New Archive Catalogue

22 Aug 2008

Avid readers of our blog may recall the post I wrote about cataloguing in closed week in which I mentioned development of a new web catalogue just for manuscripts. The beady-eyed among you may have already noticed the new links on the website (including to the right of this post) but for those who haven't, we are pleased to announce the launch of the new Archive catalogue.

It can be used to search for over 65,000 catalogue records from the Museum's archive and manuscript collections. You can browse by section of the catalogue (for example personal papers or business collections) or by collection title, do a quick keyword search or carry out a more advanced search.

Why have we made these changes? Well, the browse options are new and a great way to look through collections. It is now much easier to find and display catalogue records for manuscripts. One of the major developments is the hierarchical display of records which means you can see how records fit together in a collection. The other main reason for transferring all our records out of the Library catalogue and into a different database (MIMSY XG) is that now we can catalogue our archives according to an internationally recognised standard of archival description (ISAD(G)). This standard, used by archivists throughout the world, provides a consistent methodology for description and we have developed it further by writing new in-house cataloguing guidelines.

You will still see archive catalogue records within the Library catalogue as before, but please note that they are no longer up-to-date and will eventually be removed from view. Any new cataloguing we do, including what we did in closed week, will only show in the new catalogue.

You can still order items in advance using the 'order in advance' button in each catalogue record. The usual rules apply - up to three items can be ordered in advance on weekdays, more for a Saturday visit or if items are held off-site (this will be clearly displayed in the catalogue record as 'Access conditions: 14 DAYS NOTICE REQUIRED FOR ACCESS').

We are continuing to develop the new online catalogue (for example help text and tips will be added), add new records and improve existing entries. We will also be offering short introductory sessions about the new catalogue in the E-Library during September or October. If you would like to register your interest, or if you have any queries about the catalogue, please contact us by email at manuscripts@nmm.ac.uk.

Hannah, Archive and Manuscripts Manager