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Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1992 23:56:38 EST
Reply-To: Archives & Archivists <ARCHIVES@INDYCMS.BITNET>
Sender: Archives & Archivists <ARCHIVES@INDYCMS.BITNET>
From: Hugo Stibbe <70550.3371@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject: ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description
CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES ARCHIVES
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ARCHIVES
COMMISSION AD HOC SUR LES NORMES AD HOC COMMISSION ON
DE DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTIVE STANDARDS
SECRETARIAT
Dear colleagues:
The following document, the "ISAD(G): General International
Standard Archival Description" is made available to you in
the "Archives & Archivists" forum for the purpose of
stimulating discussion and soliciting comments on this
document. The history of this project of the International
Council on Archives is outlined in the introduction of the
"Statement of Principles Regarding Archival Description", a
document which is also on the Archives & Archivists forum for
your information and discussion.
Comments on both documents may be send to the Secretariat
of the Commission by mail, fax or E-Mail at the addresses
at the foot of this letter. All comments will be considered
by the Commission when they next meet in plenary session.
However, to be considered, comments must identify their
source, by name or group. For example, a personal name or
"Submitted by the XXX [committee, working group, etc.] of
XXX [organization]". When submitted by a group, the chair
or other responsible person must be identified with full
contact address, which must include the MAILING address.
The "Statement of Principles" and the "ISAD(G): General
International Satandard Archival Description" will also be
made available as papers of the XIIth International Council
of Archives Congress, September 6-11, 1992 in Montreal,
Canada. It will insure the availability of the two documents
in the other languages of the Congress: French, German,
Spanish and Russian. Oral subventions may be made at the
ICA Congress at the Second Plenary, Tuesday, September 8,
1992 at the session of the principal speaker, Richard Cox,
who will speak on the topic of "Standardizing Archival
Practices: A Tool for the Information Age", and at the
session of Kent Haworth, who will speak on the topic
of "Descriptive Standards". However, substantive comments
should be made in writing. As stated above, these should
be submitted to the Secretariat of the Commission at the
addresses below.
THE DEADLINE OF COMMENTS IS 30 SEPTEMBER 1992.
ABSOLUTELY NO COMMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DATE.
______________________________________________________
Chairman C.J. Kitching Président
Project Director Hugo L.P. Stibbe Directeur de projet and
Secretary et Secretaire
National Archives of Canada, Office of Archival Descriptive
Standards
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N3 Canada.
Telephone: (613) 996-7592; Fax: (613) 995-2267
E-Mail: 70550,3371 (CompuServe);
70550.3371@compuserve.com (Internet)
===============================================
END OF COVERING LETTER
===============================================
CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES ARCHIVES
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ARCHIVES
DRAFT
ISAD(G):
General International Standard Archival Description
Adopted by the Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards
Madrid, 21-24 January 1992
The Secretariat of the ICA Commission on Descriptive
Standards
Ottawa
January 1992
Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards
(Members shown without service years have been on the
Commission from its inception in 1990.)
Christopher J Kitching (Chair) United
Kingdom
Hugo LP Stibbe (Project Director) Canada
Ghislain Brunel 1990-1991 France
Michael Cook United
Kingdom
Jan Dahlin Sweden
Wendy Duff Canada
Ana Franqueira Portugal
Pedro Gonzales Spain
Christine Petillat 1991- France
Sharon G Thibodeau United States
Habibah Zon Yahaya Malaysia
Charles Kecskeméti Executive Director ICA
Wolf Buchmann Secretary on Technical Matters
Representative of the ICA Secretariat
Axel Plathe Representative Unesco PGI
Secretariat
c/o National Archives of Canada
Office of Archival Descriptive Standards
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N3
Canada
Telephone (613) 996-7592; Fax: (613) 995-2267
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[NOTE: The paging in the Table of Contents may not be accurate due
to the re-formating of the document for transmission purposes.]
