Description Template and Examples

Download the workbook containing the basic and detailed description templates, field explanations, and examples prepared for describing private archives.

Field name	Explanation
Archive name	Records the name of the personal or institutional archive held by the organization. If all holdings belong to one archive, use that archive name consistently. If further archives are acquired later, forms such as “Aaaaaa Archive - Xyz Private Archive,” “Aaaaaa Archive Collection - Xyz Archive,” or “Aaaaaa Collection - Xyz Archive” may be used.
Identifier	Assign and record a unique identifier for every archival item. The pattern may use topical letters and numbers, numbers only, or box and folder references. Apply the same identifier pattern to image files so records and images remain easy to match and transfer between systems.
Title	Enter a short identifying title. Except for proper nouns, use sentence case; after a colon, capitalize only the first word as needed. When little information is available, the Title field may be used on its own.
Description	Provide a detailed account of the item and expand the short information recorded in Title. This can be a concise summary of the item’s significant details.
Source	For journals, newspapers, articles, or clippings, record the source from which the item was taken without interrupting the descriptive flow of Title and Description.
Creator	Record the person or institution directly responsible for creating the item, such as the author of a letter or official document, the photographer, or the writer of a news item or column.
Subject / keywords	Choose important access terms carefully by considering how researchers may search for the item. Use relevant synonyms where useful and consult comparable records for consistency.
Contributor	Record people or organizations with roles other than creator and state their contribution, for example: Translator: Varol Saydam; Compiler: Özhan Sağlık; Editor: Varol Saydam.
Date	Dates may be entered as DD.MM.YYYY or YYYY.MM.DD. For historical dates, both old and converted dates may be recorded. Repeat the field when an item carries several relevant dates, such as meeting, report, conference, or event dates.
Language	Record the language or languages of the item. List the predominant language first and separate additional languages with commas.
Type	Record the documentary type of the item, for example official correspondence, petition, postcard, photograph, letter, greeting card, business card, receipt, identity card, annual report, clipping, newspaper, or journal.
Notes	Record additional information about the source that may be important to users or that should be visible alongside the record.
Method of acquisition	Record how the item entered the archive, such as purchase, donation, or transfer. This field is normally restricted to staff. For purchases, include source, date, and price; for donations, include donor, agreement date, and any conditions.
Copyright	Record the copyright holder. Donation of an archive or a digital copy does not necessarily transfer copyright.
Access	Record restrictions or permissions, using terms such as open access, access by permission, internal access, closed, or closed until a specified date.