access : n. ~ 1. The ability to locate relevant information through the use of catalogs, indexes, finding aids, or other tools. – 2. The permission to locate and retrieve information for use (consultation or reference) within legally established restrictions of privacy, confidentiality, and security clearance. – 3. Computing · The physical processes of retrieving information from storage media.
Notes: 'Access' and 'accessibility' are frequently used synonymously, although 'accessibility' carries the connotation of providing access to individuals with disabilities that prevent normal use. (†166)
accountability : n. ~ The ability to answer for, explain, or justify actions or decisions for which an individual, organization, or system is responsible. (†169)
accuracy : n. (accurate, adj.) ~ The degree of precision to which something is correct, truthful, and free of error or distortion, whether by omission or commission. (†170)
anonymous : n. ~ 1. The right and ability to associate, receive information, and communicate without having to reveal one's identity. – 2. A lack of distinctiveness. (†171)
archival arrangement (s.v. "arrangement"): n. ~ 1. The process of organizing materials with respect to their provenance and original order, to protect their context and to achieve physical or intellectual control over the materials. - 2. The organization and sequence of items within a collection. ¶ Note: Arrangement is distinguished from classification, which places materials in an order established by someone other than the creator. (†1869)
archival bond : The interrelationships between a record and other records resulting from the same activity. (†1910)
archival description (s.v. "archival description"): 1. The process of analyzing, organizing, and recording details about the formal elements of a record or collection of records, such as creator, title, dates, extent, and contents, to facilitate the work's identification, management, and understanding. - 2. The product of such a process. (†1870)
archives : n. (also archive) ~ 1. Materials created or received by a person, family, or organization, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value contained in the information they contain or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator, especially those materials maintained using the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control; permanent records. – 2. The division within an organization responsible for maintaining the organization's records of enduring value. – 3. An organization that collects the records of individuals, families, or other organizations; a collecting archives. – 4. The professional discipline of administering such collections and organizations. – 5. The building (or portion thereof) housing archival collections. – 6. A published collection of scholarly papers, especially as a periodical. (†167)
audit : An internal audit is conducted by an organization's staff. An independent audit is conducted by an individual or organization not connected with the entity being audited. (†881)
authentication : n. ~ 1. The process of verifying that a thing is what it purports to be, that it is acceptable as genuine or original. – 2. Computing · The process of establishing a user's identity.
– authenticate, v. ~ 3. To verify that a thing is what it purports to be. – 4. Computing · To establish an individual's identity.
Notes: Authentication2 is often accomplished through a shared secret known to the individual and the system, such as a user id (or name) and password. If a shared secret is not available or the system might compromise that secret, digital signatures based on public key cryptography can be used to authenticate the identity of the individual who sends a signed message. (†172)
authenticity : n. ~ 1. The quality of being genuine, not a counterfeit, and free from tampering, and is typically inferred from internal and external evidence, including its physical characteristics, structure, content, and context.
— authentic, adj. ~ 2. Perceived of as genuine, rather than as counterfeit or specious; bona fide.
¶ Notes: Authenticity is closely associated with the creator (or creators) of a record. First and foremost, an authentic record must have been created by the individual represented as the creator. The presence of a signature serves as a fundamental test for authenticity; the signature identifies the creator and establishes the relationship between the creator and the record.
¶ Authenticity can be verified by testing physical and formal characteristics of a record. The ink used to write a document must be contemporaneous with the document's purported date. The style and language of the document must be consistent with other, related documents that are accepted as authentic.
¶ Authenticity alone does not automatically imply that the content of a record is reliable.
¶ The authenticity of records and documents is usually presumed, rather than requiring affirmation. Federal rules of evidence stipulate that to be presumed authentic, records and documents must be created in the 'regular practice' of business and that there be no overt reason to suspect the trustworthiness of the record (Uniform Rules of Evidence, as approved July 1999). (†398)
backup : n. ~ 1. A copy of all or portions of software or data files on a system kept on storage media, such as tape or disk, or on a separate system so that the files can be restored if the original data is deleted or damaged. – 2. Equipment held in reserve that can be substituted in case equipment in regular use fails.
– back up, v. ~ 3. To create such copies of data.
