Metadata requirements: archival descriptions

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Main Page > System Requirements > Metadata requirements > Archival descriptions

Describe units of archival materials

Requirement number MR-1
Requirement name Describe units of archival materials
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Include an entity representing an archival description.
Sub-requirements
  • 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 MR-1.1
Requirement name Identify unit / object of description
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Uniquely identify each description.
Sub-requirements
  • 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 MR-1.1.1
Requirement name Identify unit / object of description
Requirement specification 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.
Requirement quotation
Associated functional requirements
  • FR-3.B, Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
Associated quality requirements
  • Auto-enter values.
Associated technical requirements
ICA-AtoM fields
  • information_object::id
  • information_object:identifier
ICA-AtoM implementation
  • 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.
Known issues
  • Cannot currently auto-generate next sequential reference code / number.
User Manual sections

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Name unit / object of description

Requirement number MR-1.1.2
Requirement name Name unit / object of description
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Assign titles to archival descriptions.
  • Accommodate multiple titles (variants, title changes).
  • Support explanatory notes on titles.
Requirement quotation
Associated functional requirements
  • FR-3.2, Assign unique identifiers to descriptions.
  • FR-4.1, Support description of the intellectual and physical characteristics of archival materials.
Associated quality requirements
Associated technical requirements
ICA-AtoM fields
  • information_object::title
  • information_object::alternate_title
  • note::note_content
  • note::note_type
ICA-AtoM implementation
  • 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).
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.
User Manual sections

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Identify the level of description

Requirement number MR-1.1.3
Requirement name Identify the level of description.
Requirement specification 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.
Requirement quotation
  • [[ISAD(G)#ISAD3.1.4 | ISAD(G) 3.1.4
Associated functional requirements
  • FR-1.1, Support multi-level description.
  • FR-4.4, Ensure that infromation at higher and lower levels of description are consistent.
Associated quality requirements
  • Provide drop-down value list menus.
  • Provide context-specific pick lists.
Associated technical requirements
ICA-AtoM fields
ICA-AtoM implementation
  • 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.
Known issues
  • Need to be able to filter drop-down list in Next upper level of description so that it is more manageable.
User Manual sections

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Indicate the dates of the material described

Requirement number 1.1.4
Requirement name Indicate the dates of the material described.
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Indicate the earliest and latest dates of the material described.
  • Support multiple date types (date of creation vs date of accumulation).
Requirement quotation
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.
Associated quality requirements
  • Support multiple date formats.
  • Calculate values at higher levels from data entered at lower levels.
Associated technical requirements
ICA-AtoM fields
ICA-AtoM implementation
  • 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").
Known issues
  • 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.
User Manual sections

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Indicate the extent of the material described

Requirement number MR-1.1.5
Requirement name Indicate the extent of the material described.
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Identify the logical or physical extent of the object.
  • Describe the medium of the object.
Requirement quotation
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.
Associated quality requirements
  • Provide controlled vocabulary for media terms.
Associated technical requirements
ICA-AtoM fields
  • information_object::extent_and_medium
ICA-AtoM implementation
  • ICA-AtoM provides a text field for Extent and medium.
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.
User Manual sections

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Describe context of archival materials

Requirement number MR-1.2
Requirement name Describe context of archival materials.
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Indicate the origins and custody of the archival materials being described.
Sub-requirements
  • 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 MR-1.2.1
Identify creator(s) of archival materials.
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).
Requirement quotation
Associated functional requirements
  • FR-4.2, Support the description of the context of archival materials.
Associated quality requirements
  • Provide controlled vocabulary drop-down lists (names).
Associated technical requirements
ICA-AtoM fields
  • event::actor_id.
ICA-AtoM implementation
  • 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.
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").
User Manual sections

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Template

Requirement number Number
Requirement name
Requirement specification The system must:
  • Requirement.
Requirement quotation
Associated functional requirements
Associated quality requirements


Associated technical requirements


ICA-AtoM fields


ICA-AtoM implementation


Known issues


User Manual sections


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