ISAD(G)

Overview

ISAD(G) defines a list of elements and rules for the description of archives, and describes the kinds of information that should be included in such descriptions. It creates a hierarchy of description that determines what information should be included at what level.

ISAD(G) follows four general principles: multilevel description, information relevant to the level of description, linking of descriptions, and non-repetition of information. Multilevel description starts from a general level of description, which is usually the fonds, and proceeds to more detailed levels, such as the subfonds, the series, the file, and the item. This hierarchical structure must be represented and properly defined in the archival description. Information in each level of description must be related only to the archival unit described in that level. Every archival unit must be linked to its parent level within the hierarchy, and its level must be made explicit. To avoid repetition, general information common to a group must be declared in the highest level possible. Sublevels must, in turn, contain common information applicable to its child levels.

History

The advent of the internet and electronic records changed the way curators conceived archives. With ability to interrelate archives around the world, there was a need to standardize archival descriptions.

With initial activities beginning in 1988 and supported by UNESCO, a subgroup of the AdHoc Commission on Descriptive Standards discussed the first draft of ISAD(G) beginning in 1990. The first version of ISAD(G) was released and adopted by the ICA in 1994. In 1999, an evaluation of ISAD(G) was conducted to determine its effectiveness of describing datasets and to evaluate how it had been being used in data archives. The ICA published a revised version in 2000. Sometimes abbreviated as ISAD(G)2*,* the revised version remains the current standard.

Adoption

ISAD(G) has been adopted as the standard for archival description by many national and international institutions.

National organizations

In the United States, the implementation of ISAD(G) by the Society of American Archivists is described in Describing Archives: A Content Standard (2006).

In the United Kingdom, ISAD(G) was adopted by The National Archives Cataloguing Standards in 2000.

In Canada, ISAD(G) was implemented alongside ISAAR(CPF) in the second edition of Rules for Archival Description (RAD2) by the Canadian Council on Archives in 2005.

In Brazil, ISAD(G) was adopted by the (Conarq) and implemented in the Norma Brasileira de Descrição Arquivística (Brazilian Standard for Archival Description) in 2006.

Transnational organizations

The World Bank Group has adopted ISAD(G) as the standard for description of its archival records. Each record has at least one level (fonds); where multiple levels are available, they are presented in a tree format. The World Bank Group Archive is arranged into fonds using EAD XML schemas with metadata for the description or archival content following ISAD(G).

UNESCO Archives are organized using the AtoM database and adhere to ISAD(G) for archival description.

Compatibility with other archival protocols

ISAD(G) has been implemented by institutions with other protocols such as ISO 15489 record management protocol or the ISAAR (CPF) standard for archival authority records. ISAD(G) has been mapped into archival finding aids protocols such as Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and structure standards like Dublin Core.

EAD uses XML schemas to encode content descriptions mapped to ISAD(G) standards as a guide to determine required data elements and hierarchical relations between said elements. These protocols are not exclusive but complementary. ISAD(G) is not as specific as EAD with respect to finding aid data, but it offers a useful model for determining both essential elements and the amount of descriptive detail an archivist may wish to gather at each hierarchical level.

Elements

ISAD(G) defines 26 data elements of description, 6 of which are considered essential, divided into 7 areas. The standard provides a framework for a common approach, rather than a rigid format.

References

References

1. Youn, Eunha. (11 May 2015). "Adoption of ISAD(G) in practice: a close look at the standardization process of ISAD(G) in a manuscript archives of Korea". Journal of the Archives and Records Association.
2. Bonturi, Lina. (2017). "Archives in the Digital Age". Chandos Publishing.
3. Casini, Paola. (2014). "ISAD(G): Synthesis or Innovation in Archival Description Traditions?". ProQuest LLC.
4. (2000). "The Application of ISAD(G) to the Description of Archival Datasets". Journal of the Society of Archivists.
5. "Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)". [[Society of American Archivists]].
6. Garmendia, Jone. (March 2017). "The National Archives - Homepage".
7. Canadian Committee on Archival Description. (2005). "Toward a Second Edition of RAD : A Report".
8. (2006). "NOBRADE : Norma Brasileira de Descrição Arquivística". Conselho Nacional de Arquivos.
9. "API Access to Archival Description Metadata".
10. "Organization of the Archives".
11. "EAD Application Guidelines for Version 1.0".
12. "ISAD(G) standard - Archives Hub".
13. (16 Jun 2003). "ISAD (G): The Basics".