Notes: In information technology, 'archive' is commonly used as a synonym for 'backup' and 'back up'. (†173)
best practice : Procedures and guidelines that are widely accepted because experience and research has demonstrated that they are optimal and efficient means to produce a desired result. (†258)
bit rot (s.v. "bit rot"): The corruption of the lowest level of information digital data in transmission or during storage. (†910)
business process : n. ~ Related activities, sequential or parallel, that have been systematically implemented to produce a specific service or product. (†397)
certification (records) : n. (certify, v.) ~ 1. The formal process of asserting that a fact or process meets a standard. – 2. The process of issuing an official document (a certificate) attesting to the truth of a fact, the quality of a process, or the authenticity of a record. – 3. The process by which individuals can demonstrate that they have mastered an organization's requirements for professional practice.
– certified, adj. ~ 4. Judged as authentic or as conforming to a standard.
Notes: The term derives from the Latin certus (sure, determined, resolved, certain). Frequently used in the context of certified copies so that the copies can be accepted as equivalent to the original. Also used to attest that a process is trustworthy. (†174)
collection : n. ~ 1. A group of materials with some unifying characteristic. – 2. Materials assembled by a person, organization, or repository from a variety of sources; an artificial collection. – collections, pl. ~ 3. The holdings of a repository. Note: Collection1 is synonymous with record group if provenance is the unifying characteristic. (†2466)
competence : n., also competency ~ 1. Having the basic qualifications to perform a function. – 2. Diplomatics · The mandate and authority given to an office or person to accomplish something.
Notes: Competence is not necessarily tied to responsibility. If a competent individual acts as an agent for another person, the person represented may be responsible for any action taken. For example, an archivist in a large repository may have competence to negotiate deeds of gift, but the responsibility for those deeds may lie with the repository’s director. (†175)
confidentiality : adj., confidentiality, n. ~ 1. Kept secret within an authorized group. – 2. Not to be disclosed.
Notes: Confidential information may require restrictions on access to protect the rights of the parties involved. (†176)
context : n. ~ 1. The organizational, functional, and operational circumstances surrounding materials' creation, receipt, storage, or use, and its relationship to other materials. ‐ 2. The circumstances that a user may bring to a document that influences that user's understanding of the document.
¶ Notes: Along with content and structure, context is one of the three fundamental aspects of a record. (†396)
copy : n. ~ 1. Something that is nearly identical to something else; a facsimile; a reproduction. – 2. A duplicate made from an original. – 3. Text, especially a document that is to be set in type or used in a news story.
— v. ~ 4. To make a reproduction; to duplicate.
¶ Notes: A copy1 can vary significantly in its fidelity to the original. In some instances, it may be sufficient for a copy to capture only the intellectual content of the record without regard to formatting (see fair copy). Or it may be an exacting facsimile of the original. Because there is always some loss of quality when making a copy, originals have greater authenticity than copies. Hence originals are preferred over copies for evidence (see best evidence). The value of the information is not increased by repetition. However, the presence of many copies of a record may serve as a check on the trustworthiness of a record; the presence of multiple, identical copies suggests that the record has not be altered.
¶ Similarly, publication has been used as a means to preserve records by distributing copies among many owners and many locations to increase the odds that at least one copy will survive if others are lost or damaged. – Copy1, 2 and duplicate1 are often synonyms. However, 'copy' connotes a something reproduced from an original; for example, a Xerox copy. 'Duplicate' connotes a version that may be considered an original; for example, duplicate prints made from the same negative. – A copy1, 2 made with the intent to deceive is often described as a forgery or a counterfeit. A copy or similar work made by the creator of the original is often described as a replica or version. (†389)
data (s.v. "data"): sing. or pl. n. (datum, sing.) ~ Facts, ideas, or discrete pieces of information, especially when in the form originally collected and unanalyzed. (†601)
data mining : n. ~ The process of identifying previously unknown patterns by analyzing relationships in large amounts of data assembled from different applications. (†177)
digital object : n. ~ A unit of information that includes properties (attributes or characteristics of the object) and may also include methods (means of performing operations on the object). (†855)
disaster recovery plan (s.v. "business continuation and disaster recovery plan"): The procedures necessary to resume operations after an atypical disruption of routine activities. (†2620)
disaster recovery plan (s.v. "disaster plan"): Policies, procedures, and information that direct the appropriate actions to recover from and mitigate the impact of an unexpected interruption of operations, whether natural or man-made. (†2621)
discovery : n. ~ 1. Law · The process that compels a party in a lawsuit to disclose evidence and information relevant to the case. – 2. Access · The process of searching for and identifying potentially relevant materials.
