making records meaningful: a step by step approach to establishing full archival programmes,...

Making Records Meaningful: A step by step approach to establishing full archival programmes, processes, and documentation

Introduction and Overview

Workshop: Phases of an Archival Program, including Accession Mapping and Registration (Session 1), and Processing and Documenting (Session 2). A Contextual Archive: Building a Common Knowledge Framework that all CSO’s share, that is Persistent and Usable (Session 3) The digital archive

Making Records Meaningful: a step by step approach …

Phases of an Archival Program

The main phases of an archival program implementation are:

Accession mapping and registration Provenance identification, registration and description Inventory identification, registration and description Series identification, registration and description Physical rebuild of the collection if necessary Location and use management


Archiving Model

Accession Physical Control Inventory

Provenance

Series

Intellectual controls – records creating and managing activities

Intellectual controls – records creators and custodians

It is critical that the scope and purpose of the archival program be articulated carefully and clearly documented at the outset. If the scope and purpose change over time, which is not unlikely, then these changes must be recorded. The authority, mandate and responsibilities of the parties involved in the archival program should also be clearly understood and documented.

Where the custody of the records and other materials will change during the process of the archival program appropriate instruments documenting and authorizing these changes should be utilized. In some cases an exchange of letters may be sufficient, whereas in other cases, forms and other legal documents may be appropriate.


Archival Program – Scope and Purpose

First contact through to negotiating/accepting into archival program => records associated with making contact, surveying, appraising, consigning accessing etc., various archival recordkeeping systems e.g. contact files/database, collection files/database, accession registers, consignment forms etc., importance of onsite recording (record of operational environment), however compromise is standard part of practice as never enough funding

Registration into archival program and associated transfers of custody/control

Processing and documenting in archival program Making accessible - finding aids at various stages and derived from

archival documentation; registration of users and their usage (including publications); annotation, qualification, addition; managing access issues for material not intended for the public domain


Documentation Requirements

Session 1 - The Accession Mapping and Registration Phase

Boxes of records at Ballarat


Accession Mapping and Registration

How records get into an archival program – surveying, mapping, documentation as part of an accession

Advantage: Can map collection relatively quickly.

Aim: Tell story of records, critical role of an archival program


Accession Mapping and Registration

The aim of the first and critical stage of the Archival Program – Accession Mapping and Registration – is to register the records and associated materials AS FOUND.

The story of the records of the Diane Barwick Collection

Barwick, Diane Elizabeth (1938-1986) - Accession Report

BARW2005-0019 Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Office - Printed Materials and Associated Files

Date Range c. 1961 – 1985

Quantity 80 cm, 3 cartons, 56 items

Accession ContentsCarton 1 - 15 folders/envelopes - 1961 - 1985: mostly 1980-1985 correspondence subject files covering the Judy Ingliss Memorial Prize; G.C. Bolton 1982; AIAS Seminar 1982; the Aboriginal Biography Project; Sally Weaver manuscripts and correspondence; photocopy of Hartwig PhD thesis 1961.

Carton 2 - 23 folders/envelopes - 1980-1982: files relating to the AIAS Biennial Meeting Land Rights Symposium 21-22 May 1980 including copies of most papers; files relating to The Aboriginal Treaty Committee 1981-1982 including correspondence, publications and draft manuscripts/typescripts.

Carton 3 - 18 folders and volumes - c1976 - 1981: mostly publications and typescripts relating to Canadian Indian issues including treaties (carton not completely full)Control

Provenance Barwick, Richard

Location Workshop - 45 Waite Street, Farrer, ACT 2607

Making Records Meaningful: a step by step approach…

Accessioning Records - Report

An Accession set, once registered and documented to this level of detail and housed in movable containers can be responsibly used (given the requirements mentioned earlier) and relocated as required without comprising the integrity of the records and minimizing the risk of materials going missing.

Each Accession is given a unique identifying number

However, the completion of this phase is only the beginning of the archival program but if this phase is undertaken in a painstaking and careful manner, the ensuing phases, rather than being problematic, can be responsibly and efficiently managed.

More Questions . . . Lunch . ..


Accession Mapping and Registration - Summary


Session 2 - Processing and Documenting

Provenance identification, registration and description

Inventory identification, registration and description

Series identification, registration and description Physical rebuild of the collection if necessary Location and use management


Archiving Model

Accession Physical Control Inventory

Provenance

Series

Intellectual controls – records creating and managing activities

Intellectual controls – records creators and custodians


Provenance

Provenance refers to the Creator or Source of the records and is extremely important as it helps establish the context in which the records were created and used.

