Data Standards

10 Top Tips for Cataloguing

Users of the Archives Hub come from all over the world, and from many different backgrounds. Cataloguing for this disparate online audience requires a different approach than creating printed handlists for an in-house audience. Below are our top tips for making your descriptions online-friendly.

These tips are equally important whether you are using our EAD Editor or another means of creating your descriptions.

Think online, think users!

Always remember that your descriptions need to work in an online environment. It is useful to think about users finding your description via Google and then viewing it - think about how to make it instantly understandable to them. It must be easy to scan - try to ensure that users can easily pick out key bits of information.

Think global

The Hub attracts users from across the world, and it's important to remember this global context when creating your descriptions. This might mean simply addding 'England' or 'UK' to place names; expanding/explaining common UK acronyms (eg BBC); or providing external references to people/events mentioned in the description.

Use straightforward language

Many people will come to your descriptions whilst they are browsing online. It should be easy for them to understand exactly what it is about and what the archive contains. They will usually not be experts in the language of archives, so it is important to use appropriate language. Try to avoid jargon and complex technical terms.

Include the mandatory fields

An online description needs enough content for users to know whether it is relevant to them and worth a visit to your repository. We ask for 8 mandatory fields that should provide this basic information:

Reference
Title
Repository
Dates
Extent
Language
Scope and Content
Access Conditions

Create consistent and short References

The reference is one of the most important entities in a description. Not only does it identify the description, it is also integral to the processing that goes on behind the scenes of the Archives Hub.

We highly recommend using a countrycode (GB), Archon repository code and short local reference code. For example:

GB 3184 SK [the Stanley Kubrick Archive]

Lower level entries should use nested numbers or letters. For example:

GB 1499 JVG [Artwork of James Vincent Glover]
GB 1499 JVG/1 [Series One]
GB 1499 JVG/1/1 [Series One, Item One]
GB 1499 JVG/2 [Series Two]

Remember that the reference is used to create a persistent URI for your description. For example:

http://archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb3184sk

http://archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb1499jvg-gb1499jvg-1

Carefully consider an appropriate Title

Always think of the title as something that should make sense outside of the full description. Consider a user finding your archive by using Google - the title will be the clickable link, and may be the only information they see about the archive. Try to include the creator of the archive and the type of material and/or subject. For example:

The Constance Willis Peace Archive
Ursula Momray Williams Collection
Co-operative Party Papers
University of Salford Photographic Collection

Use Extent consistently

The size of the archive can be very useful to those searching remotely. Try to use standard measurements. For example:

10 boxes
8 linear metres
2 cubic metres
12 volumes
7 items

Extent entries that are not so useful are things like:

279ff
Thin rectangular piece of paper
Diaries, speeches, correspondence

Describe the archive in the Scope and Content

The description should give the user a good idea of what they can expect if they visit the archive. Make it easy to read. Bulleted lists are good. Think about the significant people, organisations, places and subjects that are represented.

Create a useful Administrative or Biographical History

It is very useful to give background on the creator of the archive, to give a sense of context. Keep to what is relevant for the archive in question and draw out important events and relationships that the researcher may find useful.

Select and structure Index Terms

These provide structured metadata for the significant names, places and subjects represented in your archive. Think carefully about what is appropriate to include, and try to only include index terms that are mentioned elsewhere in the description. The EAD Editor structures your index terms for you, but do make sure that you use recognised rules, or a source. The National Register of Archives provides a useful source of names. This helps with matching entries for the same name. Take a look at the Hub browse list (for example, enter Churchill, Winston to see how entries for one person can vary).

People use index entries for lateral searching of Hub descriptions and for browsing. They are also invaluable for the creation of Linked Data.