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
INTRODUCTION 1
PREFACE 2
0. GLOSSARY OF TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
GENERAL RULES 5
1. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION 7
1.1 Introduction 7
2. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION RULES 7
2.1 Description from the General to the Specific 7
2.2 Information Relevant to the Level of
Description 7
2.3 Linking of Descriptions 8
2.4 Repetition of Information 8
3. ELEMENTS OF DESCRIPTION 9
3.1 Identity Statement Area 9
3.1.1 Reference code(s) 9
3.1.2 Title 9
3.1.3 Dates of creation of the material in the
unit of description 11
3.1.4 Level of description 11
3.1.5 Extent of the unit of description (quantity,
bulk, or size) 12
3.2 Context and Content Area 13
3.2.1 Administrative / biographical history 13
3.2.2 Dates of accumulation of the unit of
description 14
3.2.3 Custodial history 14
3.2.4 Immediate source of acquisition 15
3.2.5 Legal status 15
3.2.6 Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
information 16
3.2.7 Accruals 16
3.2.8 System of arrangement 16
3.2.9 Scope and content note / abstract 17
3.3 Conditions of Access and Use Area 17
3.3.1 Language of material 17
3.3.2 Physical characteristics 18
3.3.3 Access conditions 18
3.3.4 Copyright / terms governing reproduction 19
3.3.5 Finding aids 19
3.4 Allied Material Area 20
3.4.1 Location of originals 20
3.4.2 Existence of copies 20
3.4.3 Related units of description 21
3.4.4 Associated material 21
3.4.5 Publication note 22
3.5 Note Area 22
3.5.1 Note 22
APPENDIX 23
INTRODUCTION:
I.1 A draft general rules was developed by a sub-group of
the Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards. The
sub-group was established at the first plenary of the
Commission during its meeting in Hühr-Grenzhausen,
Germany, October, 1990.
I.2 The sub-group consisted of:
Wendy Duff -- Coordinator
Michael Cook
Sharon Thibodeau
Hugo Stibbe -- Project Director and
Secretary
I.3 The group met in Liverpool, U.K., in July 1991 to
complete the draft which was discussed, amended and
extended at the plenary of the Commission at its meeting
in Madrid in January 1992. The draft was formally
adopted at that meeting and is presented here as the
Madrid draft or �ISAD(G): General International
Archival Description�.
I.4 The ICA Commission on Descriptive Standards
acknowledges and thanks Unesco for its financial support
for this project. It also thanks the National Archives of
Canada for its support of the Secretariat.
PREFACE:
P.1 In keeping with the Statement of Principles Regarding
Archival Description, this set of general rules for archival
description is designed to
a. ensure the creation of consistent, appropriate,
and self explanatory descriptions;
b. facilitate the retrieval and exchange of
information about archival material;
c. enable the sharing of authority data; and
d. make possible the integration of descriptions from
different repositories into a unified information
system.
P.2 As general rules, these are intended to be broadly
applicable to descriptions of archives regardless of the
nature or extent of the unit of description. The rules
guide the formulation of information in each of twenty-
five (25) elements that may be combined to constitute
the description of an archival entity.
P.3 Each rule consists of:
a. the name of the element of description governed
by the rule;
b. a statement of the purpose of incorporating the
element in a description;
c. a statement of the general rule (or rules)
applicable to the element; and
d. examples illustrating implementation of the
rule(s).
P.4 The rules present a structure for any given description
incorporating elements governed by the rules. Within
this structure the elements are grouped in five
information areas:
1. Identity Statement Area
(where essential information is conveyed
to identify the unit of description)
2. Context and Content Area
(where information is conveyed about the
origin, arrangement, and subject matter of
the unit of description)
3. Condition of Access and Use Area
(where information is conveyed about the
availability of the unit of description)
4. Allied Material Area
(where information is conveyed about
materials having an important relationship
to the unit of description)
5. Note Area
(where specialized information is
conveyed).
P.5 All twenty five elements covered by these general rules
are available for use, but only a subset need be used in
any given description. A very few elements are
considered essential to every description:
a. reference code;
b. title;
c. dates of creation of the material in the unit of
description;
d. extent of the unit of description; and
e. level of description.
These five elements represent the minimum amount of
descriptive information that could be exchanged
effectively in an international information system. These
elements are marked with an asterisk (*).