Notes: For discovery1, see "Depositions and Discovery," Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, part V (2003). (†178)
disposition : (also final disposition), n. ~ 1. Materials' final destruction or transfer to an archives as determined by their appraisal. - 2. Diplomatics · That portion of a record that expresses the will or judgment of the author.
¶ Notes: Records may be transferred to archives in their entirety, or in part by sampling or selection. (†395)
document : n. ~ 1. Any written or printed work; a writing. – 2. Information or data fixed in some media. – 3. Information or data fixed in some media, but which is not part of the official record; a nonrecord. – 4. A written or printed work of a legal or official nature that may be used as evidence or proof; a record.1
¶ Notes: Document1 is traditionally considered to mean text fixed on paper. However, document2 includes all media and formats. Photographs, drawings, sound recordings, and videos, as well as word processing files, spreadsheets, web pages, and database reports, are now generally considered to be documents.
¶ Like records, documents are traditionally understood to have content, context, and structure. However, the nature of those attributes may change in electronic documents. Electronic formats can present information in complex layers that are three-dimensional or have a nonlinear structure. The phrase 'four-corners document' is sometimes used to distinguish an electronic document that can be printed on paper without loss of information from more complex, three dimensional documents. Similarly, some electronic document content is not fixed, but may change over time; for example, a word processing document that pulls data from a constantly changing database. These documents are described as dynamic documents to distinguish them from traditional, fixed documents
¶ In some contexts, document3 refers to an item that is not a record,2, 3 such as drafts, duplicates of record copies, and materials not directly relating to business activities. In this sense, documents are not usually included on retention schedules and can be disposed of without authorization.
¶ However, in other contexts, document4 is used synonymously with record.2, 3 In this sense, 'record' connotes an official document, especially the final version of one created in the routine course of business with the specific purpose of keeping information for later use as evidence or proof of the thing to which it refers. (†394)
encryption : n. ~ The process of rendering plaintext unintelligible by converting it to ciphertext that can be read only by those with the knowledge to decode the plaintext from the ciphertext. (†179)
evaluation : n. ~ The process of assessing the value of records, especially as regards their destruction.
Notes: Evaluation is typically used by records managers to indicate a preliminary assessment of value based on existing retention schedules. It is distinguished from appraisal, which is typically used by archivists to describe their assessment of the value of records, especially as regards a determination of whether records should be transferred to the archives for permanent preservation. (†180)
fonds : n. ~ The entire body of records of an organization, family, or individual that have been created and accumulated as the result of an organic process reflecting the functions of the creator. (†393)
form : n. ~ 1. A printed document with clearly defined areas left blank that are to be completed later. – 2. The materials and structure of an item; format1. – 3. The overall appearance, configuration, or shape, independent of its intellectual content; a document type. – 4. A model1 or pattern; something that gives shape; a mold2, 3. - 5. A style or convention for expressing ideas in a literary work or document; documentary form, including extrinsic and intrinsic elements. - 6. Typography · Type, spacers, and other materials assembled in a chase for printing.
¶ Notes: Form2 is synonymous with format1, although this equivalence is a fairly recent shift in the language. Form is often used to distinguish between versions of an item in different media; for example, a document may be described as being in its original form, a microform, or a duplicate form. (†392)
hold order : n. ~ A communication directing the halt of scheduled destruction of any records that are potentially relevant to litigation, investigation, or audit.
¶ Notes: Records subject to a hold order are said to be frozen. Records are typically frozen if they are potentially relevant to impending or current litigation, regardless of whether a hold order or subpoena has been issued. (†390)
identity management : n. ~ 1. Administrative tools used to distinguish and recognize individuals within a system. - 2. Computing · Software controls that identify users and that restrict resources users can access and actions they can take within the system.
¶ Notes: Identity management1 in a nontechnical environment can be based on birth certificates, passports, or driver's licenses. – Identity management2 on a single system may be as simple as manually assigned user IDs and passwords. To promote e-commerce, global, interoperable standards for identity management are being proposed by several organizations and corporations. (†391)
information : n. ~ 1. A collection of data, ideas, thoughts, or memories. - 2. The meaningful portion of a signal, as distinguished from noise. - 3. Law · Formal criminal charges against an individual made by a prosecutor without a grand jury. (†602)
integrity : n. ~ The quality of being whole and unaltered through loss, tampering, or corruption.
