4.3 Technical Access (Added Value)

Purpose and Scope

This element provides information about access restrictions due to any technical requirements that restrict or otherwise affect access to the materials being described, such as equipment or specific hardware/software required for use.

Exclusions

4.3.1 Record any access restrictions due to the nature of the information in the Conditions Governing Access Element (4.1).

4.3.2 Record any physical conditions affecting the use of the materials being described in the Physical Access Element (4.2).

4.3.3 Record any restrictions governing reproduction, publication, or other uses after access is given in the Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use Element (4.4).

Sources of Information

4.3.4 Derive the information from the materials themselves and repository policy.

General Rules

Commentary: Special equipment may be required to view or access some material, particularly audiovisual materials and records in electronic form. In some cases the equipment required may be obvious from the Extent Element, as in “forty-two slides” or “thirty audio cassettes.” In other cases, however, the type of equipment required should be indicated in the Physical Access Element; for example, the playing speed of audio discs (e.g., 45 or 78 rpm), a video’s recording mode (e.g., Betamax, D2, VHS, Video 8, etc.), or broadcast format (e.g., NTSC, PAL, SECAM, HDTV, etc.), the gauge (width) of the film (e.g., 16 or 35 mm), and so on.

4.3.5 Provide information about any special equipment required to view or access the unit being described, if it is not clear from the Extent Element (2.5).

Parade recorded on Super8 film.

Membership files are in an Access database.

4.3.6 Record information about the technical requirements for access to records in electronic form. Give the following characteristics in any appropriate order: make and model of the computer(s) on which the records are designed to run, amount of memory required, name of the operating system, software requirements, and kind and characteristics of any required or recommended peripherals.

The Personnel Master File contains fourteen rectangular flat files stored in standard label EBCDIC. The files contain numeric and character data. The files are stored on fourteen reels of tape at 6250 bpi. The data can be manipulated using a common statistical package. Tape copies are in standard label EBCDIC format. Floppy disk copies are in ASCII format.

System requirements: 48K RAM; Apple Disk II with controller; color monitor required to view this file.