Difference between revisions of "Metadata requirements"

From ICA-AtoM
Jump to navigation Jump to search
 
(24 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Main Page]] > [[System Requirements]] > Metadata requirements
+
[[Main Page]] > [[System requirements]] > Metadata requirements
  
 +
== Purpose ==
  
Metadata requirements identify the entities the system must track and the kinds of information about them it must capture in order to do the things specified by the functional requirements.
+
Metadata requirements identify the entities the system must track and the kinds of information about them it must capture in order to do the things specified by the [[Functional requirements|functional requirements]]. The requirements provide:
  
 +
*Parameters for designing the system.
  
Metadata requirements are organized hierarchically, breaking down core requirements into sub- and sub-sub-requirements. Three core requirements have been identified:
+
*Criteria for testing the system (used in initial release and future iterations and upgrades).
#[[#Record information about archival materials | Record information about archival materials]]
 
#[[#Record information about actors that interact with archival materials | Record information about creators of archival materials]]
 
#[[#Record information about repositories that hold archival materials | Record information about repositories that hold archival materials]]
 
  
 +
*Planning guidelines for developing the system (identify data not currently captured).
  
Each metadata requirement includes the following information:
+
*Documentation for standards compliance (link requirements to relevant international or national descriptive standards).
  
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
+
== Organization ==
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-x.x.x (unique tracking number assigned to requirement)
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
Metadata requirements are organized hierarchically, with high-level requirements broken down into sub- and sub-sub-requirements. To facilitate cross-references and links, each requirement has been assigned an alpha-numeric code: the alpha prefix designates the type of requirement (MR = mateadata requirement), the number establishes its position in the hierarchy. Seven main metadata requirements have been identified:
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Descriptive name assigned to requirement.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-1|MR-1 Record information about archival materials]]
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| Brief description of requirement: what data must the system be able to capture?
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-2|MR-2 Record information about actors]]
| style="background:silver"  | Sub-requirements
 
| If the requirement is broken down into sub-requirements, provides links to these.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-3|MR-3 Record information about archival institutions]]
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
| Links to standards or other documents: why must the system capture this data?
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-4|MR-4 Record information about controlled terms]]
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
| Links to functional requirements: what functionality must the system have that requires this data?
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-5|MR-5 Record information about descriptions]]
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
| Links to quality requirements: what design and interface features must the system have to capture this data '''well'''?
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-6|MR-6 Record information about relationships between descriptions]]
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
| Links to technical requirements: what system architecture, hardware / software configurations, and programming rules must the system implement to capture this data?
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-7|MR-7 Record information about users]]
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
| List of the underlying ICA-AtoM database fields that capture the data.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
| Brief description of how ICA-AtoM implements this metadata requirement.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
== Information ==
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
| Brief indication of known problems or limitations in the current version of ICA-AtoM that should be addressed in future releases.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
Each metadata requirement includes some or all of the following information:
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
| Links to the User manual sections that provide step-by-step instructions for recording the data in ICA-AtoM.
 
  
|}
+
*'''Requirement number''': MR-x.x.x, unique tracking number assigned to requirement.
  
 +
*'''Requirement name''': descriptive name assigned to requirement.
  
<span id="MR-1"></span>
+
*'''Specification''': brief description of requirement; what data must the application be able to capture?
== Record information about archival materials ==
 
  
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
+
*'''Context (parent requirements)''': links to higher-level metadata requirements, if applicable.
  
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
+
*'''Sub-requirements''': links to lower-level metadata requirements, if applicable.
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*'''Source quotations''': links to standards or other documents: why must the application capture this data.
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Record information about archival materials
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*'''Associated functional requirements''': what functionality requires the application to capture this data.
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Include an entity representing an archival description.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*'''Associated quality requirements''': what design and interface features must the application have to capture the data ''well''.
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.1 | 1.1 Identify units / objects of description]]
 
*[[#MR-1.2 | 1.2 Record information about the context of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.3 | 1.3 Record information about the content and structure of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.4 | 1.4 Record information about conditions of access and use of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.5 | 1.5 Record information about related archvial materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.6 | 1.6 Assign access points to descriptions of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.7 | 1.7 Control descriptions of archival materials]]
 
  
|}
+
*'''Associated technical requirements''': what system architecture, hardware / software configurations, and programming rules must the application implement to capture the data.
  