Notes: Integrity is a relative concept that assesses whether the essential nature of a record has changed. As a record ages, its ink may fade or bits of the paper may be chipped from edge without any significant loss of integrity. Contrawise, loss of a page from a record, especially one bearing authorizing signatures, has a significant impact on the record's integrity. ¶ In the context of records, integrity relates to the potential loss of physical or intellectual elements after a record has been created. It is distinguished from completeness, which refers to the presence of all required physical and intellectual elements when the record is created. (†162)
internet : (often net), n. ~ 1. An international telecommunications network that uses the TCP/IP protocol to connect smaller computer networks.
– internet (uncapitalized), n. ~ 2. A connection of networks, possibly by means of the Internet.
Notes: The Internet1 is not synonymous with the World Wide Web. The latter is a service that is provided using the Internet. The Internet can be used for a variety of other services, including file transfer, telnet, email, and instant messaging. The Internet grew out of Department of Defense research to develop a robust communications system that could withstand significant damage to the physical network, especially damage caused by a nuclear war. That original network was called ARPAnet. (†181)
lifecycle : [life cycle] n. ~ The distinct phases of a record's existence, from creation to final disposition.
¶ Notes: Different models identify different stages. All models include creation or receipt, use, and disposition. Some models distinguish between active and inactive use, and between destruction and archival preservation. (†388)
metadata : n. ~ A characterization or description documenting the identification, management, nature, use, or location of information resources (data).
Notes: Metadata is commonly defined as "data about data." Metadata is frequently used to locate or manage information resources by abstracting or classifying those resources or by capturing information not inherent in the resource. Typically metadata is organized into distinct categories and relies on conventions to establish the values for each category. For example, administrative metadata may include the date and source of acquisition, disposal date, and disposal method. Descriptive metadata may include information about the content and form of the materials. Preservation metadata may record activities to protect or extend the life of the resource, such as reformatting. Structural metadata may indicate the interrelationships between discrete information resources, such as page numbers.
In terms of archives, MARC format and EAD are standards for structuring descriptive metadata about collections. Dublin Core is a standard for structuring metadata that is intended for describing web resources.
In terms of information technology, metadata includes the documentation of data architecture, properties, and methods necessary to store, retrieve, and use the data in a meaningful manner. To the extent that data is a record, it may also include administrative, descriptive, preservation, and structural information. (†182)
open : adj. ~ 1. Available and accessible; without restrictions; not closed. - 2. Computing · Proprietary, but available to other developers. - 3. Computing · Vendor neutral. - 4. Computing · Published under terms of the General Public License or a similar agreement. - 5. Computing · Collaboratively developed, especially by volunteers. - 6. Maintained by and available from a government or standards organization.
¶ Notes: Open1 is the opposite of closed, restricted, or classified. - Within computing, open2-5 has many meanings that vary with context and use. In general, it is used as an antonym of closed, which refers to proprietary software and hardware that is a black box to all but the developer. A closed system has defined inputs and outputs, but without additional information about the system it is impossible to make that system do anything else. An open system exposes its internal workings, allowing others to understand how the system works. In principle, others can then interact with, modify, or add to the system. In practice, licensing agreements may restrict what can be done with an open system. For example, it may be permissible to build components that connect to an open hardware system, but not to reproduce the system itself. (†387)
open source : [open source software] n. ~ Computer code that is developed and refined through public collaboration and distributed without charge but with the requirement that modifications must be distributed at no charge to promote further development.
¶ Notes: Open source software is often distributed under terms of the General Public License to ensure collaboration (†386)
patent (s.v. "patent"): n. ~ 1. A privilege, property, or authority granted to an individual by a government or sovereign. - 2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY • The exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention that is novel, useful, and not obvious. - 3. The record of such a grant or right. (Broader Term: intellectual property, Related Term: land grant) (†400)
patent : n. ~ 1. A privilege, property, or authority granted to an individual by a government or sovereign. - 2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY • The exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention that is novel, useful, and not obvious. - 3. The record of such a grant or right. (Broader Term: intellectual property, Related Term: land grant) (†419)
post-custodialism : The idea that archivists will no longer physically acquire and maintain records, but that they will provide management oversight for records that will remain in the custody of the record creators. (†2668)
practical obscurity : n. ~ The principle that private information in public records is effectively protected from disclosure as the result of practical barriers to access.
