Components of the Model
Public Record Office Victoria’s Archival Control Model
consists of hierarchically related components of
information: Functions, Groups, Agencies, Series,
Consignments, Units and Items. Physical Items and Units can be ordered for
viewing in one of our Reading Rooms. Digital Items can be viewed online. The
other components help you with your research by putting the records in context.
The components of the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) model are as
follows.
Victorian Function (VF)
Our list of Functions is similar to a subject index or
thesaurus. Functions describe the role and administrative activities of
government. Function information in the PROV model tells you which Agencies
have created records about that Function.
For example, the main Agencies responsible for the function
of registering inquests (VF
43 Inquests
(registration)) are:
·
Chief Secretary’s Department (VA
475), until 1869,
·
Registrar-General’s Department (VA
2889), from 1869 to 1873,
·
Office of the Registrar-General and the Office of Titles (VA
862), from 1873 to 1988, and
·
State Coroner’s Office (VA
2807), from 1988 to the present.
A Record Group brings together Agencies that have created
records documenting similar functions.
They may be Agencies:
·
that are part of the same ministerial portfolio (eg VRG
18 Lands), or
·
have a common function (eg VRG
24 Educational Institutions), or
·
comprise a sector of government (eg VRG
4 Courts).
An Agency is an administrative unit that has or has had
responsibility for the provision of at least one aspect of government
administration. Each Agency generally has an independent recordkeeping system.
Information in the PROV model will help you to understand the Agency as a
creator of records.
For example, VA
2807 State Coroner’s Office.
Series information helps you to understand the context of
records – why, when and by whom they were created. A Series is a group of
records which are recorded or maintained by the same Agency (or Agencies) and
which:
·
are in the same numerical, alphabetical, chronological or other
identifiable sequence; or
·
result from the same accumulation or filing process, perform the
same function or may be of similar physical shape or information content.
For example, VPRS
24 Inquest Deposition Files.
A Consignment comprises record Items belonging to a single
record Series and transferred to the custody of PROV as part of the one
accession. A Consignment may comprise the whole or only part of a Series.
Each Consignment is given an alpha numeric Id number
consisting of an alpha code to indicate the retention status (P =Permanent, T =
Temporary, U = Unappraised) and a sequential number to differentiate it from
other Consignments within the Series. For example, P0000, P0001, U0002. The
Consignment Id number is quoted in conjunction with the Series Id number. For
example, VPRS24/P0000.
A Unit is a storage container used by PROV to store physical
records and to provide physical control over them. A Unit may be a box, bundle,
plan press drawer, tube etc, containing individual record Items. A Unit may
also be a single volume. Each Unit has a physical location within a PROV
repository. You can order Units for viewing in one of our Reading Rooms.
The Unit Id number is quoted in conjunction with the Series
Id and the Consignment Id. For example, for Unit 478 from Consignment P0000 of VPRS
24, the Unit Id is quoted as VPRS24/P0000/478.
An item is a single recordkeeping object.
A physical Item could be a group of folios fastened
together to form a file, a single volume, card, map, photograph, film, sound
recording, computer tape or any other document. Within a Series there may be
only one physical record Item or there may be several thousand or more. You can
order physical Items for viewing in one of our Reading Rooms.
The identifier for a physical Item may be a file number, a
name or a combination of both. For example, VPRS24/P0000/478 1885/145 or
VPRS28/P0003/1453 196/612 JANE ADAM.
A digital Item is a logical collection or
accumulation of digital records (a recordkeeping file). A digital Item contains
recordkeeping information about the records linked to it. Within a Series there
may be only one digital Item or there may be several thousand or more. Digital
Items can be viewed online.
A digital Item is identified by an agency-assigned
identifier that is unique within the series to which the Item belongs. A
digital Item is uniquely identified within the PROV collection by the
combination of the Victorian Agency (VA) number of the agency which
created or maintained the Item, and the Victorian Public Record Series (VPRS)
number of the series to which the Item belongs, and the Item identifier.
A sub-Item is part of an Item.
A digital sub-Item is a single record within a digital Item.
A digital sub-Item may contain one or more documents that together form the
record of an action or event. For example, a digital sub-Item may contain the
agenda, minutes and tabled documents of a meeting. Digital sub-Items and their
content can be viewed online.
A digital sub-Item is identified an agency-assigned sub-Item
identifier that is unique within the series to which the sub-Item belongs. A
digital sub-Item is uniquely identified within the PROV collection by the combination
of the Victorian Agency (VA) number of the agency which created or maintained
the sub-Item, the Victorian Public Record Series (VPRS) number of the series to
which the sub-Item belongs, the identifier of the Item in which the sub-Item is
contained, and the sub-Item identifier.
PROV does not currently maintain information at this level
for physical Items.