Archive Service Accreditation glossary

A

Access

Sometimes called collections access. Right, opportunity or means of finding, using or approaching items and/or information about items.

Source: Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 197 (derived from Manual of Archival Description (1)).

Archival holdings

Those records held by an archive which are retained for their long-term historical value.

Archive service

Definition one: an organisation which holds a collection which meets the standard definition of an archive:

Definition two: the organisation as opposed to the collection.

Source: Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

B

Born-digital records

Digital materials that are not intended to have an analogue equivalent, either as the originating source or as a result of conversion to analogue form. This term has been used in the handbook to differentiate them from:

1. digital materials which have been created as a result of converting analogue originals
2. digital materials, which may have originated from a digital source but have been printed to paper, such as some electronic records

BS4971:2017

This refers to 'BS4971:2017: Conservation and care of library and archive collections'. This is the standard governing collection care, including much on repository management.

Box list

A list of the contents of a box of archival material. As a finding aid it is very basic as it simply lists contents often in broad-brush manner and without a structuring or additional metadata. It is a quick way of describing contents but lacks the detailed information or context of a catalogue. Box lists can vary enormously in the level of detail and usefulness from a very short list to a detailed explanation of the contents.

C

Catalogue

A systematic arrangement of descriptions for an archive collection that provides a clear explanation of the contents of the collection and its provenance. There are a variety of standards that govern catalogue structures and content.

Collections Access Plan

May also be referred to as an Audience Development Plan.

Collections Care

Range of activities intended to safeguard a collection. Note: these activities can include organizational policies, security, storage, cleaning, maintenance, handling, scientific investigation, environmental monitoring and control, exhibitions and loans, conservation, provision of surrogates and emergency planning.

Source: PAS 197.

Collections development

Collecting new items, researching and reviewing the existing collection and removing items in accordance with the collecting organisation's policies and priorities.

Source: PAS 197.

Collections information

Information an organisation collects, creates, holds and maintains about its collections and/or collected items (note: collections information can include a broad range of knowledge, such as interpretations, stories, research and conversation).

Source: PAS 197.

Collections management

An overarching term for all aspects of managing historical collections including collections development, creating and maintaining information about collections, providing physical care and conservation, and providing access to collections.

Community

The accreditation standard is based on the concept of a community that the archive service is constituted to serve. In its specific sense as a defined term the word ‘community’ does not necessarily refer simply to the population of a political unit or physical area (such as a local authority or town).

For many archive services the community will extend beyond the formal boundaries of its responsible body (government, educational institution, private or voluntary organisation). The archive will probably serve multiple communities: local, national and international; different communities of researchers and of other types of direct and indirect users and of non-users.

Different elements of the community may attract different priorities, types and levels of service. The ‘community’ to be served is defined through the stated purpose of the archive service. Community embraces both 'stakeholders' and 'users'.

Source: Amended from Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

Competent person

Someone who has the necessary and sufficient training, knowledge, experience, expertise, skills, and/or other qualities to complete their allotted task safely and effectively.

Source: PAS 197.

Conservation

Interventive techniques applied to a physical item to achieve chemical and physical stabilisation for the purpose of extending the useful life of items to ensure their continued availability. (note: also known as interventive conservation and remedial conservation).

The term ‘preventive conservation’ applies to actions that support the longevity of the archive material but do not involve techniques that are invasive to the material - managing the temperature and humidity is preventive conservation, whereas mending a tear in a paper document is not.

Source: PAS 197.

Constitution

A set of principles, precedents and rules by which an organisation is governed, such as a Memorandum and Articles of Association for a charity or business.

Content

Can range from original documents and whole-class surrogates (such as census microfilms) through copies of selected documents, material derived or selected from the original records, to animation (exhibitions, events, experiences, publications) based on the records and their context.

Source: Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

D

Digital materials

A broad term encompassing digital surrogates created as a result of converting analogue materials to digital form (digitisation), and 'born digital' for which there has never been and is never intended to be an analogue equivalent, and digital records.

Digital preservation

A series of structured and managed processes to identify, capture, manage and provide access to digital objects that ensures their longevity, accessibility and authenticity. It requires appropriate policies, plans and procedures as well as organisational support and sufficient resourcing.

Digital records

Data or information that has been captured and is managed electronically and requires an electronic system to render it intelligible. A digital record can either have been originally created as a digital format ('born digital') or be a digital copy of an analogue original.

E

EN16893

This refers to 'BS EN 16893:2018 Conservation of Cultural Heritage – New Sites & Buildings Intended for the Storage & Use of Collections'. This is the standard governing the design of heritage buildings, including archives.

Engagement

Engagement means more than simply contact with archives and archive services; it also involves understanding and a sense of personal value, ownership, and empowerment. Engagement is a subset of access. Engagement may be with internal and/or external stakeholders.

