Revisions to DACS

The Technical Subcommittee on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (TS-DACS) is pleased to announce that SAA Council has approved revisions to DACS 2.3.3 and DACS 2.3.6. These revisions have already been made to the online version and pdf version of DACS. They will be reflected in the print version of the second edition of DACS in a subsequent printing this summer. In the meantime, we would suggest that you pencil these revisions into your print copies of the second edition of DACS. The revisions are as follows:

• Commentary bullet 2 in 2.3.3 was changed to “When the repository is responsible for assembling a collection, provide, as part of the devised title, the institution’s name as the collector.” The revision changed “do not provide” to “provide” creating an affirmative burden for institution’s to identify themselves as the collector when they are responsible for the creation of a collection.

• 2.3.6 was changed to ““If the name of the creator, assembler, or collector is not known, do not record a name. In such cases, devise the nature of the archival materials for the title as instructed in rules 2.3.18-2.3.20 and 2.3.22.” This revision removed the phrase “or if the repository has assembled the materials” from the rule. 

TS-DACS appreciates the community’s participation in this process.