A New International Standard for Describing

Functions:ICA-ISDF

Padre Baroan - Claire SibilleICA Committee on Best Practices and Standards

Presentation summary

Any definitionWhy an international standard for

describing functions of records creators? - PurposeProcess of development of ISDFStructure and elementsAdvantageExamplesFuture developments

Any definitions

“Function. Any high level purpose, responsibility or task assigned to the accountability agenda of a corporate body by legislation, policy or mandate. Functions can be subdivided for instance into subfunctions, business processes, activities, tasks, transactions, etc.” (ICA-ISDF)

Any definitions

“Function is the first level of a business classification scheme. Functions represent the major responsibilities that are managed by the organisation to fulfil its goals” (Standards Australia, AS 4390, Part 4, Clause 7.2.)

Why an international standard for describing functions of records creators?

Until now ISAD(G) serves to describe archival materials and ISAAR(CPF) serves to describe records creators

Users have information on archival materials and on their records creators, but they don’t have access to all the necessary contextual information

Sometimes, the relationships of records with the functions that generated them are more important than the relationships of the records with the organisations that created them

Functions are used by records managers to analyse and classify records, rather than an organisational structure

Purpose of ICA-ISDF

Provides a framework for the standardization and exchange of archival descriptions that identify and describe functions to enable:

Structured documentation of relationships between functions, between functions and the records to which they gave rise, and between functions and the corporate bodies that fulfill them

Users to understand the context of records creation

Linking of and access to all the records created or used in connection with a single function

Process of developmentICA/CBPS Working group

A working group established during the meeting of the provisional Section of Professional Standards and Best Practices at Bern, Switzerland, June, 2005: Representatives from Brazil, France,

Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and Cote d’Ivoire

Development of a first draft

The current models of functional description have been identified, collected and assessed to provide the basis of best practice in a first draft of the new international standard

This draft has been completed, discussed and extended during the first meeting of the WG (Paris, 2006, May)

Call for comments

Then, the draft circulated to the archival community for comments (2007, January-March): more than 30 pages of comments Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,

Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, ISO/TC46, Latvia, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, United States

Revision of the draft

The comments were taken into account during the second meeting of the WG (Dresden, Germany, 2007, May): terminology and functional classification changing names of elements, removing

and adding elements 1 unique chapter about relationships

between functions, records and their creators

Structure and elementsIdentification Area

5.1.1 Type5.1.2 Authorised form(s) of

name5.1.3 Parallel form(s) of name5.1.4 Other form(s) of name5.1.5 Classification

Context Area

5.2.1 Dates5.2.2 Description5.2.3 History5.2.4 Legislation

Relationships Area

5.3.1 Authorised form of name/Identifier of the related function

5.3.2 Type5.3.3 Category of relationship5.3.4 Description of relationship5.3.5 Dates of relationship

Control Area

5.4.1 Function description identifier5.4.2 Institution identifiers5.4.3 Rules and/or conventions used5.4.4 Status5.4.5 Level of detail5.4.6 Dates of creation, revision or deletion5.4.7 Language(s) and script(s)5.4.8 Sources5.4.9 Maintenance notes

Chapter 6

Relating functions to corporate bodies, archival materials and other resources 6.1 Identifier and/or authorised

name/title 6.2 Nature of relationship 6.3 Date of relationship

The knowledge of functions offers many advantages:

It serves as a basis for the appraisal of records

It serves as a basis for the arrangement and description of records

It serves as a tool for control of accessIt serves the users of archives as a tool

for retrieval and historical analysis

Identification Area

5.1.1 Type Fonction

5.1.2 Authorised form(s)of name

Contrôle de légalité

5.1.3 Parallel form(s) ofname

5.1.4 Other form(s) ofname

5.1.5 Classification

Context Area

5.2.1 Dates 1982 - ….5.2.2 Description Ensemble des procédures

garantissant que les actesadministratifs pris par lescollectivités territoriales sontconformes à la légalité

