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Main Page > System Requirements > Metadata requirements > Archival descriptions
Describe units of archival materials
| Requirement number
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MR-1
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| Requirement name
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Describe units of archival materials
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Include an entity representing an archival description.
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| Sub-requirements
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- 1.1 Identify unit / object of description.
- 1.2 Describe the context (origin and custody) of material.
- 1.3 Describe content and structure of material.
- 1.4 Describe conditions governing access and use of material.
- 1.5 Identify related archvial materials.
- 1.6 Control description record.
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Identify unit / object of description
| Requirement number
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MR-1.1
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| Requirement name
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Identify unit / object of description
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Uniquely identify each description.
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| Sub-requirements
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- 1.1.1 Identify unit / object of description.
- 1.1.2 Name unit / object of description.
- 1.1.3 Identify the level of description.
- 1.1.4 Indicate the dates of the material described.
- 1.1.5 Indicate the extent of the material described.
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Identify unit / object of description
| Requirement number
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MR-1.1.1
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| Requirement name
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Identify unit / object of description
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Assign one or more unique identifier (codes) to each description such that the description can be linked to the object of description.
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| Requirement quotation
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| Associated functional requirements
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- FR-3.B, Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
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| Associated quality requirements
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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- information_object::id
- information_object:identifier
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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- ICA-AtoM automatically assigns each record a unqiue database ID (id); this value is invisible to users.
- Users enter their own Reference code (identifier). ICA-AtoM allows any type of value in this field (numbers, text, alpha-numeric code) to accommodate any institutional system for assigning identifiers.
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| Known issues
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- Cannot currently auto-generate next sequential reference code / number.
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| User Manual sections
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Name unit / object of description
| Requirement number
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MR-1.1.2
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| Requirement name
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Name unit / object of description
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Assign titles to archival descriptions.
- Accommodate multiple titles (variants, title changes).
- Support explanatory notes on titles.
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| Requirement quotation
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| Associated functional requirements
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- FR-3.2, Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
- FR-4.1, Support description of the intellectual and physical characteristics of archival materials.
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| Associated quality requirements
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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- information_object::title
- information_object::alternate_title
- note::note_content
- note::note_type
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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- ICA-AtoM includes fields for Title (title) and Alternate title (alternate_title).
- ICA-AtoM does not impose any rules on formatting titles.
- Users can add as many Title notes as required (stored in a separate *note database table).
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| Known issues
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- 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.
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| User Manual sections
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Identify the level of description
| Requirement number
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MR-1.1.3
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| Requirement name
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Identify the level of description.
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Identify the level in the hierarchy of arrangement and description to which to the current description applies.
- Link the current description to related description within the same hierarchy.
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| Requirement quotation
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- [[ISAD(G)#ISAD3.1.4 | ISAD(G) 3.1.4
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| Associated functional requirements
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- FR-1.1, Support multi-level description.
- FR-4.4, Ensure that infromation at higher and lower levels of description are consistent.
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| Associated quality requirements
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- Provide drop-down value list menus.
- Provide context-specific pick lists.
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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- ICA-AtoM includes the Level of description 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 (term).
- ICA-AtoM links the current description with others in the hierarchy of arrangement through the Next upper level of description field in which the user selects the "parent" description; leave field blank if the description represents the highest level.
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| Known issues
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- Need to be able to filter drop-down list in Next upper level of description so that it is more manageable.
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| User Manual sections
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Indicate the dates of the material described
| Requirement number
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1.1.4
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| Requirement name
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Indicate the dates of the material described.
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Indicate the earliest and latest dates of the material described.
- Support multiple date types (date of creation vs date of accumulation).
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| Requirement quotation
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| Associated functional requirements
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- 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.
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| Associated quality requirements
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- Support multiple date formats.
- Calculate values at higher levels from data entered at lower levels.
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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- ICA-AtoM handles mutliple dates through the event table, linking a description to a creator over a specifc date range.
- Users register dates through the Creation context fields in the ContextArea and can enter as many dates as required.
- Users enter separate data for Creation year and End year; 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 Date display 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").
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| Known issues
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- Date display should automatically default to the the Creation year and the End year 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.
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| User Manual sections
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Indicate the extent of the material described
| Requirement number
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MR-1.1.5
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| Requirement name
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Indicate the extent of the material described.
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Identify the logical or physical extent of the object.
- Describe the medium of the object.
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| Requirement quotation
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| Associated functional requirements
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- 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.
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| Associated quality requirements
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- Provide controlled vocabulary for media terms.
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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- information_object::extent_and_medium
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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- ICA-AtoM provides a text field for Extent and medium.
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| Known issues
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- 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.
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| User Manual sections
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Describe context of archival materials
| Requirement number
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MR-1.2
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| Requirement name
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Describe context of archival materials.
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
- Indicate the origins and custody of the archival materials being described.
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| Sub-requirements
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- 1.2.1 Identify creator(s) of archival materials.
- 1.2.2 Describe creator(s) of archival materials.
- 1.2.3 Describe history of custody of archival materials.
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Identify creator(s) of archival materials
| Requirement number
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MR-1.2.1
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Identify creator(s) of archival materials.
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| Requirement specification
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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).
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| Requirement quotation
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| Associated functional requirements
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- FR-4.2, Support the description of the context of archival materials.
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| Associated quality requirements
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- Provide controlled vocabulary drop-down lists (names).
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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- ICA-AtoM links creators to archival materials via the event table which registers the creation of archival material as "event" that occurs over a certain date range.
- Users select / enter a name in the Creator field.
- Users enter the outside years in the Creation year and End year 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 Date display 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 Creator field, showing names generated from the actor 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 actor authority file.
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| Known issues
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- 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").
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| User Manual sections
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Template
| Requirement number
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Number
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| Requirement name
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| Requirement specification
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The system must:
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| Requirement quotation
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| Associated functional requirements
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| Associated quality requirements
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| Associated technical requirements
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| ICA-AtoM fields
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| ICA-AtoM implementation
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| Known issues
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| User Manual sections
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