Help:Filing System
ArchiveWiki has a simple tree system so that its contents are easily accessible. It's based around the idea that we have a list of archive facilities; each archive has documents; the documents are split into sections and then subsections and then individual items.
The hierarchy looks a bit like this...
- Category:Archives - the master list of all archive facilities on the wiki
- Individual archive facilities, for which you will see one or both of...
- General information on finding and using the archive (e.g. National Archives) and...
- List of files (e.g. Category:National Archives) which may be broken down further into...
- Series (e.g. National Archives Category:Series MT)
- Subseries (e.g. National Archives Category:Subseries MT 95)
- Individual items (e.g. National Archives item MT 95/8)
How far the hierarchy goes for any given archive facility depends on how much information we have for it. So, for example, Leeds Central Library has no specific files listed, just information on how to use the facility and a few ideas about what has been found there. The 'General Information' is therefore the only thing available and it's what you get immediately when you click on its name on the Archives page.
On the other hand, The National Archives has scores of files, and you'll find yourself clicking right through subsections to get to the individual files.
Naming pages
To prevent unmanageable page names, the conventions are as follows.
Archives without individual file listings
- A page in the archive's name (e.g. Lancashire County Records Office), which is a member of Category:Archives.
Archives with individual file listings
- These facilities get a category in their name (e.g. Category:National Archives), which is a member of Category:Archives.
- Archive facility information pages get their full title as the page name (e.g. National Archives of Scotland), within the archive's dedicated category.
- The file lists should be a tree structure, as above, of categories. The root of the tree should be the archive's dedicated category.
- Individual files get their page name from their file reference only. Eg: MT 95/8, RAIL 475/241.
- For files at an archive facility but with no known file reference, the initial letters of the archive's name form the letter code. So any items found at Lambeth Archives without a file reference would be LA 01, LA 02 etc.
Artefacts and owned items
Where an individual file has no known file reference, a dummy reference is created in the style of a National Archives file, as follows.
- For files owned by an individual, these are considered Category:Artefacts. A page should be created in the Artefacts structure - using its full title and date as the page name - and a link made from that user's page.
- For Artefacts, we're still working on a system. We'll get back to you.
And that's everything you could possibly want to know about the ArchiveWiki file system. Hoorah!
