Archives and special collections
Special collections (e.g. rare books and manuscripts) may often be managed by the institution’s library system.
Archive management systems are functionally similar to both library management systems and records management/collection management systems but have been developed to tailor to the unique needs of archives notably in terms of the metadata used to describe archives - a distinctive feature of archival description is the concept of multi-level (hierarchical) description - and functional aspects such as conservation workflows. Archive systems will typically enable the management of digital archives and may integrate with separate solutions for digital preservation. There is some overlap between archive and museum system solutions.
Link to Market overview of the archive management system most commonly used in UK Higher Education
Archive standards
Compared to library solutions, archive metadata standards developed much later than for libraries and don’t have the same level of international application or support. For example, DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard) is the United States implementation of the ISAD(G) standard.[[1]](#_ftn1) EAD is an international standard developed by the Society of American Archivists and the US Library of Congress. Encoded Archival Description (EAD) maps closely onto the International Standard for Archival Description ISAD(G) and is used to encode records to enable them to be more easily shared. Records in Contexts (RIC) is being developed to reconcile and integrate existing standards and to reorient them to ‘take advantage of developments in communication technologies’. Many archives use data entry templates or forms using Excel which are imported and mapped into standard formats by the archive system. Many archives use data entry templates or forms using Excel which are imported and mapped into standard formats by the archive system.
[[1]](#_ftnref1) ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. https://www.ica.org/resource/isadg-general-international-standard-archival-description-second-edition/
Section updated August 2025