P.6 The extent to which a given archival description will
incorporate more than the essential elements of
information will vary depending on the nature of the unit
of description and the requirements of the information
system of which it is a part. Some information systems
may include descriptions of the constituent parts of the
fonds (e.g., series, items) as well as the fonds itself. To
assure the efficiency and clarity of such systems,
preparation of the multilevel descriptions within them
should be guided by the rules concerning their linkage
and informational content. Multilevel rules designed to
accomplish this have been incorporated in these general
rules.
P.7 The elements of description covered by these general
rules are those thought to have the widest applicability
in an international archival context. This is only the
beginning of a standardization effort. Further specific
rules should be formulated to guide the description of
special types of materials (such as cartographic materials,
motion pictures, or electronic files) and specific levels of
description.
P.8 Access points are based upon the elements of
description. The value of access points is enhanced
through authority control. Because of the importance of
access points for retrieval, international guidelines should
be developed for formulating them. Vocabularies and
conventions to be used with access points should be
developed nationally, or separately for each language.1
0. GLOSSARY OF TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
GENERAL RULES
0.1 The following glossary with terms and their definitions
forms an integral part of these rules of description. The
definitions are to be understood as having been
formulated specifically for the purposes of this
document.
Access. The ability to make use of material from a fonds,
usually subject to rules and conditions.
Access point. A name, term, etc. by which a description may be
searched, identified and retrieved.
Appraisal. The process of determining the archival value of a
set of records.
Arrangement. The intellectual operations involved in the
analysis and organization of archival material.
Authority control. The control of standardized forms of terms
including names (personal, corporate or geographic)
used as access points.
Corporate body. An organization or group of persons that is
identified by a particular name and that acts, or may act,
as an entity. Typical examples of corporate bodies are
associations, institutions, business firms, nonprofit
enterprises, governments, government agencies, religious
bodies, landed estates, and conferences. One corporate
body may consist of a number of other corporate bodies.
Creator. See Provenance.
Diplomatic. Data required for the interpretation of documents
through the technical study of their form and content.
Fonds. All of the documents, regardless of form or medium,
naturally generated and/or accumulated and used by a
particular person, family, or corporate body in the
conduct of personal or corporate activity.
Form. The type or kind of material comprising a unit of
description, e.g., letters, minute books.
Date of accumulation. The period over which the material
within, or forming part of, the unit of description has
been accumulated by the creator.
Date of creation. The actual date at which the archival material
in a unit of description was created.
File. A set of related records, usually within a series, capable
of being handled or processed as a unit.
Finding aid. The broadest term to cover any description or
means of reference made or received by an archives
service in the course of establishing administrative or
intellectual control over archival material.
Form. The physical or material character of the archival
material in the unit of description.
Formal title. A title which appears prominently on or in the
archival material being described.
Item. A single indivisible unit in an archival entity.
Level of description. The position of the unit of description in
the hierarchy of the fonds. (See Appendix).
Location. The repository, or address of a private owner, at
which a unit of description is held.
Physical character. The medium, shape or substance of the
archival material e.g., parchment rolls, magnetic tape.
Provenance. The office or person of origin of archival material,
that is, the particular person, family, or corporate body
that created and/or accumulated and used the documents
in the conduct of personal or corporate activity.
Series. Documents arranged in accordance with a system or
maintained as a unit because they result from the same
activity, have a particular form, or because of some other
relationship arising out of their creation.
Supplied title. A title supplied by the archivist for a unit of
description which has no formal title.
Title. A word, phrase, character, or group of characters that
names a unit of description.
Unit of description. Any archival entity being described.
1. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The nature of the broadest unit of description, the fonds,
is that, in the great majority of cases, it consists of parts.
(See Principles, para. 2.1 & 2.2). The fonds as a whole
should be represented in one description, using the
elements of description as outlined below in section 3 of
this document. If description of the parts is required,
they may be described separately also using the
appropriate elements from section 3. The sum total of
all descriptions thus obtained, linked in a hierarchy, as
outlined in the model in the Appendix, represents the
fonds and those parts for which descriptions were made.
For the purposes of these rules, this technique of
description is called multilevel description.
