CA Arrangement & Description 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which content standard is the primary guide for describing archival materials in the United States?
- MARC 21
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) (Correct answer)
- Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
- Resource Description and Access (RDA)
Correct answer: Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
DACS is the content standard adopted by the Society of American Archivists as the primary guide for creating archival descriptions in the U.S.
Question 2: Which archival principle holds that records from the same creator should be kept together and not mixed with records from other creators?
- Original order
- Provenance
- Chain of custody
- Respect des fonds (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Respect des fonds
Respect des fonds is the principle that records from a single creator (fonds) must be kept together, distinguishing them from records of other creators.
Question 3: What does EAD stand for in the context of archival description?
- Electronic Archive Database
- Encoded Archival Description (Correct answer)
- Enhanced Archival Documentation
- Electronic Archival Data
Correct answer: Encoded Archival Description
EAD (Encoded Archival Description) is an XML-based standard used to encode finding aids so they can be shared electronically and searched online.
Question 4: What is the highest level in the standard hierarchy of archival description?
- Series
- Sub-series
- Collection or Fonds (Correct answer)
- Record group
Correct answer: Collection or Fonds
The collection or fonds is the highest level of archival description, representing the whole body of records from a single creator.
Question 5: What is a finding aid in archival practice?
- A digital catalog of scanned items
- A document describing archival materials and guiding researchers to them (Correct answer)
- A list of records restricted from public access
- A database tracking donor information and acquisition history
Correct answer: A document describing archival materials and guiding researchers to them
A finding aid is an access tool that describes the content, context, and structure of archival materials, enabling researchers to locate relevant records.
Question 6: What does the principle of 'original order' require an archivist to do?
- Arrange records alphabetically as originally intended
- Maintain the order in which records were kept by their creator (Correct answer)
- Reorganize records chronologically for researcher convenience
- Arrange records by physical format and size
Correct answer: Maintain the order in which records were kept by their creator
Original order requires preserving the arrangement established by the records creator, as it reflects the creator's activities and provides evidential context.
Question 7: Under DACS, which descriptive element conveys the volume and physical nature of the materials in a collection?
- Scope and Content
- Extent (Correct answer)
- Arrangement
- Abstract
Correct answer: Extent
The Extent element in DACS records the quantity of archival materials, typically expressed in linear or cubic feet and number of containers or items.
CA Arrangement & Description 1
Which content standard is the primary guide for describing archival materials in the United States?