible under ultraviolet light only
3.4.6 Finding aids
- PURPOSE:
- To identify any finding aids to the unit of description.
- RULE:
- Give information about any finding aids that the repository or records creator may have
that provide information relating to the contents of the unit of description. If
appropriate, include information on where to obtain a copy.
Examples:
Box list
Detailed finding aid available; file level control
Finding aid: Records of Parks Canada (RG84) / Gabrielle Blais. (General inventory
series / Federal Archives Division). Ottawa : Public Archives of Canada, 1985
Geographical index
Correspondence index to 1880
Descriptive Lists, High Commissioner's Office Records
Répertoire numérique du fonds 234 J. Société ardoisière de l'Anjou. Exploitation
de Renazé / Isabelle LAS. (Archives du pays bleu / Archives départementales de la
Mayenne). Laval : Archives départementales de la Mayenne, 1922. Comprend notamment un
glossaire des termes techniques de l'industrie ardoisière
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3.5 ALLIED MATERIALS AREA
3.5.1 Location of originals
- PURPOSE:
- To identify the repository, corporate body or individual which holds the originals if
the unit of description is a reproduction.
- RULE:
- If the unit of description is a reproduction, and another repository, corporate body or
individual holds the originals, record their name if the information is not confidential.
Give also any identifying numbers and other information that may help in locating the
original material. If the originals are known to be no longer extant, give that
information.
Examples:
Original in National Archives of Canada, C2358
Originals destroyed after microfilming, 1981
Originals retained by the Society of Friends, Newcastle upon Tyne (access by permission
from the Secretary)
Originals in Headquarters, National Archives of Malaysia
3.5.2 Existence of copies
- PURPOSE:
- To indicate the existence and availability of copies of the unit of description.
- RULE:
- If the unit of description is available (either in the institution or elsewhere) in
another format, record the formats, together with any significant control numbers and the
location where they may be consulted.
Examples:
Diaries and correspondence also available on microfilm
Films also available on videocassette
3.5.3 Related units of description
- PURPOSE:
- To identify related units of description in the same repository.
- RULE:
- If the unit of description consists of material that has a direct and significant
connection to another unit of description, indicate the relationship. Use appropriate
introductory wording. If the related unit of description is a finding aid, use the Finding
aids element of description (3.4.6) to make the reference to
it.
Examples:
These include many stray medieval accounts similar to material in E101 and SC6
For further documents concerning the Queen's Jointure see LR5
Related series: In-letters from the Office of the General Manager
Files related to trades, rubber exports, etc., e.g., Export of rubber - S of S 116/15;
Export of rubber to Italy and France - H.C.O. 288/15; Shipment of rubber approved by
Rubber Export Committee - S of S 388/15; Agriculture Bulletin - Misc. 390/15; Exportation
of rubber to Canada - S of S 402/15; Rubber shipment: 7 ton from Harrison and Crossfield
to Alcan & Co., Paris, in June - S of S 938/15; Shipment of rubber to New York per SS
Indrawadi on 6.9.1915 -H.C.O. 1981/15
Sources complémentaires mentionnées dans l'instrument de recherche imprimé
3.5.4 Associated material
- PURPOSE:
- To indicate the existence in other repositories of material associated by provenance to
the unit of description.
- RULE:
- If material in another repository has a relationship by provenance to the unit of
description, provide information about the associated material and the repository.
Examples:
Ernest Buckler fonds held by the Public Archives of Nova Scotia
Files relating to trades, customs and excise, rubber exports, estimates, annual
reports, etc. at the National Archives of Malaysia Branch Offices
Sources complémentaires mentionnées dans l'instrument de recherche imprimé
3.5.5 Publication note
- PURPOSE:
- To identify any publications that are based on the use, study, or analysis of the unit
of description.
- RULE:
- Record a citation to, and/or information about, a publication that is based on the use,
study, or analysis of the unit of description.
Examples:
Folios 23-24 published in Chronicon Petriburgense ed. T Stapleton (1849), pp.
176-182
Bibliographie dans l'instrument de recherche
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3.6 NOTE AREA
3.6.1 Note
- PURPOSE:
- To provide specialized information and information that cannot be accommodated in any of
the other areas.
- RULE:
- Record specialized or other important information not accommodated by any of the defined
elements of description.
1 Some of the information in this area, i.e., the name of the
creator(s) and the administrative/biographical history may, in certain applications, be
accommodated in linked authority files. See I.8.
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1998-04-07