Four fundamental rules, flowing from the Principles,
apply when establishing a hierarchy of descriptions.
They are set out in rules 2.1 to 2.4.
2. MULTILEVEL DESCRIPTION RULES
2.1 DESCRIPTION FROM THE GENERAL TO THE
SPECIFIC
PURPOSE: To represent the context and the
hierarchical structure of the fonds and its
parts.
RULE: At the first level of description give
information for the fonds as a whole. At
the next and subsequent levels give
information for the parts being described.
Present the resulting descriptions in a
hierarchical part-to-whole relationship
proceeding from the broadest (fonds) to
the more specific.
2.2 INFORMATION RELEVANT TO THE LEVEL OF
DESCRIPTION
PURPOSE: To represent accurately the context and
content of the unit of description.
RULE: Provide only such information as is
appropriate to the level being described.
For example, do not provide detailed file
content information if the unit of
description is a fonds; do not provide an
administrative history for an entire
department if the creator of a unit of
description is a division or a branch.
2.3 LINKING OF DESCRIPTIONS
PURPOSE: To make explicit the position of the unit
of description in the hierarchy.
RULE: Link each description to its next higher
unit of description, if applicable, and
identify the level of description. (See
3.1.4.)
2.4 REPETITION OF INFORMATION
PURPOSE: To avoid redundancy.
RULE: At the highest appropriate level, give
information that is common to the
component parts. Do not repeat
information at a lower level of description
that has already been given at a higher
level.
3. ELEMENTS OF DESCRIPTION
NOTE: The asterisked elements of description are the elements
required in a minimum description regardless of level of
description.
3.1 IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA
3.1.1 Reference code(s)*
PURPOSE: To provide a link between the archival material
and the description that represents it.
RULE: Record the country code in accordance with ISO
3166, followed by the repository code in
accordance with the national repository code
standard, followed by local reference code.
Examples:
CA NAC ANC-C2358
US LC 72-064568
MY P/AMM Z4
3.1.2 Title*
PURPOSE: To identify the unit of description (e.g., fonds,
series, file, item) either by transcribing the name
when that unit carries one or by assigning a name
if it does not.
RULES: When the unit of description bears a formal title,
transcribe it exactly as to wording, order and
spelling but not necessarily as to punctuation and
capitalization.
Example:
Account of occurrences at Peace River 1832
If no formal title appears in or on the unit of
description, compose a brief title. The supplied
title should include the name of the creator and
a term indicating the form of the material
comprising the unit of description and, where
appropriate, a phrase reflecting function, activity,
subject, location, or theme.
Examples:
Minute books of the Women's Christian Temperance
Movement
Letters of Presbyterian missionaries serving in Manitoba
Videotapes of Ronald Reagan's campaign speeches
Records of the Coast and Geodetic Survey
(Fonds level title)
Records of the Office of the Superintendent
(Sub-fonds level title)
Letters sent
Letters received
Drafts of Annual Reports to the Congress
(Series level titles)
Draft of the First Report
(File level title)
Papers of the Rockefeller Family
(Fonds level title)
Papers of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
(Sub-fonds level title)
Correspondence relating to business affairs
Correspondence relating to philanthropic activity
Personal correspondence
(Series level titles)
Letters to J. Pierpont Morgan
Letter to Theodore Roosevelt
(Item level titles)
3.1.3 Dates of creation of the material in the unit of
description*
PURPOSE: To identify and record the date(s) of creation of
the material in the unit of description.
RULES: Give the dates of creation of the material in the
unit of description as a single date or a range of
dates as appropriate. A range of dates should
always be inclusive.
Examples:
23 Mar 1927
1858
1907-1949
Optionally, also record the predominant dates or
significant gaps. Never enter predominant dates
without inclusive dates.
Examples:
1703-1908 (predominant 1780-1835)
1923-1945 (lacking 1933 to 1935)
3.1.4 Level of description*
PURPOSE: To identify the level of the unit of description.
RULE: Record the level of this unit of description.
Examples:
Series
Sub-series
File
Item
3.1.5 Extent of the unit of description (quantity, bulk, or
size)*
PURPOSE: To identify and record
a. the physical extent and
b. the type of material of the unit of
description.
