Collections Information Policy
Reviewed and updated August 2023
Approved by Steve Lloyd, Head of Cultural Services, 24 October 2023
This document will be reviewed and updated in 2026 in line with the Archives Service Accreditation programme.
1. Purpose of Policy
1.1 This policy is one of several existing policies relating to different elements of the Heritage collections which are preserved and managed by Lancashire County Council. The aim of the policies is to ensure that the diverse elements of the Heritage collections are properly managed and preserved, and are made available in the most appropriate manner to ensure their long-term survival and usability.
1.2 This policy forms part of the suite of policies relating specifically to the collections held by Lancashire Archives. It should be read in conjunction with the Collections Management Policy, which provides a definition of archives and describes the statutory and legal basis for Lancashire Archives and the management of its collections, the framework of standards within which it operates, and the code of ethics followed by staff documenting the collections.
1.3 This policy explains in more detail how Lancashire Archives documents its archive collections.
1.4 This policy will be reviewed no later than 5 years after the date of approval.
2. General principles
2.1 Lancashire Archives recognises that good documentation of its collections, through accessioning, cataloguing and other activities, is fundamental to collections management and to good public access.
2.2 Professionally-qualified archivists, committed to the Code of Ethics of the Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland, are responsible for the quality of the information provided by Lancashire Archives about its collections.
2. 3 Newly-created collections information largely meets common international standards and principles governing the creation of catalogues for archives.
2.4 Lancashire Archives is committed to improving the quality of collections information in terms of its structure and completeness, particularly in terms of current standards.
2.5 This commitment is balanced, with the need to facilitate access to the archive collections by making available information written before the development of current standards, or information intended originally as a draft.
2.6 Our aim is to consolidate all collections information, in a consistent manner, conforming to agreed standards, in CALM, our collections management software application.
2.7 Our Collections Information Plan shows how we intend to make progress in this area.
3. Acquisitions
Recording the provenance of archive material acquired by Lancashire Archives is essential in preserving the integrity of Lancashire’s archival heritage.
3.1 As much relevant information as possible about the archives is gathered and recorded at the point of acquisition.
3.2 Information about all acquisitions made since the archive service was established in 1940 is recorded in CALM.
3.3 Each accession record in CALM has a unique reference and is completed with:
- a preliminary indication of the scope, content and creation dates of the archives
- information about the legal status of the acquisition, any restrictions on access, and information relating to intellectual property rights and data protection.
- the bulk of the acquisition expressed in cubic metres (m3) for physical collections or mega bytes and gigabytes (MB and GB) for digital material.
- the date of acquisition
- information about appraisal decisions
- a status indication, enabling the processing of each acquisition to be tracked.
3.4 Information about depositors, vendors and donors, who receive a formal receipt for each acquisition, is stored in the Depositors database in CALM in accordance with current data protection legislation.
3.5 An annual return of acquisitions is supplied to The National Archives through the Accessions to Repositories Survey. Relevant material is also notified to the Manorial Documents Register.
4. Cataloguing
Existing catalogues, providing detailed information about collections to item level, and the ongoing cataloguing programme at Lancashire Archives underpin the promotion and management of public access to archive collections.
4.1. Lancashire Archives coordinates cataloguing through service planning to achieve a strategic, managed and flexible approach to creating new and improved information about the collections in its care, whether traditional archive collections or born-digital archives.
4.2 Lancashire Archives' catalogues largely conform to the General International Standard of Archival Description (ISAD (G)) We are working towards greater conformity with this and to the International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (ISAAR (CPF)) and the National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names.
4.3 Newly completed catalogues are usually made available in hardcopy format in the Lancashire Archives searchroom and in LANCAT, our online catalogue. A copy is also provided to the donor or depositor. Large catalogues may be available only in electronic format.
5. Other listing and descriptions
5.1 We recognise that interim box-listing, draft lists or high-level collection descriptions provide a helpful and more immediate means of access to collections, before they can be fully catalogued.
5.2 These types of description are made available in hardcopy format in the Lancashire Archives searchroom and in LANCAT, our online catalogue.
5.3 Lancashire Archives has an historic accumulation of material which is not fully catalogued. This is not easily accessible to the public, and may include material more suitable for transfer or disposal. In 2019-2020, a pilot project produced summary descriptions of some uncatalogued collections and a full assessment of their extent and provided a basis for better identifying cataloguing priorities. We will continue to explore possibilities for funding to continue this work to reduce key areas of backlog and achieve a meaningful description of all material held.
5.4 Summary information about our collections in the form of thematic handlists and other types of guide are produced and made available online and in hardcopy format in the Lancashire Archives searchroom.