Toronto Tenets (with apologies to the Ann Arbor Accords): Principles and Criteria for an XML Document Type Definition (DTD) for Archival Context Information

This document defines principles and criteria for designing, developing, and maintaining an XML-based encoding scheme for archival context information.

Definitions and Uses

1. Archival context information consists of information describing the circumstances under which archival records (defined broadly here to include personal papers and records of organizations other than the parent institution of the repository) have been created and used. This context includes the identification and characteristics of the persons, organizations, and families who have been the creators, users, or subjects of archival records. [I assume that someone will want to make a case for including functions here as well - RVS]

2. Archival context information is not metadata that describes other information resources, but information that describes entities that are part of the environment in which other information resources (i.e., archival records) have existed.

3. The recording of archival context information in archival information systems directly supports both the accurate description and interpretation of the archival records as well as the provenance approach to retrieval of these records.

4. Archival context information also can have value as an independent information resource, separate from its use in supporting the description, retrieval, and interpretation of archival records.

5. The encoding scheme is also intended to support the exchange and sharing of archival context information across repositories, especially in those instances where repositories have holdings or interests that have archival contextual entities in common, especially as creators or subjects of archival records.

6. The encoding scheme also supports the traditional functions of library authority control by allowing the designation and linking of preferred and non-preferred identifiers for the same entity.

Structure and Content

7. Archival context information has traditionally been recorded as an element of archival bibliographic description in catalog records, finding aids, and other descriptive tools. This encoding scheme can be used either as a component of existing descriptive approaches that fully integrate contextual information into descriptive products or as an independent system that is linked to bibliographic descriptive systems and products.

8. Each instance of archival contextual information describes a single archival contextual entity. The encoding scheme provides a framework within which the full range and depth of archival contextual information can be recorded but it does not define a minimum set of prescribed elements that comprise an adequate record of a particular entity.

9. The encoding scheme defines a universe of elements used to describe archival contextual entities and the structure of interrelationships amongst those elements. These elements and structure support the discovery, navigation, and presentation of archival context information and the linking of that information to bibliographic descriptions of archival records.

10. The encoding scheme supports the linking of descriptions of archival contextual entities to digital or other surrogate representations of those entities.

11. The encoding scheme is designed with explicit ways of incorporating or linking archival contextual descriptions to bibliographic descriptions of archival records, especially those encoded according to EAD, MARC, and similar standards.

Technical Issues

12. Platform-independence and portability.

13. Uses XML

Components, Relationship to ISAAR(CPF), and Ownership

14. Two parts: dtd and guidelines.

15. The encoding scheme was designed as an implementation of the International Standard for Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families -ISAAR(CPF). ISAAR(CPF) was under review at the time the encoding scheme was being developed and the encoding scheme may incorporate different models than that defined in the original ISAAR(CPF) standard. Principles and models adopted for the encoding scheme were submitted to the International Council on Archives Committee on Descriptive Standards to inform their review of ISAAR(CPF). It is expected that the encoding scheme will fully conform to the revised ISAAR(CPF).

16. Responsibility for control and maintenance