RULES: Record the extent of the unit of description by
giving the number of physical units in arabic
numerals and the specific unit designation
appropriate for the broad class of material to
which the unit of description belongs.
Examples:
2 film rolls
128 photographs
Alternatively, give the linear extent of the unit of
description.
Example:
30 m
If the statement of extent for a unit of description
is given in linear terms and additional information
is desirable, add the additional information in
parentheses.
Example:
4 m (ca. 10 200 items)
3.2 CONTEXT AND CONTENT AREA
3.2.1 Administrative / biographical history
PURPOSE: To provide an administrative history of, or
biographical details on, the creator of the unit of
description to place the material in context and
make it better understood.
RULES: Record concisely any significant information on
the origin, progress, development and work of the
organization or on the life and work of the
individual responsible for the creation of the unit
of description. If additional information is
available in a published source, cite the source.
For persons or families record information such
as full names and titles, dates of birth and death,
place of birth, successive places of domicile,
activities, occupation or offices, original and any
other names, significant accomplishments, and
place of death.
Example:
Louis Hémon was a French writer born at
Brest, France in 1880. He died in Canada at
Chapleau (Ont.) in 1913. He studied law at La
Sorbonne in Paris. He spent eight years in England
before going to Canada in 1911, where he lived in
Montréal and on a farm at Péribonka
(Lac Saint-Jean). In his short career, he wrote
several books and articles. Hémon is famous
for: Maria Chapdelaine : récit du Canada
francais, published for the first time in 1916.
For corporate bodies record information such as
the official name, the dates of existence, enabling
legislation, functions, purpose and development of
the body, its administrative hierarchy, and earlier,
variant or successive names.
Examples:
The Freedman's Bureau was established in the War
Department 3 Mar. 1865, to supervise all activities relating to
refugees and freedmen and to assume custody of all
abandoned or confiscated lands or property. Abolished 10
June 1872, and remaining functions transferred to the
Freedmen's Branch, Office of Adjutant General and after
1879, to the Colored Division of the Office of Adjutant
General.
The Kingston Steam Trawling Company was incorporated in
1891. Hellyer Bros acquired a majority shareholding in 19[?]
and the company was absorbed into Associated Fisheries when
Hellyer Bros merged with that company in 1961. It ceased
trading in 1965 and was dissolved in 1972.
3.2.2 Dates of accumulation of the unit of description
PURPOSE: To supply date(s) of accumulation of the unit of
description (e.g., series, file) by its creator.
RULE: Give the date(s) of accumulation of the unit of
description by the creator as a single date or a
range of dates. The date or dates recorded here
refer to the record keeping actions of the creator
and may not antedate the date of establishment
of the creating corporate body or the date of
birth of the creating individual. These dates may
differ from the dates recorded at 3.1.3 Dates of
creation of the material in the unit of description in
cases where the unit of description resulted from
an activity involving accumulation of documents
created prior to filing by the creator, such as
documents accumulated from a variety of sources
during an investigation or legal action.
Examples:
1892
1910-1934
3.2.3 Custodial history
PURPOSE: To provide information on changes of ownership
and custody of the unit of description that is
significant for its authenticity, integrity and
interpretation.
RULE: Record the successive transfers of ownership and
custody of the unit of description, along with the
dates thereof, insofar as they can be ascertained.
If the custodial history is unknown, record that
information. When the unit of description is
acquired directly from the creator, do not record
a custodial history but rather, record this
information as the Immediate Source of
Acquisition. (See 3.2.4)
Examples:
The Ocean Falls Corporation records remained in the custody
of Pacific Mills Ltd., and its successor companies, until the
mill
and townsite were taken over by the British Columbia
provincial government in 1973. In 1976 the records were
transferred to the Ocean Falls Public Library, which began the
rearrangement of the records in their current form....
Originally collected by George Madison and arranged by his
nephew, John Ferris, after Madison's death. Purchased by
Henry Kapper in 1878 who added to the collection with
materials purchased at auctions in Philadelphia and Paris,
1878-1893.
