Describing repositories
A repository is an institution, or a part of one, that holds archival material: a national archive, a municipal record centre, a university's special collections. In RiC it is a rico:CorporateBody, described by ISDIAH and joined to the units it holds.
The screens are under Describe, Repositories (/repositories).
Why it matters
Every top-level unit of description names the repository that holds it, and the units inside inherit it. The repository then gives:
- the repository facet in the catalogue's search;
- the holder in every export, such as
rico:hasOrHadHolderin RiC-O and the repository in EAD; - a public page with its holdings, contact details and opening times;
- the institution's reference code prefix, if it has one.
Making one
- Open Repositories and choose New.
- Give its authorised form of name and its identifier, such as its ISO 15511 code.
- Save, then fill in the rest of its description.
What it holds
The page follows the ISDIAH areas, numbered as ISDIAH numbers them, each field showing its RiC term:
| ISDIAH area | What you record |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Identity | Identifier, authorised and other forms of name, type |
| 5.2 Contact | Contact points: address, telephone, e-mail, web and a contact person |
| 5.3 Description | History, geographical and cultural context, mandates, administrative structure, records management and collecting policies, buildings, holdings, finding aids |
| 5.4 Access | Opening times, conditions of access, accessibility |
| 5.5 Services | Research, reproduction and public areas |
| 5.6 Control | Description identifier, rules, status, level of detail, dates, languages, sources |
A repository can have more than one contact point; one is marked as its main one, and it may carry coordinates so it appears on maps.
Its own look
Theme gives a repository its own banner, logo, colours and text on its public page, so a department or a partner institution can be seen as itself inside the institution's catalogue.
Its holdings
The repository's page lists the top-level units it holds. Its public page shows the same list for what is published. To move records to another repository, change the holder on the top-level unit; the units inside follow.
Who may do what
Anyone may read a published repository in the public catalogue. Repositories are foundational, so by default only editors and administrators create and change them.