Workbook on Digital Private Papers > Glossary
Glossary - R
Records survey
Records surveys are traditionally carried out by institutional records managers, who have some degree of control over the creation and management of records during their active lifetime. However, these surveys will increasingly form an important tool for digital archivists, who are likely to be accessioning records at an earlier stage in the records life cycle. Surveys are carried out before archives are accessioned, and take the form of a questionnaire combined with an onsite visit from the archivist. They seek an overview of the records' content, context, and technical environment. This information enables the archivist to appraise the archive and select material for accession; it is also valuable for the purpose of managing the archive once it reaches the repository, and for the creation of preservation and descriptive metadata.
