CA Communication & Documentation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When an archivist prepares a finding aid, which element is considered essential for enabling researchers to assess the relevance of a collection without physically examining it?
- Detailed item-level description of every document
- A scope and content note summarizing the collection's breadth and depth (Correct answer)
- A complete index of all personal names mentioned
- A digitized copy of the most significant item
Correct answer: A scope and content note summarizing the collection's breadth and depth
The scope and content note is the core descriptive element that tells researchers what topics, functions, and formats a collection covers.
Question 2: Which type of archival correspondence most commonly serves as legal evidence of an organization's official decisions?
- Internal routing slips
- Board meeting minutes (Correct answer)
- Interoffice memos discussing future plans
- Draft versions of reports
Correct answer: Board meeting minutes
Board meeting minutes are official records of decisions made by governing bodies and carry legal weight as evidence of those actions.
Question 3: A researcher requests records under the Freedom of Information Act. Which communication step should the archivist take first?
- Release all requested records immediately
- Deny the request pending legal review
- Acknowledge receipt of the request and identify applicable exemptions (Correct answer)
- Forward the request to senior administration without responding
Correct answer: Acknowledge receipt of the request and identify applicable exemptions
FOIA requires timely acknowledgment of requests and identification of any exemptions before release or denial.
Question 4: In archival description, what distinguishes a biographical note from a historical note?
- Biographical notes are longer than historical notes
- Biographical notes describe individuals or families, while historical notes describe corporate bodies (Correct answer)
- Historical notes are required by DACS but biographical notes are optional
- Biographical notes appear in collection-level description only
Correct answer: Biographical notes describe individuals or families, while historical notes describe corporate bodies
DACS distinguishes between biographical notes for persons/families and historical notes for organizations and corporate bodies.
Question 5: An archivist is documenting a telephone conversation with a donor about transfer conditions. What is the best practice?
- Rely on memory and document details only if a dispute arises
- Send a follow-up written summary to the donor confirming the agreed terms (Correct answer)
- Record the call without informing the donor
- File a verbal agreement form with no follow-up
Correct answer: Send a follow-up written summary to the donor confirming the agreed terms
A written confirmation sent to the donor creates a documented record of verbal agreements and prevents future misunderstandings.
Question 6: Which metadata element in EAD (Encoded Archival Description) is used to record the language of the finding aid itself, separate from the language of the materials described?
- <langmaterial>
- <langusage> (Correct answer)
- <language>
- <userestrict>
Correct answer: <langusage>
<langusage> in EAD specifies the language(s) used to write the finding aid, while <langmaterial> records the language of the archival materials.
Question 7: When communicating access restrictions to the public on an archival website, which approach best balances transparency with legal compliance?
- List all restricted collections but provide no reason
- Provide general categories of restriction (e.g., privacy, donor agreement) without revealing the protected content (Correct answer)
- Omit restricted collections entirely from public-facing descriptions
- State that all restrictions are permanent with no review date
Correct answer: Provide general categories of restriction (e.g., privacy, donor agreement) without revealing the protected content
Explaining the category of restriction informs researchers without revealing the protected information itself and demonstrates good faith compliance.
CA Communication & Documentation 2
When an archivist prepares a finding aid, which element is considered essential for enabling researchers to assess the relevance of a collection without physically examining it?