---
+
*'''ICA-AtoM implementation''': what fields in ICA-AtoM store the data.
  
<span id="MR-1.1"></span>
+
*'''Known issues''': brief indication of known problems or limitations in the current version of ICA-AtoM that should be addressed in future releases.
=== Identify units / objects of description ===
 
  
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
+
*'''Use cases''': links to descriptions of user-end scenarios relating to the requirement and how they are handled in ICA-AtoM.
  
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
+
*'''User Manual sections''': links to the User manual sections that provide step-by-step instructions for capturing the data.
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.1
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Identify units / objects of description
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
Note that most of this detail will only be found at the lower-level requirements. Higher-level requirements will typically only include the requirement name, number, specification, and source quotation, with links to the lower-level sub-requirements.
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must be able to:
 
*Uniquely identify each description and its object.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.1.1 | 1.1.1 Assign uniquers identifiers to descriptions]]
 
*[[#MR-1.1.2 | 1.1.2 Assign titles to descriptions]]
 
*[[#MR-1.1.3 | 1.1.3 Indicate the level of description]]
 
*[[#MR-1.1.4 | 1.1.4 Indicate the dates of the material described]]
 
*[[#MR-1.1.5 | 1.1.5 Indicate the extent of the material described]]
 
  
|}
+
== Index of metadata requirements ==
  
----
+
The following is the full index to all metadata requirements identified to date.
  
<span id="MR-1.1.1"></span>
+
[[MR-1|'''MR-1 Record information about archival materials''']]
==== Assign unique identifiers to descriptions ====
 
  
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
+
*[[MR-1.1 |MR-1.1 Register units of description]]
 +
**[[MR-1.1.1|MR-1.1.1 Assign unique identifiers to a description]]
 +
**[[MR-1.1.2|MR-1.1.2 Assign names to the object of a description]]
 +
**[[MR-1.1.3|MR-1.1.3 Indicate the level of description]]
 +
**[[MR-1.1.4|MR-1.1.4 Indicate the dates of the material described]]
 +
**[[MR-1.1.5|MR-1.1.5 Indicate the extent of the material described]]
  
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
+
*[[MR-1.2|MR-1.2 Record information about the context of archival materials]]
!width="250" | Requirement number
+
**[[MR-1.2.1|MR-1.2.1 Indicate the creator(s) of archival materials]]
!width="700" | MR-1.1.1
+
**[[MR-1.2.2|MR-1.2.2 Describe the creator(s) of archival materials]]
 +
**[[MR-1.2.3|MR-1.2.3 Describe the custody of archival materials]]
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-1.3|MR-1.3 Record information about the content and structure of archival materials]]
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
+
**[[MR-1.3.1|MR-1.3.1. Describe the scope and content of archival materials]]
| Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
+
**[[MR-1.3.2|MR-1.3.2. Describe the appraisal, destruction and scheduling of archival materials]]
 +
**[[MR-1.3.3|MR-1.3.3 Indicate future accruals to archival materials]]
 +
**[[MR-1.3.4|MR-1.3.4 Describe the system of arrangement of archival materials]]
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-1.4|MR-1.4 Record information about the conditions of access and use of archival mtrls]]
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
+
**[[MR-1.4.1|MR-1.4.1 Indicate the conditions governing access to archival materials]]
| The system must be able to:
+
**[[MR-1.4.2|MR-1.4.2 Indicate the conditions governing reproduction of archival material]]
*Assign one or more unique identifiers (codes) to each description such that the description can be linked to the object of description.
+
**[[MR-1.4.3|MR-1.4.3 Indicate languages and scripts employed in archival materials]]
 +
**[[MR-1.4.4|MR-1.4.4 Indicate physical characteristics and technical requirements affecting availability of archival materials]]
 +
**[[MR-1.4.5|MR-1.4.5 Indciate the existence of other finding aids to archival materials]]
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
*[[MR-1.5|MR-1.5 Record information about materials related to the unit of description]]
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
+
**[[MR-1.5.1|MR-1.5.1 Indicate the location of the originals of the archival materials described]]
|
+
**[[MR-1.5.2|MR-1.5.2 Indicate the location of copies of the archival materials described]]
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.1.1 | ISAD(G) 3.1.1]]
+
**[[MR-1.5.3|MR-1.5.3 Indicate related archival materials in other units of description]]
 +
**[[MR-1.5.4|MR-1.5.4 Indicate publications related to the archival materials described]]
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-1.3.2, Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
[[MR-2|'''MR-2 Record information about actors''']]
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Auto-enter values.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
[[MR-3|'''MR-3 Record information about archival institutions''']]
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
*<span class="button">information_object::id</span>
 
*<span class="button">information_object:identifier</span>
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM automatically assigns each record a unqiue database ID (<span class="button">id</span>); this value is invisible to users.
 
