Archive workflow
In this example a new collection is deposited at an archive. The archivist uses Calm to record information about the depositor and to accession the collection, before moving into the Catalogue database to fully catalogue the collection and to break it down into an archival hierarchy.
This example will take you as far as the cataloguing stage. Once you have created catalogue records you may enhance them by using other databases such as Locations, Authority files or Conservation to record and link different types of information to your catalogue records.
Step One: Recording depositor information
The archivist goes to the main menu in Calm and clicks the Archive Menu button.
From here he selects the Depositors database and searches it for the name of the depositor. Finding that there is no existing record for the depositor he creates a new depositor record and completes it with the name and details of the new depositor. No information about the material itself is recorded at this stage. Later the archivist will be able to link the depositor record to an accession record about the material in question. He now returns to the main menu.
Step Two: Recording accession information
The archivist returns to the Archive menu and then selects Accessions Menu to create a new Accession record. He completes this with basic information about the material. At this stage the material is accessioned as a whole collection, later in the catalogue database it will be broken down into its component parts. The most important things to do at the accession stage are to assign a unique accession number (AccNo field) and a title (Title field). The title will be one that refers to the whole group of material, for example “The Smith Family Collection”.
Step Three: Linking depositor and accession information
With the Accession record on the screen the archivist uses Calm to link the appropriate depositor record to the accession record to illustrate the link between the depositor and the material they have deposited. The links can be explored using the navigation tabs.
Step Four: Adding the accession to the catalogue
The archivist is now ready to catalogue the collection in detail. With the accession record on the screen he uses Calm to add the accession to the catalogue. As part of the process a new catalogue record is created using the collection record type in the catalogue database.
Step five: Cataloguing the collection
In the catalogue record the archivist finds that some information, including the AccNo field contents, has been copied across from the accession record to the catalogue record. The catalogue record is linked to the accession record using the AccNo and the link can be explored using the navigation tabs.
The archivist then completes the catalogue record, including the RefNo field for the unique collection reference number, and then goes on to catalogue the whole collection creating an archival tree hierarchy. He creates additional records to represent the lower levels in the tree. He uses the RefNo Tree and Add Below options to create these new records.