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DACS:

DACS:. What It Is, and Why It Helps Christine de Catanzaro August 23, 2006. Describing Archives: A Content Standard . A descriptive national standard for structure and content Developed out of the need to Accommodate international standards

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DACS:

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  1. DACS: What It Is, and Why It Helps Christine de Catanzaro August 23, 2006

  2. Describing Archives: A Content Standard • A descriptive national standard for structure and content • Developed out of the need to • Accommodate international standards • Take into account new methods of description, including EAD • Provide an “output neutral” set of standards (for inventories, MARC records, finding aids of all kinds)

  3. How DACS Developed • AACR2 (Chapter 4) • APPM (1983, 1989) • RAD • ISAD(G) + ISAAR(CPF) • CUSTARD • USTARD • DACS (end of 2004) Lynn Holdzkom and Katherine Wisser, “MARC According to DACS: Archival Cataloging to the New Descriptive Standard,” Society of American Archivists, June 14-15, 2006, 19.

  4. Some Principles of DACS • Archives possess materials with unique characteristics • Respect des fonds principle • Description reflects arrangement • In addition to the materials themselves, creators of archival materials must be described • Output neutral: Works for EAD finding aids, MARC records, other

  5. Differences: Bibliographic vs. Archival Description • Bibliographic materials: “Self-conscious” creations, published in some form, description entails transcription, description of artifact • Archival materials: Generated in the course of doing business/living lives, descriptions are abstractions, focus on description of content • “Tidy vs. messy” Lynn Holdzkom and Katherine Wisser, “MARC According to DACS: Archival Cataloging to the New Descriptive Standard,” Society of American Archivists, June 14-15, 2006, 16.

  6. Description and Cataloging: The Pyramid • Surrogate 2 (the catalog record) • Surrogate 1 (the finding aid) • The collection itself Lynn Holdzkom and Katherine Wisser, “MARC According to DACS: Archival Cataloging to the New Descriptive Standard,” Society of American Archivists, June 14-15, 2006, 11.

  7. Benefits of DACS • Provides standards • Enables us to cooperate inter- and intradepartmentally • Allows interoperability • Archives can submit materials to national databases (OCLC, ArchivesGrid, ArchivesUSA) • Ultimately benefits researchers themselves

  8. Minimum Elements in a DACS Output • Reference Code • Name/Location of Repository • Title • Date • Extent • Name of Creator (if known) • Scope and Content • Conditions Governing Access • Languages/Scripts of the Material Kelcy Shepherd, “Describing Archives: A Content Standard,” Society of American Archivists, June 13, 2006, Slide 40, p. 22.

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