IDENTITY

Detailed list of all metadata fields used in the Identity area of CALM

RefNo

ISAD(G) 3.1.1

Mandatory at all levels

To provide a unique reference for internal use to stack the data in a tree structure. The collection reference is assigned at the point of acquisition and so will have already been assigned at the point of cataloguing.

Rules

  • The RefNo should duplicate the PublicRef, with the exception of the first slash, . This ensures the collection level record will be at the top of the hierarchical tree constructed by CALM, rather than treating it as though it were part of the larger collection e.g. PPCOO is not part of a larger PP collection.

  • For levels beneath the collection, use letters for the section levels and numbers for the levels below that. The letters I and O should not be used for sections, as they are easily confused with the numbers 1 and 0.

  • Use a forward slash to indicate different levels within the hierarchy.

  • Manuscripts have been treated differently in the past which can often create complex structures and references that don’t always appear sequential, particularly for those catalogued following archival practice. Although collections or groupings of manuscript material are now always given hierarchical references, it will be necessary, for data conversion purposes or when adding material to existing collections, to understand previous practice: Refer to each level by the first manuscript number in the collection, do not use “MSS.” Always use the singular.

Examples PPCOO (collection);

  • PPCOO/A/1 (item);

ARTAFH (collection)

SAEUG (collection)

GC104 (collection)

MS1162 (collection);

  • MS1162/1162 (item)

  • MS1162/5996 (section);

    • MS1162/5996/5996 (item)

PublicRef

ISAD(G) 3.1.1

Mandatory at all levels

To provide a publicly visible and unique reference number to users and to facilitate requesting and retrievals.

Rules

  • The PublicRef should mirror the RefNo with the exception of an additional slash within the first two parts of the reference.

  • For levels beneath the collection, use letters for the section levels and numbers for the levels below that. The letters I and O should not be used for sections, as they are easily confused with the numbers 1 and 0.

  • Use a forward slash to indicate different levels within the hierarchy.

  • Manuscript PublicRefs can refer to the plural MSS and use dots to replace the first slash.

Examples

PP/COO (collection);

  • PP/COO/A/1 (item);

ART/AFH (collection)

SA/EUG (collection)

GC/104 (collection)

MS.1162-1163, 5996-6005 (collection);

  • MS.1162 (item);

  • MS.5996-6005 (section);

    • MS.5996 (item)

MiroID

To record the identifier used by MIRO, the cataloguing system previously used by Wellcome Images.

This field is only required for: records in the Wellcome Image series in the Wellcome Trust Corporate Archive OR records for archive material that was previously photographed by Wellcome Images. Consists of a letter prefix followed by seven digits, including several leading zeros.

Examples

M0000244

V0013803

L0016711

Previous_Wellcome_Collection_Reference

To record superseded reference numbers given by Wellcome Collection to an item for collections management purposes.

Rules

  • Use for references previously given in the PublicRef field in CALM or RefNo 001 field in Sierra that have been superseded.

  • Use to record inventory numbers for items that are now catalogued.

  • DO NOT USE for accession numbers. These go in the AccNo field

  • Each number should be contained in its own field.

  • All other former numbers and references not given by Wellcome Collection should be entered in the other_number field.

  • If the reference was previously made public, an explanation for why the number has changed should be recorded in the description field at the highest appropriate level i.e. Material was recatalogued in October 2023.

Examples

SA/POP/A/1 (from previous CALM public reference)

918764i (from previous SIERRA reference)

Title

ISAD(G) 3.2.1

Mandatory at all levels

To name or briefly describe the unit of description.

Rules

  • Keep this succinct; more detailed description will go into the description field.

  • Where possible, use original titles where they exist (e.g. the title written on a hanging file) and put them in quotation marks to distinguish from titles created by the cataloguer. If the original title does not reflect the material, devise a succinct meaningful title and record the original title in the Alternative_Title field.

  • Abridge a long title only if it can be done without loss of essential information and include a mark of omission (…).

  • Use square brackets after the title to add any helpful information, such as to provide correct spelling or expand abbreviations.

  • Where no original title exists, provide a descriptive title that specifies the type of content, for instance correspondence or reports.

  • Repeat information found in parent records if it is crucial for context.

  • Avoid using identical titles that are differentiated by metadata in other fields (e.g. the date field).

  • For born-digital material, do not include file extensions within the title.

Examples

Maintaining information from the parent level for context:

Correspondence Files (series);

  • Correspondence Files: "Technology of Birth" (item)

Research Files (series);

  • Research Files: “Active Birth, Birth Education” (subseries);

    • “Active Birth, Birth Education” Research Files: “Birth Rights” (item)

Signed Investment Committee meeting minutes, 2004 (item)

Signed Investment Committee meeting minutes, 2005 (item)

Where the original title isn't meaningful:

Correspondence – digital files (Title)

“Letters” (Alternative_Title)

Born-digital example:

“Working together for parents” resource pack (item)

Visual and Material Culture examples (in preference order:

Given Title:

Go away, go away, go away.

