imc week 10

• Records


  All information materials produced in the course of administrative work
• Types of records


  • National
  • Departmental
  • Commercial
• Phases of records


  • In the office (current records)
  • Record center (semi-current records)
  • Archives (non-current records)
• Record center


  A temporary storage facility, not a place for permanent storage of records
• Records in record center

  • Majority are semi-current, kept for legal, financial or administrative requirements
  • Some can be destroyed under disposal schedules
  • A small number may be transferred directly to an archival repository
• Archives


  Records usually but not necessarily non-current, selected for permanent preservation
• Archival institution


  Institutions for the keeping, preservation, processing and use of archives, public or private, safeguarding their use as evidence of the nation's experience in permanently valuable records
• Archival administration


  • Focus is on the preservation and care of unique records
  • Involves acquisition and appraisal of archives, internal structure and organization
• Methods of acquiring archival materials

  • Donation
  • Transfer
  • Loan
  • Purchase
• Why we keep archives

  • Continuing value to individual, organization and society
  • As long-term memory for better planning, decision making and action
  • Providing access to past experience, expertise and knowledge
  • As evidence of rights and obligations
  • As instruments of power, legitimacy and accountability
  • For understanding and identification of ourselves, our organization and society
  • As tools for communicating political, social and cultural
• Retrieval tools


  Systems created to help users find, identify, select and obtain information resources
• Finding aids


  Documents, published or unpublished, listing or describing a body of records or archives, guiding archivists and researchers to information they are seeking
• Examples of finding aids

  • Databases
  • Indexes
  • Calendars
  • Guides
  • Inventories
  • Shelf and container lists
  • Registers
• Three common types of finding aids


  • Repository guide
  • Descriptive inventory
  • Summary inventory
• Elements in finding aids

  • Administrative history
  • Series description
  • Group code - First and last date
  • Series number - Number of items
  • Series title - Physical nature
  • Description of documents
  • Subject
  • Function
  • Summary
  • Significant information from custodial history
  • Directly related series
• Functions of finding aids

  • To arrange the materials in their original structural order
  • To provide access points
  • To provide physical control and intellectual control of the archival materials
• Bibliographic control activities in record center

  • Preparing records for storage
  • Executing and maintaining control and retrieval system procedures
  • Completing statistical information
  • Receiving and carrying out requests for information or records
  • Implementation of retention and disposal schedule
• Bibliographic control activities in archives


  • Repository
  • Search Room/Reference Area
  • Finding Aids and Publications
  • Preservation Services
• Stages of bibliographic control activities in archives

  • Intellectual Control
  • Physical Control
  • Finding Aids
• Intellectual control


  The creation of tools such as inventory, thematic guide, catalogue, and COMPAS/Online Finding Aids to identify and locate relevant materials
• Physical control


  Determining the way of storing archival materials, establishing order and tracking the storage to ensure records can be found and used
• Locations of finding aid copies

  • Reference area (research use and staff use)
  • Editorial area (for future revision)
  • Storage area
  • Regional area
  • With the director of the archival institution
• Archival description


  The process of establishing intellectual control over archival holdings through the preparation of finding aids
• The basic structure for a national archival description is the ISAD(G) standard
• Examples of finding aids

  • Databases
  • Indexes
  • Calendars
  • Guides
  • Inventories
  • Shelf And Container Lists
  • Registers
• Bibliographic control activities


  Findings Aids
• Copies of the finding aids

  1. The archivist will made a few copies

  2. Two copies at least in the reference area (one for research use and one for staff use)

  3. One in the editorial area (For future revision)

  4. One in the storage area

  5. One in regional area

  6. One with the director of the archival institution
• Description


  The process of capturing, analyzing, organizing and recording information that serves to identify, manage, locate and explain archives and the contexts and records systems that produced them
• Archival Description


  The process of establishing intellectual control over the archival holdings in our custody through the preparation of finding aids; such as inventories, catalogue cards and indexes
• Principles of Description


  • Based on general international standard archival description (ISAD(G))
  • Preserve the integrity of the records - to preserve the significance of archival records as authentic, impartial evidence of the activities they document
  • Description mirrors the arrangement of the archives, providing a representation on paper of the provenance, original order and content of the archival material
  • Arrangement and description achieve control over the holdings of the archival institution - administrative (physical) and intellectual
• How Archivist determines The Description

  1. Arrangement is the first step, which identifies provenance and preserves or re-constructs, and original order

  2. Description is the second step, and mirrors arrangement in a manner that accurately represents and explains it

  3. The archivist must first identify the original order of the fonds (group), and analyze the relationship of the records to the activities and functions of the records creator
• Respect des fonds


  Principle of respect for the creator of the records or archives, involving the maintenance of provenance and original order
• Provenance


  The 'office of origin' of the materials; source from which material is received
• Original order


  The order and organisation in which the documents were created or stored by that office of origin
• Reference services in archives

  • Reference / search department
  • Managing the reference area
  • Registration of users / researchers
  • Ordering and producing archive
  • Consulting archival documents by the creating agencies
  • Producing archives for the transferring agency
  • Returning archival materials
  • Providing a reference library in the archival institution
• Reference area


  A controlled sector within the institution in which users can consult archival materials in an atmosphere conducive to study
• Users / researchers must have ready access to the finding aids (guides, group-level descriptions, item lists and Indexes)
• Malaysian document security levels

  • Rahsia Besar
  • Rahsia
  • Sulit
  • Terhad
• Rahsia Besar


  Official documents, information and materials that if disclosed without authorization will cause severe damage to the country
• Rahsia


  Official documents, information and materials that if disclosed without authorization will endanger national security, cause major damage to the interests and dignity of Malaysia or provide great benefit to a foreign power