ArchivesSpace: Agent and Subject Records

Agent and subject records are defined in their subsections below.

Agents and Subjects in ASpace can be created two ways:

1. Use the Create menu. Select: Create > [Agent/Subject] Record. An empty agent or subject record will appear. Fill in and edit the fields as indicated below.
2. Create an agent or subject record from within an Accession or Resource record
   1. Select: Add in the [Agent/Subject] subrecord
   2. An empty [Agent/Subject] subrecord will appear. Fill in and edit the fields as indicated below.

The Agent or Subject record will contain more fields than those listed below, but do NOT enter/change any information in a field that is not indicated below.

Edit the information in [ ]s (and delete the brackets). Choose the proper selection from those listed in italics.

The instructions below can be used both for creating and editing agent and subject records.

Agents

Agents are created and/or selected for all accessions and resources. This is where the creator's authority information is captured. The authority name is the Library of Congress Name Authority (lcna, i.e., NACO) or if the name does not exist, create one following DACS. The creator's authority name may differ from its common name. For example, UAW is commonly known as UAW, but it's authorized name heading is "International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America." Use the name authority for the agent.

Adding agents within the resource or accession record:

Role: Creator, Source, Subject. Select "Creator" if the agent generated the collection, "Source" if the material was donated by someone other than the record generator and select "Subject" for individuals or organizations represented in the subject contents of the collection.

Agent: Enter the agent name by typing it into the field or selecting "Browse" or "Create" from the dropdown.

1. Browse: From the dropdown, select "Browse." Search for the agent using the box in the upper left, use the list to browse for the box, and/or use the facets listed on the left to narrow your search. After selecting the agent, select "Link to Agents."

2. Create: To create a new agent, select "Create" from the dropdown. Then choose the creator type from the dropdown list [Person, Family, Corporate Entity, Software].

   1. Person or Family:

      1. Basic Information > Publish: Check.
      2. Name Forms:
         • Name Forms > Authority ID: If using a NACO authority record, enter the LC Control no. If creating a Reuther Agent, enter the next available Reuther Agent ID from the Reuther Agent Numbers spreadsheet. Enter the new agent on the spreadsheet next to the ID.
         • Name Forms > Source: Reuther Agents or NACO Authority File
         • Name Forms > Rules: Reuther Agents: Describing Archives: A Content Standard; NACO Authorities: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules or Resource Description and Access (AACR for all non-RDA agents)
         • Name Forms > Name Order: Leave as "Indirect."
         • Name Forms > Prefix: Record the prefix if applicable.
         • Name Forms > Title: Record the title if applicable
         • Name Forms > Primary Part of Name: Record the last name.
         • Name Forms > Rest of Name: Record the first and middle names.
         • Name Forms > Suffix: Record a term that follows the name, if applicable.
         • Name Forms > Fuller Form: If the first and middle names were abbreviated, this is where the complete versions are recorded.
         • Name Forms > Number: Add number if applicable.
      3. Description Information:
      4. Dates of Existence: Select "Add Date" if using a Reuther Agent, or the NACO agent has a date.
         • Type: Range, Single
         • Certainty: Leave blank if date is confirmed, otherwise select "Approximate" if using circa or active dates.
           • Range Date > Expression: Only use if entering circa dates or active dates. Only use active date(s) if the agent is a Reuther agent and birth or death dates cannot be determined or approximated.
           • Range > Begin Standardized Date: Type date using the format YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD, or select date from calendar
           • Range > End Standardized Date: Type date using the format YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD, or select date from calendar
           • Single Date > Date Role: Begin or End
           • Single Date > Standardized Date: Type or select date from calendar
      5. Relation Information
         • Related Agents: If there is a related agent, add it.
      6. Save Person: Select.