Notes: Practical barriers to access include travel to view the record, the passage of time, and the limits of indexing. When public records are accessible on the Internet, those barriers are diminished. (†183)
preservation metadata : n. ~ Information about an object used to protect the object from harm, injury, deterioration, or destruction. (†858)
privacy : n. ~ 1. The quality or state of being free from public scrutiny. – 2. The quality or state of having one’s personal information or activities protected from unauthorized use by another.
Notes: Under tort law, invasion of privacy includes theft of one's identity, intentionally disturbing one's solitude, disclosing nonpublic information about another, and placing another in a false public light. In some states, publicity rights are covered under privacy laws. (†184)
provenance (s.v. "provenance"): n. (provenancial, adj.) ~ 1. The origin or source of something. - 2. Information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection.
Notes:
Provenance is a fundamental principle of archives, referring to the individual, family, or organization that created or received the items in a collection. The principle of provenance or the respect des fonds dictates that records of different origins (provenance) be kept separate to preserve their context.
(†409)
record : 1. A written or printed work of a legal or official nature that may be used as evidence or proof; a document. – 2. Data or information that has been fixed on some medium; that has content, context, and structure; and that is used as an extension of human memory or to demonstrate accountability. – 3. Data or information in a fixed form that is created or received in the course of individual or institutional activity and set aside (preserved) as evidence of that activity for future reference. – 4. An instrument filed for public notice (constructive notice); see recordation. – 5. Audio · A phonograph record. – 6. Computing · A collection of related data elements treated as a unit, such as the fields in a row in a database table. – 7. Description · An entry describing a work in a catalog; a catalog record. (†204)
reliability (record) : n. (reliable, adj.) ~ 1. The quality of being dependable and worthy of trust. – 2. The quality of being consistent and undeviating. – 3. Diplomatics · Created by a competent authority, according to established processes, and being complete in all formal elements.
– rely, v. ~ 4. To have confidence in; to believe in.
Notes: Reliability is a relative concept associated with authenticity, accuracy, sufficiency, completeness, integrity, consistency, and dependability. In general, reliability is synonymous with trustworthiness. It takes on narrower senses in different contexts.
A system is reliable2 if it produces consistent results. A calculator that always reports that 2 × 2 = 4 is reliable; one that occasionally reports 2 × 2 = 5 is not.
In diplomatics, a record is reliable3 only if it was created by someone with appropriate authority, if it was made following proper procedures, and if all information and steps were finished. In this sense, reliability does not ensure the accuracy of the content of a record. (†185)
retention schedule : (also disposal schedule, records schedule, records retention schedule, transfer schedule), n. ~ A document that identifies and describes an organization's records, usually at the series level, provides instructions for the disposition of records throughout their life cycle.
¶ Notes: Retention schedules may also include instructions for the disposition of documents and other materials that are not official records. (†385)
risk analysis : (also risk assessment), n. ~ The evaluation of the possibility of incurring loss, damage, or injury and a determination of the amount of risk that is acceptable for a given situation or event. (†384)
risk management : n. ~ The systematic control of losses or damages, including the analysis of threats, implementation of measures to minimize such risks, and implementing recovery programs. (†383)
schedule : n. ~ The process of identifying and describing records held by an organization, determining their retention period, and describing disposition actions throughout their life cycle. (†382)
security : n. ~ Measures taken to protect materials from unauthorized access, change, destruction, or other threats. (†186)
simple copy : n. ~ A copy that reproduces the content, but not the format, of the original. (†381)
spoliation : n. ~ The intentional destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence, especially documents.
Notes: In general, courts have found that the routine destruction of records after reasonable, scheduled retention periods is not spoliation. However, if there is a reasonable likelihood of litigation or audit, destruction of relevant records may be considered spoliation, even if the retention period has passed. (†187)
trustworthiness : In general, trustworthiness is synonymous with reliability. In archival literature and records, trustworthiness is often defined in terms of reliability and authenticity. This definition loses its apparent circularity when the reliability of records is understood in the diplomatic sense, 'created with appropriate authority, according to established processes, and being complete in all its formal elements.'
In the context of electronic records, trustworthiness often implies that the system is dependable and produces consistent results based on well-established procedures. (†237)
valuation : n. ~ The process of determining a cash amount that materials would likely sell for and that is acceptable to both the seller and the buyer. (†188)
veracity : n. ~ The degree to which something is correct, accurate, and free of error or distortion, whether by omission or commission. (†189)