Provenance may be the agency, office or person from which the records originated. It may be the person or entity which received or accumulated and used the records. It may also refer to the chain of ownership reflecting the office(s) or person(s) that created, received or accumulated and used the records.


Provenance The records which are created by a specific office bearer in an

organisation will be of the same provenance, even though the individual holding this position changes over time.

Identifying and documenting the provenance of records is an essential part of establishing their authenticity and integrity as evidence in legal situations.

Using provenance information correctly means that the records of an agency or person are not to be mixed or combined with the records of another. This will ensure that the records are retained and documented in the way they functioned and/or were organised.

Each Provenance entry is given a unique identifying number.


Provenance

Provenance data consists of information about the

organisation, agency, workgroup or individual and is

divided into elements such as: title of organisation/group/person function(s) of organisation/group/person structure of organisation/group relationships to other organisations/groups/individuals predecessors history or biographical note


Series A series is a group of records created for a common

purpose. These will normally be identifiable because they

contain records which were used or kept together. Records described as a series may have been

controlled through the same numerical, alphabetical, chronological or other sequence.

They could also result from the same accumulation or filing process, or be of similar physical shape or information type, e.g. Newspaper Clippings about the Ballarat Orphanage


Series

Whereas an accession is based on a physical grouping of records, a series is based on the format, content or control system of the records.

A series of records may exist in more than one location and therefore derive from several accessions and, conversely, an accession may consist of more than one series.


SeriesA series description records:

the provenance of the records (custodian at latest identified date of the series)

a title a description of the format, content and any control systems

used functions of the records arrangement of the records date ranges dimensions related series


Series

Series are numbered and may be divided into sub-series which reflect the way in which the records from that series were grouped while active . . . but for reasons of usability other groupings may be imposed

Series, like accessions, are identified and defined by the archivist . . . but generally in consultation with others knowledgeable about the records

Each series is given a unique identifying number.


Inventory

An inventory is the list which describes the contents of a records collection at a level appropriate to the structure, content and nature of the records. . . usually files or volumes

It documents the smallest section of records that can be given to a researcher for reference.

This section could be a file, a set of files or part of a file; a volume or set of volumes, an object, photograph, electronic record or larger groups of material that could be described under a single title.

The amount of descriptive detail will vary according to the nature and requirements of the records collection.


Inventory The inventory is assembled through the systematic processing

of the accessions and captures information about the contents of the records (title, dates etc.) and their physical state (format, size etc.).

It provides control over a collection both in the way it is physically organised, and according to the information within the records.

Each entry in the inventory is given a unique control number which is recorded in the database and marked on the records.

This is the Inventory ID and may take the form of a barcode that is adhered to the record.


Inventory

Inventory data comprises: information describing the content, format, dates and

dimensions the provenance (the custodian at the latest date) – a

link to the appropriate Provenance entry the accession number (or location) which indicates

where the records came from allocates records to a series when appropriate

Making records accessible Finding Aids and Guides – paper and online Encoded Archival Description (EAD) –

computer processable

But is this enough – is there not more that could be done in the networked digital world to make our archives work harder for us?

Making Records Meaningful: A step by step approach . . .

Session 3 – Making Context Work Standards ISAD(G) is the International Council on Archives approved General International Standard Archival Description. ISAAR CPF (corporations, persons and families) ISO recordkeeping standard Library Standards Museum Standards Encoded Archival Context Encoded Archival Description

Achieving readiness to participate in open contextual information frameworks


CSO archival programs and the contextual archive – moving beyond silos to shared knowledge

The Online Heritage Document Manager (OHRM), a contextual information management tool - a means of linking information no matter where it is held or in whatever form; for digital archives – a means of interconnecting digitised materials in a meaningful way.

If we had a magic wand to bring sense to the digital world – every information object, needed to be accessed, would be represented in the open digital information universe by at least one persistent digital surrogate

Examples . . .


But we do not have a magic wand . . . What we have is a growing understanding that our

systems need to evolve towards contextually-based interconnectability . . .

That this will need work and more importantly understanding . . .

That this is a common goal being advanced on a number of fronts . . . National Library of Australia, academia, and the community sector . . .

making records meaningful: a step by step approach to establishing full archival programmes,...

Documents

archival program surveying

step approach phases

archival programmes

registrationhow records

story of records

registration session

accession registers

documenting session