Add/edit authority records

Add / edit authority records

Main Page > (UM) User manual > UM-3 Add / edit content > UM-3.2 Add / edit authority records

This page describes how to:

• Create a new authority record
• Create a new authority record from a related record
• Edit an existing authority record
• Delete an existing authority record

For detailed notes on individual fields, see the following pages:

• Data entry: authority records.
• Data entry: description control area (same for all record types).

For exiting edit mode (return to the view mode), see the following page:

• Exit edit mode (same for all record types).

Create a new authority record

Create a new authority record

Commit the new record (create) or cancel

1. On the Main menu bar, click the "Add / edit > Authority record" tab; ICA-AtoM takes you to the List screen showing all existing authority records.

2. Click the Add new text that appears in the "Name" column header or the Add new button at the foot of the list; ICA-AtoM takes you to a blank Edit screen for data entry.

3. Enter data.

• See Data entry: authority records for detailed explanations and notes on fields.

4. You can quit the create process at any time by clicking the Cancel button in the Button block; no new record will be created.

5. Click the Create button in the Button block to commit the new record.

6. Note that the Button block changes after you click the Create button.

• A Delete button now appears for deleting the record.
• A Save button now appears for saving any changes made since creating the record or the last save.
• The Cancel button now means: "do not commit the data entered since the record was created or the last save".

Create a new authority record from a related record

Create an authority record for a new creator name

Authority records can also be created as part of the data entry process for an archival description and an archival institution.

Archival description

1. On the "Archival description > Context area" Edit screen, you use the "Creation context" section to register a creation event, associating an archival unit with its creator over a certain date range.

2. The drop-down list in the "Creator" field is generated from existing authority records. If the name of the creator does not appear in the drop-down list, enter a new name in the "Add new creator name" field.

3. Enter the remaining fields ("Creation date", "End date", "Date display").

4. When you save the archival description record, ICA-AtoM creates both a new authority record for the creator as well as the creation event.

5. For more information on registering creator events see in this manual:

• Data entry: authority record.

Archival institution

6. Whenever you create and save a new archival institution description, ICA-AtoM registers in addition a new authority record for the institution.

Edit an existing authority record

Edit an existing authority record

1. Navigate to the authority record you want to edit.

• For more information on navigation in ICA-AtoM, see in this manual: Access content.

2. Switch from view mode to edit mode by clicking the Record title bar or Edit button; this takes you to the record's Edit screen. On loading, the Edit screen displays the record with all areas of description closed; click on an area to access the fields grouped under it.

3. Add / revise data as required.

• See Data entry: archival descriptions) for detailed explanations and notes on fields.

4. To discard all changes, click the Cancel button in the Button block; ICA-AtoM returns you to view mode (View screen), with no changes saved.

5. To save changes, click the Save button in the Button block; ICA-AtoM commits the changes and re-loads the page.

• Note that re-loading the page causes all areas of description to close; this behaviour will be revised in a future release (post-1.0 beta) of ICA-AtoM (e.g. page will stay open as it was before save).

Delete an existing authority record

Delete an existing authority record

1. Navigate to the authority record you want to delete.

• For more information on navigation in ICA-AtoM, see in this manual: Access content.

2. Switch from view mode to edit mode by clicking the Record title bar or Edit button; this takes you to the record's Edit screen.

3. Click the Delete button in the Button block.

4. ICA-AtoM prompts you to confirm the delete request; click "OK".

5. ICA-AtoM deletes the record and returns you to the List screen.

6. Note the following consequences of deleting an authority record:

• If the entity is also registered as an archival institution, the archival institution record is also deleted.

• Any creation events linked to the entity are disassociated from the entity -- the event remains, but it no longer has the entity as its "subject". E.g. entity X is registered as the creator of archival unit Y over the date range 1964-1987; entity X is deleted; archival unit Y now simply has a date range 1964-1987 without associating this with any particular creator.