  
*Users enter their own <span class="field">Reference code</span> (<span class="button>identifier</span>). ICA-AtoM allows any type of value in this field (numbers, text, alpha-numeric code) to accommodate any institutional system for assigning identifiers.
+
[[MR-4|'''MR-4 Record information about controlled terms''']]
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*Cannot currently auto-generate next sequential reference code / number.
 
  
|- valign="top" align="left"
+
[[MR-5|'''MR-5 Record information about descriptions''']]
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADIdentity | Add / edit content  > Add / edit archival descriptions > Identity area]]
 
  
|}
 
  
---
+
[[MR-6|'''MR-6 Record information about relationships between descriptions''']]
  
<span id="MR-1.1.2"></span>
 
==== Assign titles to descriptions ====
 
  
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
+
[[MR-7|'''MR-7 Record information about users''']]
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.1.2
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Assign titles to descriptions
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must be able to:
 
*Assign one authorized title to archival descriptions based on the name of the object of description.
 
*Register multiple titles (variants, title changes).
 
*Support explanatory notes on titles.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.1.2 | ISAD(G) 3.1.2]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-1.3.2, Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
 
*FR-1.4.1, Describe the intellectual and physical characteristics of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
*<span class="button">information_object::title</span>
 
*<span class="button">information_object::alternate_title</span>
 
*<span class="button">note::note_content</span>
 
*<span class="button">note::note_type</span>
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM includes fields for <span class="field">Title</span> (<span class="button">title</span>) and <span class="field">Alternate title</span> (<span class="button">alternate_title</span>).
 
 
 
*ICA-AtoM does not impose any rules on formatting titles.
 
 
 
*Users can add as many <span class="field">Title notes</span> as required (stored in a separate *<span class="button">note</span> database table).
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*Need to allow multiple alternate titles (currently only allows 1 alternate).
 
 
 
*Need to allow assignment of date ranges to titles for previous names of descriptive unit.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADIdentity | Add / edit content  > Add / edit archival descriptions > Identity area]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.1.3></span>
 
==== Indicate the level of description ====
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.1.3
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Indicate the level of description.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must be able to:
 
*Indicate the level in the hierarchy of arrangement and description to which to the current description belongs.
 
*Link the current description to related descriptions within the same hierarchy.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#ISAD3.1.4 | ISAD(G) 3.1.4]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-1.1.1, Support multi-level description.
 
*FR-1.4.4, Ensure that infromation at higher and lower levels of description is consistent.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Provide drop-down value list menus.
 
*Provide context-specific pick lists.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM includes the <span class="field">Level of description</span> field with a drop-down list for selecting values. Value list can be customized by the system administrator to include only levels employed by the institution. The value themselves reside in a separate database table (<span class="button">term</span>).
 
 
 
*ICA-AtoM links the current description with others in the hierarchy of arrangement through the <span class="field">Next upper level of description</span> field in which the user selects the "parent" description; leave field blank if the description represents the highest level.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*Need to be able to filter drop-down list in <span class="field">Next upper level of description</span> so that it is more manageable.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADIdentity | Add / edit content  > Add / edit archival descriptions > Identity area]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.1.4></span>
 
==== Indicate the dates of the material described ====
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | 1.1.4
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Indicate the dates of the material described.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must be able to:
 
*Indicate the earliest and latest dates of the material described.
 
*Register multiple dates (e.g. date of creation vs date of accumulation).
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.1.3 | ISAD(G) 3.1.3 ]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-4.1, Support the description of the intellectual and physical characteristics of archival material.
 
*FR-4.4, Ensure that information at the higher and lower levels are consistent.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Support multiple date formats.
 
