This section includes our advice and guidance on:
- how to formally document ownership
- how to improve access to your collections information once records have been catalogued
Archive Service Accreditation defines current good practices and agreed standards for documenting collections and provides guidance on meeting the standard. Here we provide some basic information about the different activities which are involved in this work.
Archivists routinely gather and record information about their collections from the point of accessioning onwards, both to manage and provide access to collections effectively. Collections information includes any information that:
- is collected from depositors
- is generated during accessioning, collections appraisal, cataloguing or the creation of finding aids
- records the location and movement of collections
This guidance will help archivists write a Collections Information Policy which reflects their own archive service's approach to recording and improving information held about collections at the archive service:
Developing a Collections Information Policy (PDF, 0.51MB)