Required Elements at Each Level of Description

Introduction

The levels of description documented in these Guidelines, from general to specific, are: Collection, Series, and File.

Required, recommended, and optional elements for each level are outlined below.

Optional elements should be used as appropriate.

In general, do not repeat descriptive information provided at a higher levels and provide descriptive information only at the level for which it pertains.

Information on the minimal level of description needed before sending born digital collections to the Digital Accessioning Support Service (DASS), along with details of the ingest and output process from the service, can be found on the DASS Libguide.

Levels of Description

Level	Required	Optimal
Collection	Title	Appraisal, Destruction, and Scheduling Information (required when appraisal has occurred, otherwise recommended).
	Date	Other Finding Aids (when appropriate)
	Extent	Custodial History (when appropriate)
	Creator (if known)
	Conditions Governing Access
	Language
	Access Points
	Scope and Content
	System of Arrangement
	Processing Information
	Conditions Governing Use
Series	Title	Other Finding Aids (when appropriate)
	Date	Creator (rarely used at Yale)
	Extent	Conditions Governing Access (when needed)
	Scope and Content	System of Arrangement (when appropriate)
		Processing Information (when appropriate)
		Custodial History (when appropriate)
File	Title	Other Finding Aids (when appropriate)
	Extent	Creator (rarely used at Yale)
		Conditions Governing Access (when needed)
		Scope and Content (when appropriate)
		System of Arrangement (when appropriate)
		Processing Information (when appropriate)
		Date (when appropriate)

Born Digital Archival Description Guidelines: Required Descriptive Elements

Required Elements at Each Level of Description

Introduction

Levels of Description

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