*Calculate values at higher levels from data entered at lower levels.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM handles mutliple dates through the <span class="button">event</span> table, linking a description to a creator over a specifc date range.
 
 
 
*Users register dates through the <span class="field">Creation context</span> fields in the <span class="area">ContextArea</span> and can enter as many dates as required.
 
 
 
*Users enter separate data for <span class="field">Creation year</span> and <span class="field">End year</span>; these are number fields used behind the scenes for searching and sorting.
 
 
 
*Users also enter the date range as a single text string in the <span class="field">Date display</span> field; here they can records dates in any format and apply any terms or typographic conventions to the qualify the dates (e.g. "March 1975"; "ca 1967-1968";  "[ 198?]"; "predominant dates: 1980-1995").
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*<span class="field">Date display</span> should automatically default to the the <span class="field">Creation year</span> and the <span class="field">End year</span> so that the user need only modify this field if either of these dates requires qualification.
 
 
 
*ICA-AtoM does not enable higher levels to "calculate up" date ranges from lower levels (e.g. set dates at fonds level from related lower-level descriptions); nor does it enforce consistency between levels.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADContext | Add / edit content  > Add / edit archival descriptions > Context area]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.1.5"></span>
 
==== Indicate the extent of the material described ====
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.1.5
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Indicate the extent of the material described.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system mus be able to:
 
*Indicate the logical or physical extent of the object.
 
*Indicate the medium of the object.
 
*Register multiple extents (for different media types).
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.1.5 | ISAD(G) 3.1.5]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-4.1 Support the description of the intellectual and physical characteristics of archival material.
 
 
 
*FR-4.4, Ensure that information at the higher and lower levels are consistent.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Provide controlled vocabulary for media terms.
 
*Calculate values at higher levels from data entered at lower levels of description.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
*<span class="area">information_object::extent_and_medium</span>
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM provides a text field for <span class="field">Extent and medium</span>.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*No support for drop-down lists for media types.
 
 
 
*ICA-AtoM does not enable higher levels to "calculate up" extents from lower levels (e.g. set dates at fonds level from related lower-level descriptions); nor does it enforce consistency between levels.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADIdentity | Add / edit content  > Add / edit archival descriptions > Identity area]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
----
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.2"></span>
 
 
 
=== Describe context of archival materials ===
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.2
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Describe context of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Indicate the origins and custody of the archival materials being described.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.2.1 | 1.2.1 Identify creator(s) of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.2.2 | 1.2.2 Describe creator(s) of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.2.3 | 1.2.3 Describe history of custody of archival materials]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.2.1"></span>
 
==== Identify creator(s) of archival materials ====
 
 
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.2.1
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Identify creator(s) of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Record the name of the the entity or entities responsible for the creation, accumulation, and maintenance of the material being described.
 
 
 
*Accommodate multiple creators (e.g. in a series system approach linking a single series to different agencies at different times).
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.2.1 | ISAD(G) 3.2.1]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-4.2, Support the description of the context of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Provide controlled vocabulary drop-down lists (names).
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
*<span class="table">event::actor_id</span>.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM links creators to archival materials via the <span class="table">event</span> table which registers the creation of archival material as "event" that occurs over a certain date range.
 
 
 
*Users select / enter a name in the <span class="field">Creator</span> field.
 
 
 
*Users enter the outside years in the <span class="field">Creation year</span> and <span class="field">End year</span> fields; these are number field used behind the scenes for sorting and searching.
 
 
 
*Users also enter  the date range as a single text string in the <span class="field">Date display</span> field; here they can apply any terms or typographic conventions to the qualify the dates (e.g. "ca 1967-1968",  "[ 198?]", "predominant dates: 1980-1995").
 
Users can registers as many creator events as required.
 
 
 
*ICA-AtoM provides a drop-down list in the <span class="field">Creator</span> field, showing names generated from the <span class="table">actor</span> authority file.
 
 
 
*If the required name does not appear in the list, users can directly enter the name and ICA-AtoM registers it in the <span class="table">actor</span> authority file.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*The drop-down list of names shows only the authorized headings and does not include variants (e.g. shows "Dr. Koenraad Kuiper" but not "Kuiper, Koenraad").
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADContext | Add / edit content > Add / edit archival descriptions > Context area]]: steps 1-7.
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.2.2"></span>
 
==== Describe creator(s) of archival materials. ====
 
 
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.2.2
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Describe creator(s) of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Provide an administrative history of, or biographical details on, the creator (or creators).
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.2.2 | ISAD(G) 3.2.2]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-2.5, Separate descriptions of archival materials from descriptions of creators and repositories.
 