Records inherited by Houghton Urban District Council in
1937 and later deposited at Durham Record Office.
Transferred to Tyne and Wear Archives Service on 28 July
1976.
3.2.4 Immediate source of acquisition
PURPOSE: To record circumstances of the immediate source
of acquisition.
RULE: Record the donor or source from which the unit
of description was acquired and the date and/or
method of acquisition if any or all of this
information is not confidential. Optionally, add
accession numbers or codes. If the source or
donor is unknown, record that information.
Examples:
Transferred from Department of Geography, 16 June 1977.
Donated by the sisters of Peter Neve Cotton, Mrs Mary Small
of Saltspring Island and Mrs Patricia Jarvis of Bellevue,
Washington, March 1983
Purchased at Sotheby's auction, 29 Mar 1977
Discovered in disused store at the rear of Transport Office
The orderly books were transferred from Pension Office, 1909;
the letter books were transferred from the State Department,
1915
Received from: Euroc AB, Malmü. Date of acquisition: 1978-
10-27
3.2.5 Legal status
PURPOSE: To provide information on the legal status of the
unit of description.
RULE: Record information on the legal status of the unit
of description.
Examples:
Public records transferred under section 4(1) of the Public
Records Act 1958
3.2.6 Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
PURPOSE: To provide information on any appraisal,
destruction and scheduling action taken.
RULE: Record any appraisal actions taken on the unit of
description if that action affects the interpretation
of the material.
Where appropriate, record the authority by which
the action has been taken.
Example:
Files of every tenth year have been retained
3.2.7 Accruals
PURPOSE: To inform the user of possible changes in the
extent of the unit of description.
RULE: If future accruals, additional transfers or deposits
are expected, give an estimate of their quantity
and frequency when possible.
Example:
Records from the Office of the Ceremonials Assistant are
transferred to the archives five years following the academic
year to which the records relate. On average, 40 cm of
records are transferred to the archives annually on Aug. 1.
3.2.8 System of arrangement
PURPOSE: To provide information on the arrangement of
the unit of description.
RULE: Give information on the arrangement of the unit
of description. Specify the principal
characteristics of the internal structure, the order
of the material and, if appropriate, how these
have been treated by the archivist.
Examples:
There are 5 series: minute books; ledgers; other volumes from
a racked store room; the contents of a number of metal deed
boxes holding deeds, agreements and a variety of other
documents, not all legal; files from filing cabinet of older
papers
Files arranged alphabetically by file title. A subseries of 17
files (numbered 163/1-17) depend on file 163, dealing with the
purchase of the Seaford Dock
3.2.9 Scope and content note / abstract
PURPOSE: To identify the form and subject matter of the
unit of description to enable users to judge its
potential relevance.
RULE: Give a brief summary of the form and subject
content (including time period) of the unit of
description. Give specific dates which extend and
explain the dates of creation of the material, if
appropriate. Do not repeat here information
already given elsewhere in the description.
Example:
General policy files and registers of the Ministry of Health
and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government relating
to extinguishment of tithe rent charges. The files contain
information about grants to local authorities, rates and rate
refunds, and evidence submitted to the Royal Commission on
Tithe Rent-charge in 1934. The registers contain records of
payments of grants to various authorities from 1938 to 1955
under the Tithe Act 1936.
3.3 CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA
3.3.1 Language of material
PURPOSE: To identify the language(s), scripts and symbol
systems employed in the unit of description.
RULE: Record the predominant language(s) of the
materials comprising the unit of description.
Note any distinctive alphabets, scripts or symbol
systems employed.
Examples:
In Portuguese
Main text in Latin; endorsements in Norman French
3.3.2 Physical characteristics
PURPOSE: To provide information about any important
physical characteristics that affects use of the unit
of description.
RULES: Indicate any important physical details and/or the
permanent physical condition of the material that
limits use of the unit of description.
Examples:
Images faded
Legible under ultraviolet light only
Optionally, indicate any significant diplomatic
characteristics that might affect use of the unit of
description.
Examples:
Seals and watermark
Illuminated text
3.3.3 Access conditions
PURPOSE: To identify any conditions that restrict or affect
access to the unit of description.
RULE: Give information on conditions that restrict or
affect access to the unit of description. Indicate
the extent of the period of closure and the date
at which the material will open.
Examples:
No access may be given to the material without the written
permission of the director of the firm
Family correspondence closed until 2010
All records subject to Access to Information and Privacy Act
No access until microfilmed
3.3.4 Copyright / terms governing reproduction
PURPOSE: To identify any restrictions on the use or
reproduction of the unit of description.
RULE: Give information about terms governing the use
or the reproduction of the unit of description
after access has been provided. If terms
governing use, reproduction or publication in
respect to the unit of description are unknown, no
statement is necessary.
Examples:
Rights held by CHYZ-TV
No reproduction without permission of the president of the
company
Photographs may be copied for reference purposes only. Use
of photographs in publication cannot be made without written
permission of Kenneth McAllister
3.3.5 Finding aids
PURPOSE: To identify any finding aids to the unit of
description.
RULE: Give information about any finding aids that the
repository may have that provide information
relating to the contents of the unit of description.
Also include finding aids compiled by the creator,
if relevant.
Examples:
Box list
Detailed finding aid available; file level control
Finding aid: Records of Parks Canada (RG84) / Gabrielle
Blais. � (General inventory series / Federal Archives
Division). � Ottawa : Public Archives of Canada, 1985
Geographical index
Correspondence index
3.4 ALLIED MATERIALS AREA
3.4.1 Location of originals
PURPOSE: To identify the repository, corporate body or
individual which holds the originals if the unit of
description is a reproduction.
RULE: If the unit of description is a reproduction, and
another repository, corporate body or individual
holds the originals, record their name if the
information is not confidential. Give also any
identifying numbers that may help in locating the
original material. If the originals are known to be
no longer extant, give that information.
Examples:
Original in National Archives of Canada, C2358
Originals destroyed after microfilming, 1981
Originals retained by the Society of Friends, Newcastle upon
Tyne (access by permission from the Secretary)
3.4.2 Existence of copies
PURPOSE: To indicate the existence and location of copies
of the unit of description.
RULE: If the unit of description is available (either in the
institution or elsewhere) in another format, give
that information. Record the other format(s) in
which the material is available and their locations,
if that information is known.
Examples:
Diaries and correspondence also available on microfilm
Films also available on videocassette
3.4.3 Related units of description
PURPOSE: To identify related units of description.
RULE: If the unit of description consists of material that
has a direct and significant connection to another
unit of description, indicate the relationship. Use
appropriate introductory wording. If the related
unit of description is a finding aid, use the
Finding Aids element of description to make the
reference to it.
Examples:
These include many stray medieval accounts similar to
material in E101 and SC6
For further documents concerning the Queen's Jointure see
LR5
Related series: In-letters from the Office of the General
Manager
3.4.4 Associated material
PURPOSE: To identify the existence in other repositories of
material associated by provenance to the unit of
description.
RULE: If material in another repository has a
relationship by provenance to the unit of
description, provide information about the
associated material and the repository.
Example:
Associated materials: Public Archives of Nova Scotia Ernest
Buckler fonds
3.4.5 Publication note
PURPOSE: To identify any publications that are based on the
use, study, or analysis of the unit of description.
RULE: Record a citation to, and/or information about, a
publication that is based on the use, study, or
analysis of the unit of description.
Examples:
Folios 23-24 published in Chronicon Petriburgense ed. T
Stapleton (1849), pp. 176-82
3.5 NOTE AREA
3.5.1 Note
PURPOSE: To provide important additional information.
RULE: Record important additional
information not accommodated by
any of the defined elements of
description.
APPENDIX
[Contains graphic diagram of a fonds and its structure]
[Not transmitted]
[If you have a fax, you may request this appendix to be faxed to
you. Please do not forget to give your name and fax number in
the request.]
END NOTES
1. The following ISO standards are useful when developing
and maintaining controlled vocabularies: ISO 5963
Documentation Methods for examining documents,
determining their subject, and selecting indexing terms and
ISO 2788 Documentation Guidelines for the
establishment and development of monolingual thesauri.