      

      

   2. Corporate Entity:

      1. Basic Information > Publish: Check.
      2. Name Forms:
         • Name Forms > Authority ID: If using a NACO authority record, enter the LC Control no. If creating a Reuther Agent, enter the next available Reuther Agent ID from the Reuther Agent Numbers spreadsheet. Enter the new agent on the spreadsheet next to the ID.
         • Name Forms > Source: Reuther Agents, NACO Authority File
         • Name Forms > Rules: Reuther Agents: Describing Archives: A Content Standard; NACO Authorities: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Resource Description and Access (AACR for all non-RDA agents)
         • Name Forms > Primary Part of Name: Enter the creator name.
         • Name Forms > Subordinate Name 1: Enter the narrower creator name (e.g., Local name)
         • Name Forms > Qualifier: Enter any qualifier (e.g., location such as "Detroit, Mich.")
      3. Dates of Existence: Select "Add Date" if using the agent is a Reuther Agent, or the NACO agent has a date.
         1. Date Type > Range or Single
         2. Range Date > Expression: Only use if entering circa dates or active dates. Only enter active date(s) (date range agent participated, e.g., 1900-1932; 20th century; 1975) if agent is a Reuther agent and birth date cannot be determined or approximated.)
            • Range > Begin Standardized Date: Type or select date from calendar
            • Range > End Standardized Date: Type or select date from calendar
            • Single Date > Expression: Only use if entering circa dates or active dates. Only enter active date(s) (date range agent participated, e.g., 1900-1932; 20th century; 1975) if agent is a Reuther agent and birth date cannot be determined or approximated.)
            • Single Date > Date Role: Begin or End
            • Single Date > Standardized Date: Type or select date from calendar
            • Certainty: Leave blank if date is confirmed, otherwise select "Approximate" if using circa or active dates.
         3. Related Agents: If there is a related agent, add it.
         4. Save Corporate Entity: Select.

   

Related Agent Rules

To add a related agent, follow these rules for determining the relationship type:

Linking to a corporate entity:

• Associative: For a person holding the office named in the corporate agent record.
• Earlier: For a previous earlier form of the corporate agent record.
• Later: For a subsequent form of the corporate agent record.
• Subordinate: For a corporate entity "contained" in the corporate name.
• Superior: For a corporate entity "containing" the corporate name.

Linking to a family name:

• Associative: For a person who is a member of the family.
• Earlier: For a previous version of the family name.
• Later: For a subsequent version of the family name.

Linking to a personal name:

• Associative: For a corporate name, or other person, to which the person is associated
• Child: For a person who is a child of the named person.
• Earlier: For an earlier form of the named person.
• Later: For a later form of the named person.
• Parent: For a person who is the parent of the named person.

Donor Organization Names as ASpace Agents

Agents for our common donor organizations already exist in ASpace. Select the appropriate agent rather than creating a new one.

Donor	Agent
AFA	Association of Flight Attendants (U.S.)
AFSCME	AFSCME
AFT	American Federation of Teachers
ALPA	Air Line Pilots Association
IWW	Industrial Workers of the World
NALC	National Association of Letter Carriers (U.S.)
SEIU	Service Employees International Union
SWE	Society of Women Engineers
UAW	International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America
UFW	United Farm Workers
WSU	Wayne State University

Subjects

Subjects are created and/or selected for all resource records. A subject provides authoritative context about the collection. Use Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) or if the subject does not exist, create one following DACS.

1. Select: Add Subject
2. Subjects: Begin typing, browse, or create subject. If creating a new subject, check LCSH first.
   1. Browse: From the dropdown, select "Browse." Search for the subject using the box in the upper left, use the list to browse for the box, and/or use the facets listed on the left to narrow your search. After selecting the subject, select "Link to Subjects."

   2. Create: To create a new subject, select "Create" from the dropdown.

      1. Create Subject > Basic Information
         1. Authority ID: If using LCSH, enter LC Control no. If using Reuther Taxonomy, leave blank.
         2. Source: Select applicable source: Library of Congress Subject Headings; Reuther Taxonomy; Art & Architecture Thesaurus; or TGM II, Genre and physical characteristics.
      2. Terms and Subdivisions
         1. Term: Enter the term
         2. Type: If using LCSH, select the subject heading type (e.g., Topical -- found by selecting the "Labeled Display" tab on LCSH MARC record webpage). If not using LCSH, select a Type that best represents the Subject (most subjects will fall under topical or geographic).
      3. Save Subject: Select