*FR-4.2, Support the description of the context of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Display information stored in a related record.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
*<span class="table">actor::history</span>.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM stores the <span class="field">Administrative / biographical history</span> (<span class="table">history</span>) field in the creator authority file (<span class="table">actor</span>), but displays it in the related archival description (<span class="table">information_object</span>) record.
 
 
 
*The archival description shows as many <span class="field">Administrative / biographical histories</span> as required.
 
 
 
*The <span class="field">Administrative / biographical history</span> (<span class="table">history</span>) field cannot be directly edited in the archival description record; the user must click an <span class="button">EditInfoIcon</span> and is routed to the related authority record.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADContext | Add / edit content > Add / edit archival descriptions > Context area]]: step 8.
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISAARDescription | Add / edit content > Add / edit authority records > Description area]]: step 3.
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.2.3"></span>
 
 
 
==== Describe custody of archival materials ====
 
 
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.2.3
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Describe custody of archival materials
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Record the successive transfers of ownership, responsibility and/or custody of archival materials.
 
*Identify the immediate source of transfer or acquisition.
 
*Identify the repository or repositories that hold the materials described.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.2.3 | ISAD(G) 3.2.3]]
 
*[[ISAD(G)#isad3.2.4 | ISAD(G) 3.2.4]]
 
*[[ISIAH#isiah1.7 | ISIAH 1.7]]
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
*FR-4.2, Support the description of the context of archival materials.
 
*FR-4-5, Identify the location of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
*Provide controlled-vocabulary drop-down lists.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
*<span class="table">information_object::archival_history</span>
 
*<span class="table">information_object::acquisition</span>
 
*<span class="table">information_object::repository_id</span>
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
*ICA-AtoM includes text fields for <span class="field">Archival history</span> (<span class="table">archival_history</span>) and <span class="field">Immediate source of acquisition</span> (<span class="table">acquisition</span>).
 
 
 
*Users identify the location of the material by selecting an archival institution from the drop-down list in the <span class="field">Repository</span> field; this list draws values from all existing archival (<span class="table">repository</span>) institution records.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
*It is not possible to identify more than one repository as the location of the materials described. This would be a problem where custody of a single fonds was distributed over multiple archival institutions.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
*[[Add / edit content#ISADContext | Add / edit content > Add / edit archival descriptions > Context area]]: steps 9-11.
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.3"></span>
 
=== Record information about the content and structure of archival materials ===
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.3
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Record information about the content and structure of archival materials
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Capture information about the subject matter and structure of archival materials and the activities that have affected these.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.3.1 | 1.3.1 Describe the scope and content of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.3.2 | 1.3.2 Describe the appraisal, destruction and scheduling of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.3.3 | 1.3.3 Describe the system of arrangement of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.3.4 | 1.3.4 Indicate future accruals to archival materials]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.3.1"></span>
 
==== Describe the scope and content of archival materials ==
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.3.1
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Describe the scope and content of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Requirement.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.4"></span>
 
=== Record information about conditions of access and use of archival materials ===
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.4
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Record information about abouts conditions of access and use of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Capture information about the availability for consultation and use of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.4.1 | 1.4.1 Indicate the conditions governing access to archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.4.2 | 1.4.2 Indicate the conditions governing reproduction of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.4.3 | 1.4.3 Indicate the languages and scripts employed in archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.4.4 | 1.4.4 Indicate physical characteristics and technical requirement affecting the availability of archival materials]]
 
*[[#MR-1.4.5 | 1.4.5 Indicate the existence of other finding aids to archival materials]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.5"></span>
 
=== Record information about materials related to the unit of description ===
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.5
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Record information about materials related to the unit of description.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Indicate other materials that have an important relationship to the archival materials described.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.5.1 | 1.5.1 Indicate the location of the origins of the archival materials described]]
 
*[[#MR-1.5.2 | 1.5.2 Indicate the location of copies of the archival materials described]]
 
*[[#MR-1.5.3 | 1.5.3 Indicate related archival material in units of description]]
 