5.2.3 History Avec la loi de décentralisationdu 2 mars 1982, le contrôle delégalité a remplacé la tutelleadministrative (contrôle a priori)

5.2.4 Legislation Constitution du 4 octobre 1958Loi n° 82-213 du 2 mars 1982Code général des collectivitésterritoriales (CGCT)Décret n° 93-1080 du 9septembre 1993

Relationships Area

5.3.1 Authorised form(s) of name -Identifier of the related function

Contrôle administratif descollectivités locales et desorganismes publics

5.3.2 Type Fonction

5.3.3 Category of relationship Hiérarchique

5.3.4 Description of relationship Le contrôle administratif descollectivités locales comprend à lafois le contrôle de légalité et lecontrôle budgétaire de leurs acteset ceux de leurs établissementspublics.

5.3.5 Dates of relationship 1982 - ….

Control Area5.4.1 Function descriptionidentifier

FRDAF0000000001

5.4.2 Institution identifier FRDAF

5.4.3 Rules and/orconventions used

Norme internationale pour ladescription des fonctions,2008

5.4.4 Status Notice non validée

5.4.5 Level of detail Notice complète

Control Area5.4.6 Dates of creation,revision or deletion

Juin 2008

5.4.7 Language(s) andscript(s)

français

5.4.8 Sources Site Internet de laDocumentation française,rubrique « Dossiers /Collectivités locales »(consulté en juin 2008)

5.4.9 Maintenance notes Notice rédigée par ClaireSibille (direction des Archivesde France)

Relating functions to corporate bodies, archival materials and other resources6.1 Identifier and/orauthorised name/title

Préfectures

6.2 Nature of relationship Le préfet s'assure de laconformité à la loi des actespris par les collectivitésterritoriales et certainsétablissements publics

6.3Dates of relationship 1982 - ….

Relating functions to corporate bodies, archival materials and other resources6.1 Identifier and/orauthorised name/title

Pôle interrégional d’appui aucontrôle de légalité

6.2 Nature of relationship Le Pôle interrégional d’appuiau contrôle de légalité aideles préfectures pour l’examendes actes des collectivitéslocales.

6.3Dates of relationship 2002 - ….

Relating functions to corporate bodies, archival materials and other resources6.1 Identifier and/or authorisedname/title

Fonds de la Préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme, contrôle de légalité(1159 W)

6.2 Nature of relationship Ces documents correspondent àla mission de contrôle delégalité dévolue au représentantde l'Etat dans le départementpar les lois de décentralisationde mars et juillet 1982

6.3 Dates of relationship 1982 - 2006

DIRKS Methodology (National Archives of Australia)

The National Archives of Australia have developed guidelines for Designing and Implementing RecordKeeping Systems (DIRKS)

It gives a methodology to analyse functions

Australian Governments ’ Interactive Functions Thesaurus (AGIFT)

GASHE: Standard for describing activities

Gateway of Archives of Scottish Higher Education Descriptions of records, of their creators and of

activities fulfilled by records creators The descriptive elements for activities are

grouped within four information areas: Identity Area Context Area Area of related material Notes Area

Rules for the description of functions of Swiss Federal Archives

The description tool is structured in two different levels

A system of classification according to the classification of Swiss Federal Law (qSR)

Rules for the description of functions of Swiss Federal Archives

Descriptive elements are grouped into 5 areas: Identity Area Description Area Area of relationships with other functions Control Area Area of relationships of functions with

other entities

Future developments

Development of a single reference model to reconcile and harmonise ISAAR, ISAD, ISDF and ISDIAH and in respect to developments in EAD and EAC

See Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), CIDOC CRM, ISO 2146 (Registry Services for Libraries and Related Organisations)

Entities / Relationships Model

Records

Functions

Agents (CPF)

Fulfill Are documented in

Are created, managed by