C: Type

Definition: The nature or genre of the content of the resource.

Obligation: Mandatory, with the refinement "category".

What is this element?

Type provides a way of describing the general categories, genres, or aggregation levels of the content of the resource based upon the means used to perceive or experience the content.

For a collection of material, you may have chosen to create a single metadata record rather than describe each item in the collection. The "Aggregation Level" refinement is how you specify whether the metadata record is describing a collection or an individual item. Search engines may use this to highlight collections in result lists.

Type provides the potential for search tools to allow the user to locate different categories of resources (such as types of documents or services), or for results to be displayed in useful groups. Type also allows a search to be restricted to resources of a certain kind, for example, to try and "find all images of the Prime Minister" (irrespective of the Format). Type could be used as a search qualifier; for example, a user can drastically reduce the results of a subject search for "information management" by also selecting the type "event" or "policy".

Type and other elements

To describe the physical or digital manifestation of the resource (including the software application used to create, read and edit it), use the Format element.

Type describes the selection and arrangement aspect of the content of the resource, not what it is about - use Subject.

If you are describing an item that is part of a collection (and if the fact that it is part of a collection is important information about the context of the resource.), then use Relation, e.g. 'Kiwis' isPartOf the National Collection of War Art.

Repetition

The Type element may need to be repeated where one of the 'document' types is not adequate on its own to describe the resource.

Qualifiers

Refinements

Category is mandatory and is one of two refinements used for Type. There are only three values:

• Service - used when describing a service directly, not a document about a service.
• Document - for all resources which are not services or agencies, even if they are not traditional "documents" - for example, a sculpture.
• Agency - used to describe an organisation.

Aggregation level has two possible values:

• Item - for a single resource.
• Collection - for a logical grouping of resources.

Controlled Vocabularies/ Encoding Schemes

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary. Resources being described within the NZ Government should use the NZGLS Agent, Document, or Service encoding schemes respectively.

While the NZGLS Type vocabularies include a broad range of terms, it is not necessarily exhaustive. You may suggest the inclusion of new resource types by contacting the NZGLS maintenance agency.

An organization may develop an in-house or sector-specific scheme (or schemes) to achieve a more precise description of resource types. Any such scheme should be developed in accordance with AS/ISO 15489 : 2002 International Standard on Records Management and be advised to Archives New Zealand, the NZGLS maintenance agency.

Examples