Inscribed Title:

No smoking no hate.

Descriptive title:

Chessmen in the form of Saracens and Crusaders.

Date

ISAD(G) 3.1.3

Mandatory at all levels

To identify and record the date(s) of creation of the material in the unit of description.

Rules

General

  • Provide a single date or a range of dates as appropriate.

  • Specific days can be provided alongside the month and year if felt appropriate, but in general the year(s) or month and year(s) will suffice.

  • Do not use individual dates separated by commas. If, for instance, a file contains two items, one from 1930 and one from 1970, enter the date as a range, “1930-1970”, and provide an explanation in the Description field, for instance “the two letters in this file date from 1930 and 1970”.

  • Never use “undated”, “n.d.” (no date) or “u.d.”. Always provide an estimated date, even if only a century, and note that it is estimated in the description field.

Estimated

  • When estimating dates, do so to the best of your ability. If you cannot specify down to a decade(s) then use century but do not leave the field blank or use n.d.

  • When estimating a date to the decade or century, there is no need to add dates (i.e. 20th century (1900-1999)) because CALM has a built-in functionality in user search that will infer dates. See CALM documentation - Format for Period Fields to see how CALM interprets estimated dates. Keep in mind the following when cataloguing estimated dates:

    • When using c. in date estimates, CALM will search 10 years after and 10 years before e.g. c.1960 will include the year 1950 up to 1970

    • When using a ‘s’ in a decade i.e. 1970s, this implies the years 1970-1979

  • Where an estimated date has been added at item level, including when using ‘circa’, add to the Description field, “Date estimated by cataloguer.”

  • At higher levels where there is a specific date range for the bulk of items below with a minority more broadly estimated, put the specific date range in the date field. Add a note to the description field to state that there is also an item that may not fit within the specified date range. Add the following standard text:

    • “Some items in this [add appropriate level e.g. series] have an estimated date by the cataloguer [insert date range e.g. 20th century] that falls outside the specified date range.”

  • For situations where a series contains one specific date and the rest are circa or estimated then use the format shown in appendix 1.

Copies

  • When dating copies of originals, put the date of the original in the date field and then note in the description field that it is a copy (along with the date of the copy if that is available). Examples:

    • “Original [what the record is, e.g. minutes] created in 1980 but digitised in 2004”

    • “This is a copy created in 2007. Original planning document was created in 1998.”

  • It is not expected that you provide this information for files with lots of different material in them, e.g. a file which has original letters and photocopies.

  • When dating an item that is a representation of another item, where the representation is the unit of description (such as a glass plate photograph of a document), record the date that the representation was created in the date field, and include a note in the description explaining this. Include the date of the original or subject of the representation in the description. Example:

    • “Date refers to the creation of the glass plate, the original document was created in 1998.”

  • Where possible, a consistent approach to dating copies or representations should be established at the outset of cataloguing.

Born-digital For born-digital material provide a date range based on the earliest creation date () and latest last modified date of the digital files within the item. If the dates are not straightforward (for instance if files were modified years after creation because they were checked by the depositor immediately prior to deposit), retain the dates but include an explanation in the description field and, if possible, an indication of a more accurate date/date range. Base the date range only on the dates of digital files and ignore folder dates.

Examples

See Appendix 1 for a full list of acceptable date formats

Level

ISAD(G) 3.1.4

Mandatory at all levels

To identify the level of the unit of description within the collection’s hierarchical arrangement.

Rules

  • Select the appropriate level from the picklist.

  • Within this spectrum, Collection (fonds in ISAD(G)) represents the top level. Item (file in ISAD(G)) represents the producible unit: the thing that a researcher can order and consult, such as a file or volume.

  • Other levels are more flexible and should be used as appropriate. It is not necessary to fill every rung on the ladder: it is acceptable to jump from collection to item level.

  • We no longer catalogue below item level and so “Group of pieces” and “Pieces” will no longer generally be used.

Examples

Collection: SA/NCT

  • Section: SA/NCT/E

    • Sub Section: SA/NCT/E/3

      • Series: SA/NCT/E/3/2

        • Sub series: SA/NCT/E/3/2/2

          • Item: SA/NCT/E/3/2/2/1

Extent

ISAD(G) 3.1.5

Mandatory at all levels

To note the quantity of material being described for security purposes, as well as to indicate the size for the researcher’s benefit. Provide as much detail as necessary to meet these two objectives.

Rules

  • At collection level, give the quantity as an amalgamated total in number of boxes, outsize items and digital items.

  • At collection level, append a second extent field for uncatalogued as an amalgamated total in number of boxes, outsize items and digital items. Use the prefix ‘Uncatalogued:’

  • At section/series level, give the quantity in whichever unit is most helpful: 30 boxes make more sense than 1150 files, whilst 5 files makes more sense than 1/3 box. If stating the number of boxes, round up or down to give a whole number (e.g. 5 boxes rather than 4.75 boxes).

  • At item level, indicate the form of the unit that will be produced (1 file, 1 volume, etc.).