*[[#MR-1.5.4 | 1.5.4 Indicate publications related to the archival materials described]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.6"></span>
 
=== Assign access points to descriptions of archival materials ===
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.6
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Assign access points to descriptions of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Assign terms from controlled vocabularies to descriptions as a means of faciliate search and retrieval.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.6.1 | 1.6.1 Assign name access points]]
 
*[[#MR-1.6.2 | 1.6.2 Assign place access points]]
 
*[[#MR-1.6.3 | 1.6.3 Assign subject access points]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
<span id="MR-1.6"></span>
 
=== Record information about descriptions of archival materials ===
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | MR-1.6
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
| Record information about descriptions of archival materials.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Capture information about how, when and by whom archival descriptions were prepared.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Sub-requirements
 
|
 
*[[#MR-1.7.1 | 1.7.1 Indicate the current status of descriptions]]
 
*[[#MR-1.7.2 | 1.7.2 Indicate the dates of descriptions]]
 
*[[#MR-1.7.3 | 1.7.3 Indicate the sources consulted for descriptions]]
 
*[[#MR-1.7.4 | 1.7.4 Indicate the rules or conventions followed by descriptions]]
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 
 
 
== Template ==
 
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left" style="background:#00008B; color:white"
 
!width="250" | Requirement number
 
!width="700" | Number
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement name
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver"  | Requirement specification
 
| The system must:
 
*Requirement.
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Requirement quotation
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated functional requirements
 
|
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated quality requirements
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Associated technical requirements
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM fields
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | ICA-AtoM implementation
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | Known issues
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|- valign="top" align="left"
 
| style="background:silver" | User Manual sections
 
|
 
 
 
 
 
|}
 
 
 
---
 

Latest revision as of 12:04, 11 July 2008

Please note that ICA-AtoM is no longer actively supported by Artefactual Systems.
Visit https://www.accesstomemory.org for information about AtoM, the currently supported version.

Main Page > System requirements > Metadata requirements

Purpose

Metadata requirements identify the entities the system must track and the kinds of information about them it must capture in order to do the things specified by the functional requirements. The requirements provide:

  • Parameters for designing the system.
  • Criteria for testing the system (used in initial release and future iterations and upgrades).
  • Planning guidelines for developing the system (identify data not currently captured).
  • Documentation for standards compliance (link requirements to relevant international or national descriptive standards).


Organization

Metadata requirements are organized hierarchically, with high-level requirements broken down into sub- and sub-sub-requirements. To facilitate cross-references and links, each requirement has been assigned an alpha-numeric code: the alpha prefix designates the type of requirement (MR = mateadata requirement), the number establishes its position in the hierarchy. Seven main metadata requirements have been identified:


Information

Each metadata requirement includes some or all of the following information:

  • Requirement number: MR-x.x.x, unique tracking number assigned to requirement.
  • Requirement name: descriptive name assigned to requirement.
  • Specification: brief description of requirement; what data must the application be able to capture?
  • Context (parent requirements): links to higher-level metadata requirements, if applicable.
  • Sub-requirements: links to lower-level metadata requirements, if applicable.
  • Source quotations: links to standards or other documents: why must the application capture this data.
  • Associated functional requirements: what functionality requires the application to capture this data.
  • Associated quality requirements: what design and interface features must the application have to capture the data well.
  • Associated technical requirements: what system architecture, hardware / software configurations, and programming rules must the application implement to capture the data.
  • ICA-AtoM implementation: what fields in ICA-AtoM store the data.
  • Known issues: brief indication of known problems or limitations in the current version of ICA-AtoM that should be addressed in future releases.
  • Use cases: links to descriptions of user-end scenarios relating to the requirement and how they are handled in ICA-AtoM.
  • User Manual sections: links to the User manual sections that provide step-by-step instructions for capturing the data.


Note that most of this detail will only be found at the lower-level requirements. Higher-level requirements will typically only include the requirement name, number, specification, and source quotation, with links to the lower-level sub-requirements.


Index of metadata requirements

The following is the full index to all metadata requirements identified to date.

MR-1 Record information about archival materials


MR-2 Record information about actors


MR-3 Record information about archival institutions


MR-4 Record information about controlled terms


MR-5 Record information about descriptions


MR-6 Record information about relationships between descriptions


MR-7 Record information about users