F

Finding aid

1. A tool that facilitates discovery of information within a collection of records.
2. A description of records that gives the repository physical and intellectual control over the materials and that assists users to gain access to and understand the materials.

L

Legacy issues

Issues that have arisen before the introduction of current policies and procedures. For example with poor collections information or collections ownership information.

Loan

Description given to the status of ownership whereby archival material is physically held by the archive service but legally owned by another organisation or individual.

M

Mission Statement

Strategic statement setting out a collecting organisation's purpose in relation to its collection (referred to in Museum Accreditation as 'Statement of Purpose').

Source: Hillhouse, Susanna (2009), Collections Management: A Practical Guide, Collections Trust.

O

Off-site

Any location away from the location(s) where the service is resident, such as museums or schools, where the archive service may deliver outreach activity. It includes online activity. Note that storage away from the main site of the service can also be referred to as off-site.

On-site

The location where the majority or core of the archive service's operational activities are undertaken.

Other holdings

Any other records or objects held by the archive service in its storage which are not archival or records management holdings, such as artwork, museum objects.

P

Parent body

The organisation which has overall control of the archive service e.g. a business, university, charity or local authority.

PD5454:2012

This was the standard for the physical care of archive collections. It has been replaced by 'BS EN 16893:2018 Conservation of Cultural Heritage – New Sites & Buildings Intended for the Storage & Use of Collections', and 'BS 4971:2017: Conservation & Care of Archival Collections'.

Plans

Plans are forward looking documents that set out the objectives of the organisation and identify the actions needed to achieve those objectives. Plans implement the organisation's policies and fulfil the organisation's mission.

Plans may be tiered from high-level and long-term, to detailed and short-term, such as strategies (three-to-five years), business plans (annual), departmental/individual action plans (often related to projects or reporting cycles).

Policies

Policies describe the overall intentions and direction of an organisation as formally expressed by top management. They set out the principles and framework that then guide planning and decision-making. Policies should be endorsed by the organisation's governing body (such as the senior management team, the Board of Trustees, the Council or Portfolio holder).

Procedures

Procedures describe a specified way to carry out an activity or a process (a set of interrelated or interacting activities), in order to deliver a particular output or outcome. Procedures may be documented in the form of operational guides, manuals, handbooks, instructions, flowcharts, and so on.

Q

Quality

Defined as per BS 4778: 'The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.'

Source: Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

R

Records Management holdings

Those records held by an archive service which are part of the parent body's operational records and are not considered to be archival holdings.

Risk assessment

A structured process of identifying, assessing and planning for hazards and risks that could cause potential harm or problems. Risk assessment has several stages namely: identification, determining type and likelihood of impact, identifying actions to eliminate or control, evaluation to ensure actions are effective, monitoring for current and new risks, and keeping meaningful records of the assessment process.

S

Service(s)

Includes dissemination of information about the service and other marketing activities, the various activities required to deliver ‘content’, the physical context of the service in so far as it is important to the archives service's community.

Source: Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

Split-site

Core operational activities (including public service delivery) are undertaken over a number of sites that are occupied by the service (as opposed to locations where the archive service may do activities such as outreach but is not resident). Note that if the activity is purely storage this storage may be referred to being 'off-site' rather than split-site.

Stakeholder analysis

A clearly defined process of defining key stakeholders, understanding their needs and motivations and developing plans for working with stakeholders.

Stakeholders

Persons, corporate bodies or defined groups with an interest in the present and future activities of the archive service. Stakeholders include those with a financial interest (including taxpayers in relation to a public service, office holders (such as politicians, committee members), executives, employees, suppliers, customers and the local community. In archive services there are two important additional groups:

1. depositors - the donors or lenders of records
2. future users - the purpose of the preservation of records

Source: Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

Storage

The process of and the space provided for the storage of archival collections, records management collections and any other material held by the archive service for safekeeping. Within this context storage does not include the space used by the archive service for everyday operations e.g. storage for cleaning materials and equipment.

T

Top management

Person or group of people that directs and controls an organisation at the highest level.

Source: Hillhouse, Susanna (2009), 'Collections Management: A Practical Guide', Collections Trust. Derived from BS EN ISO 9000:2005.

U

Users/potential users

An actual or potential user of any kind of service offered by an archive service.

Source: Standard for Access to Archives – Public Services Quality Group.

V

VAQAS

The Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS), which is managed by Visit England and Visit Wales (VAQAS Cymru).

Source: Visit Britain

Volunteer

Any individual who undertakes activities at the archive service as part of the service's daily work but without any financial reward other than possibly having their travel costs reimbursed. Note that a volunteer is not the same as a 'Friend' who undertakes activities which can support the mission of the service (such as fundraising) but is not directly involved in the daily work of the archive.

W

Workforce

Covers both paid staff and volunteers.