  • If an item is split across folders for repackaging reasons, be explicit and describe it as “1 file (in 3 parts)”. Note if any part is a volume e.g. “1 file (in 3 parts, 1 is a volume)”.

Examples

See Appendix 2 for a full list of acceptable extent formats

Extent/2

Mandatory at all levels for born-digital material

In addition to the Extent field, born-digital records should also have data in the Extent/2 field.

Rules

  • At Collection and Parent levels, Extent should record the number of digital items and Extent/2 should record the total size of the items.

  • At item level, Extent should record the number of digital files, broken down into broad types. Extent/2 should record the size of the item in both bytes and larger byte units.

Examples

Collection/Parent level:

Extent: 35 volumes, 1 file, 138 digital items

Extent/2: 487 MB (510815613 bytes)

Item level:

Extent: 4 document files, 5 images files

Extent/2: 12.3 MB (12948182 bytes)

Uncatalogued example:

Extent: 5 transfer boxes

Extent/2: 12.3 MB (12948182 bytes)

Country_Code

"GB" is autogenerated. No action required by the cataloguer.

Repository_Code

"0120" is autogenerated. No action required by the cataloguer.

StorageSite

Mandatory at all levels

To note whether the material is held onsite or offsite.

Rules

  • "215 Euston Road" is autogenerated. If material is onsite, no further action is required by the cataloguer.

  • Use "DeepStore" if the material is offsite.

Location

Mandatory at Item level

Mandatory at Collection level for uncatalogued material

To record the stacks location assigned to a specific item.

Rules

  • Use the approved taxonomy for all onsite location

  • If offsite, specify the storage location (i.e. DeepStore for archives)

  • Use /wellcomecollection-storage/born-digital for born-digital items

  • Use /wellcomecollection-storage/digitised for digitised AV material

  • Location is no longer mandatory at Collection level for catalogued material.

  • For CD-ROMs and DVDs, we are retaining the physical disk as the access copy. Thus there needs to be 2 instances of the location field: put the location of the born-digital box housing the physical disk in the first instance of the location field (so that it harvests to Sierra) and the digital file-path in the second instance. Put the born-digital box number in the BoxNumber field (e.g. BDBox_036)

Example

215;B11;MR;47;8;3

DeepStore

/wellcomecollection-storage/born-digital

CD-ROMs and DVD: Location: 215;S11;MR;59;7;3 Location/2: /wellcomecollection-storage/born-digital

Former_Location

Used to store legacy data previously in Location. This field should not be used for new metadata.

OrderingCodes

See 3.1.4 CALM fields in the Sensitivity and Access Procedures for instructions on this field.

BoxNumber

Mandatory at Item level, except for born-digital material or audio-visual material stored outside of an archive box

To provide a number for the box or storage unit housing the physical item to aid locating material. Used for standard and outsize material.

Rules

  • Only use this field for Item level records. It is only needed when the record relates to an orderable item.

  • Boxes are numbered sequentially.

  • Items too large to fit in a standard box (box types A and B) are given an outsize box (box type C) number. These numbers form a separate sequence, starting at 1 again e.g. O/S 1

  • Large, flat items (e.g. posters) should be housed in an outsize folder and put in the basement stores plan chests. These also have an O/S number, following on in the same sequence as the C boxes.

  • Items too large to fit in a box, e.g. visual material will not have a box number. Please use the location of the item in this field.

  • Items cannot exist in multiple locations. If an item is held in multiple folders, all the folders must be in the same box. If an item comprises a standard folder and an outsize folder, they should be catalogued as two items and cross-referenced in the Description field.

  • Items available on microfilm/fiche will have the microform reference (AMS/MF/xx) entered into the box number field and the box number of the original material will be in the Private Notes field.

Examples

Standard box: 1

Outsize box: O/S 1

No box: D74.13

Other_Number

To record any numbers previously associated with the item that we wish to make public to improve transparency, ability to trace provenance or could be used to provide an alternative original arrangement.

Rules

  • Include alpha-numerical references physically written on housing or taken from supporting documentation given to the object by previous creators and/or owners.

  • Do not include current accession numbers or previous public reference numbers given by Wellcome Collection. Previous public reference numbers should be recorded in the Previous_Wellcome_Collection_Reference field.

  • Each number should be contained in its own field.

  • This field should be used in conjunction with the Other_Number_Type field.

Examples

No. MR131

6/27

LA 43

BPS/1/3/6/4

Other_Number_Type

To record the general type or source of any numbers previously associated with the item that are not part of the current PublicRef, or given by Wellcome Collection.

Rules

  • Choose a number type from the picklist

  • This field should be used in conjunction with the Other_Number field.

  • Where additional explanations are available as to how the reference was used, or specific symbolism of an alpha-numerical sequence, this information should be recorded in the arrangement field at the highest appropriate level.

Examples

Reference inscribed on work

Reference inscribed on original container

Reference given in supporting documentation

Reference given in Wellcome paper catalogue

Wellcome Historical Medical Museum Number

Catalogue number used by previous owner

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