Creating an archival description is the core cataloguing act in AtoM. The default template implements ISAD(G), the ICA's General International Standard Archival Description, which organises information into seven areas of description. Understanding those areas - and the principle of non-repetition of information across levels - is what turns data entry into genuine archival description.

You can create a description from scratch (New > Archival description) or import it in bulk via CSV or EAD. Either way the same field structure applies, so the standard is worth internalising.

The seven ISAD(G) areas

  • Identity - reference code, title, dates, level of description, and extent/medium. These are the minimum for a valid record.
  • Context - name of creator, administrative/biographical history, archival history, immediate source of acquisition.
  • Content and structure - scope and content, appraisal and disposal, accruals, system of arrangement.
  • Conditions of access and use - access conditions, reproduction conditions, language, physical characteristics, finding aids.
  • Allied materials, Notes, and Description control (archivist's note, rules used, dates of description).

Multilevel description and hierarchy

Archival description is hierarchical: fonds > series > file > item. In AtoM you set the level of description and place a record under a parent so it inherits context. Follow ISAD(G)'s rule of non-repetition - state creator, history and access conditions at the highest appropriate level and do not repeat them on every child. This keeps large finding aids maintainable and honest about where information belongs.

Getting to a valid, findable record

A description with only a title and no reference code, dates or level is hard to cite and manage. Records management standards such as ISO 15489 stress reliable metadata for records to be trustworthy over time; the same discipline applies here. Save as a draft while you work, then set the record to published when it is complete and reviewed.

In practice. Design your reference-code scheme before mass cataloguing, not during it. A consistent, hierarchical identifier (repository code + fonds + series + file) makes citation, migration and CSV import far easier, and lets AtoM build the treeview correctly. Retrofitting a coding scheme across thousands of records is painful; agreeing it once is cheap.

Key takeaways

  • AtoM's description template follows ISAD(G)'s seven areas; reference code, title, dates and level are the essential minimum.
  • Describe multilevel hierarchies and apply non-repetition - state shared context at the highest appropriate level.
  • Work in draft, complete and review, then publish; a well-formed reference code underpins citation and future migration.

Check your understanding

Last modified: Saturday, 1 August 2026, 11:03 AM