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archives

vr.tr.archives · thing-q166118

Let an agent help people find and use archives, understand access rules and closure periods, cite archival sources and support preservation and donation.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions SOC.ORG
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Find Locating records.

Which

Which archive.

Which

Which archive.

  1. Which archive is likely to hold these records? provenance
  2. Is there an online catalogue? provenance

Catalogue

Finding aids.

Catalogue

Finding aids.

  1. How can the catalogue or finding aid be searched effectively? action
  2. What does the reference number mean? definition
Access Using archives.

Rules

Closure periods.

Rules

Access rules.

  1. Are these records open, or closed for a period, and why? provenance
  2. How can access be requested? action

Visit

Reading rooms.

Visit

Visiting.

  1. What must a visitor bring, and must items be ordered in advance? provenance
  2. Are copies allowed? provenance
Use Research and citation.

Cite

Citation.

Cite

Citation.

  1. How should this archival document be cited? action
  2. Does the archive require a specific format? provenance

Privacy

Personal data.

Privacy

Personal data in archives.

  1. Do the records contain personal data about living people? boundary
  2. What rules limit their use? provenance
Care Preservation and donation.

Donate

Depositing records.

Donate

Donating records.

  1. How can families or organisations donate or deposit records? action
  2. Which archive collects this subject? provenance

Preserve

Preservation.

Preserve

Preservation.

  1. How should damaged or digital records be preserved, according to archival guidance? provenance
  2. Who can advise? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Society, people and institutions
Entry kind
thing
Plane
SOC
Domain
SOC.ORG
Other names and narrower kinds
state archives section, local government archive, District archive (Germany), digital archive, archival library, Kibbutz Archive, eArkiv, archived version, open data portal, ArcGIS Open Data Portal, provincial archive, object archive

What it is Filled

Organisations and repositories that select, preserve and provide access to records of enduring value, such as national, state and local government archives, university, business, religious and community archives, and digital archives, described with finding aids and managed under archival standards.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent help people find and use archives, understand access rules and closure periods, cite archival sources and support preservation and donation.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Unique original records
  • Arranged by provenance
  • Access rules apply
  • Long-term preservation

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Alter, remove or destroy records, or their metadata, that it is not authorized to manage.
  • Release records that are closed for privacy, security or legal reasons.
  • Misattribute the origin or provenance of a record.
  • Publish personal details of living people found in records beyond what the access rules allow.

Only with a human decision

  • Appraising records for destruction or permanent retention.
  • Opening closed records or granting exceptions to access rules.

May

  • Search finding aids and catalogues and cite records by their archival reference.
  • Help researchers request access under the archive's rules.
  • Report damage, decay or environmental risks to records in its care.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Archives hold evidence of rights, injustices and identity; losing or hiding records can deny people justice.
  • Records about communities, especially colonised or marginalised ones, raise questions of who controls their memory.

Who is affected

  • People named in records
  • Researchers and the public
  • Communities whose history is held

Owners Filled

Steward

The archival institution and its archivist; the creating body or depositor may retain rights over the records.

Master systems

  • Archival catalogues and finding aids
  • National archival directories

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q1030034 - registry parent class
  • Q43229 - registry parent class

related

  • GLAM institution - category
  • manuscript - records
  • ISAD(G) - description standard
  • personal data - with safeguards

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.archives
  • Wikidata: Q166118 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q166118)
  • ISIL: institution code archive identifier

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Catalogue references and finding aids
  • Reading rooms with rules
  • Libraries mainly hold published works
  • Reading rooms, storage stacks, boxes of records and online catalogues.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • find which archive holds relevant records
  • search catalogues and finding aids
  • understand access and closure rules
  • donate or deposit records

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Loss of records through neglect or disaster
  • Privacy breaches in recent records
  • Misattributed citations

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • ISAD(G) archival description
  • ISO 14721 OAIS for digital preservation
  • Public records and data protection law

Context of use required Filled

  • Preserving memory, accountability and research.
  • national and state archives
  • local government archives
  • university and business archives
  • religious and community archives
  • digital archives

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q166118: archives - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Archive - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should each archive be a separate entry?
  • How should catalogues be linked?
  • How should closure periods be localised?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q166118/spec.json