Recording Archives in Modes

- the experience of British Antarctic Survey Archives ServiceJoanna RaeArchivist, British Antarctic Survey10 Sep 2015

• BAS Archives

• Shared requirements

• Archive-specific requirements

• Tools & Help

• Concluding remarks

• Questions

Overview

• Research institute - world-leading, interdisciplinary science in the polar regions

• Provide leadership role in Antarctic affairs

• Origins - 1943 Operation Tabarin

• Component of Natural Environment Research Council

• Funded from central Government via BIS and by competitive grants

• About 450 staff, Cambridge building, 6 research stations, 2 ships, 5 aircraft

British Antarctic Survey

BAS Archives• Medium-sized institutional archive – 1.2 linear km

physical records, 9Tb digital data

• 50% administrative records, 50% science data. 10% are gifts.

• Manage semi-current business records, art collection and products of an oral history project

• Wide variety of formats – written, photographs, printed maps/ books, film, sound recordings, digital data, artefacts

• Database – for discovery & management; demand for digitisation, online access, data sharing

• Move to Modes Complete - collaboration with Scott Polar Research Institute & MUA

• Often curate the same ‘objects’ - ObjectName with appropriate attributes

• Descriptive standards – Spectrum, ISAD(G)

• Key components of descriptive standards eg Production, Description, Content, Location

• Collections management processes eg Acquisition, Conservation

• Single data structure and related tools (eg views, indexes) that work across the whole collection

• Discovery-level access to images & digital versions of documents, films - Reproduction & References (multimedia)

• Share controlled vocabularies

• Ability to export data to external portals – Culture Grid / Archives Hub

• Essential to map mandatory information across standards for good data exchange

Shared Requirements

• Original order• how the creator chose to arrange the material

• preserve relationships between ‘objects’

• preserve relationships with creator (person, department, organisation)

• reveal this through intellectual arrangement

• Hierarchy of descriptions • tool to record these relationships – ISAD(G) terms

• make explicit for users the context in which ‘objects’ were created

• Archive reference number• Unique identifier

• Can be a short-hand code for both the above – very useful in Modes

• Differs from acquisition reference (entry number / accession number)

Archive-specific Requirements - 1

• Very long records

• Concepts not specifically catered for in the Object data structure. Use a general Modes element with an attribute or Type to define specific use

• archival arrangement

• accruals

• digitisation

• public access

• records management

Archive-specific Requirements - 2

Administration (arrangement) Type arrangement

SummaryText Most of the records in this series were transferred to BAS Archives by Sir Vivian at various times following his retirement and the completion of his book 'Of Ice and Men' in 1982. They were arranged in one sequence, with a simple archive reference number in the pattern AD1/D1/(running number).

SummaryText In 2003 the Archives were offered further records, found by Peter Fuchs in his father's garage following his death. These were clearly official rather than personal records, and were compiled mainly by Fuchs' predecessor in the role of Field Leader, FIDS-Surgeon-Commander Bingham. These have been maintained as a separate sub-sub-series of Sir Vivian's records, numbered in the pattern AD1/D1/0/(running number).

SummaryText SummaryText Sub-series:

SummaryText Records of Surgeon-Commander E.W. Bingham Inherited by Fuchs AD1/D1/0

• Need a place in the Modes record to describe the original order and how that has been preserved or modified by the archivist, and how the numbering system reflects this intellectual arrangement

• Only relevant in descriptions in the hierarchy above the physical ‘object’

Archival arrangement

Public access

• Need to record this information to comply with legislation (Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act), conditions of donation

• Can apply to documents, films, oral history, even scientific data (period of exclusivity)

Administration (public access) Type public access Part ItemCategory not open to the public Keyword (foI/EIR exemption) Freedom of Information Act, 2000, Section 40 (personal information) Date (date due to open) Keyword (conditions) SummaryText References References Electronic filing system – Access Reviews - 2003 Authority Cox, Rachel Jane Date 7.2003

Records Management

At BAS we also use Modes to manage the process of review and disposal of semi-current records eg personal files

Process (records management - full) Type records management Part DateRequested (action due date) 2006 Method (action required) destroy Note (disposal period) + 6 References Type retention schedule Reference NERC retention schedule 7.5 Date (completion date) Result Authority Date

• Guide records

• Templates

• Element help

• Specific views & reports

• Archives user group

• Hyperlinks to records of people, places and other entities, within the object format – allows searching of these records

Tools & Help

• The expansion of the object data structure for Modes Complete has enabled archivists to use it more straight-forwardly to meet the needs of our own descriptive standards

• Huge benefits in describing all aspects of our holdings in one data structure, with common searches, views & reports

• Many excellent common functions as well as low costs for a powerful product

• The cooperative attitude and technical expertise of the MUA support team has enabled add-on functionality for archivists, some rolled out to all users

• We see in-house customisation, within a standard framework, as the route to get best out of Modes

• Essential to ensure archive use of the software remains within the main body of Modes development to take advantage of future advances and to ensure reliable onward migration

Concluding Remarks

Archives ServiceBritish Antarctic SurveyHigh Cross, Madingley Road Cambridge CB3 0ET

Email: basarchives@bas.ac.uk

Web: https://www.bas.ac.uk/archives

Contact details: