Records in Contexts-Application Guidelines (RiC-AG) is the last of four complementary documents that address the activity of describing records. The first three parts, published in 2023, are Records in Contexts–Foundations of Archival Description (RiC-FAD); Records in Contexts–Conceptual Model (RiC-CM); and Records in Contexts–Ontology (RiC-O).
RiC-FAD is a brief description of the foundational principles and purposes of archival description. RiC-CM is a high-level conceptual model that focuses on intellectually identifying and describing records, and the contexts within which they were created and used. RiC-O is a specific implementation of the RiC-CM formally expressed in the World Wide Web Consortium standard Web Ontology Language (OWL). RiC-AG is intended to provide archival practitioners, developers, and managers guidance in understanding and implementing archival description systems based on RiC, particularly focusing on the RiC-CM.
The International Council on Archives (ICA) Expert Group on Archival Description (EGAD) recognizes that RiC significantly differs conceptually from the previous ICA standards, in particular ISAD(G), the most widely used and influential. RiC-AG is intended to help the archival community understand RiC, in particular RiC-CM. RiC-AG is also intended to help archives and developers that support archives in developing strategies for implementing RiC, and in managing the transition from existing practices and systems to RiC-based practices and systems.
In developing RiC-AG, the EGAD recognizes that archives differ in current approaches to description and in the systems that support these practices. As a result, scenarios for using RiC will vary considerably. To assist in designing the RiC-AG, the EGAD solicited user stories from the community in April 2024. EGAD also re-examined user comments collected after the publication of the RiC-CM 0.2 consultation draft. The goal of the survey and review of past comments was to help the EGAD in identifying appropriate content for the RiC-AG. Nevertheless, while RiC-AG aims to provide broad guidance that will be helpful across a range of scenarios, it does not offer specific guidance that will address every possible user context.
RiC-AG is a draft document. With the initial release, the EGAD invites the community to provide feedback. Are the sections appropriate? Are they helpful or not? Is the language clear and understandable? How about the diagrams? Are there issues or challenges not addressed? Are there specific areas where additional examples or diagrams would be helpful? The EGAD would very much like to establish an ongoing dialogue with the community in the further development of the RiC-AG.
