Cataloging and hierarchy
Describe collections the way archives are arranged.
Archively models the full archival hierarchy, from fonds to item. Seven linked modules hold your items, collections, people, organizations, subjects, accessions, and events, tied together by controlled vocabularies.
Last reviewed July 2026
- Hierarchy
- Fonds → series → file → item
- Catalog modules
- 7 linked
- Vocabularies
- LCSH · AAT · TGM · UNESCO · MeSH
- Accessions
- Tracked
The hierarchy
Fonds, series, file, item.
Material keeps its original order. Every record sits at a level in the tree, so a single item stays connected to the file, the series, and the fonds it belongs to.
Nothing is flattened into tags or folders.
Arrangement
Repository
East Harbor Municipal Archive*
Fonds
Civic Buildings and Public Services
Series
Reading Rooms
File
East Harbor Reading Room
Item
Dedication photograph, 1962
Linked records
- PersonMiriam Cole
- OrganizationEast Harbor Public Library
- SubjectPublic libraries
- EventReading-room dedication
- AccessionEHMA-1962-014
Seven linked modules
Seven catalog modules, all connected.
Each module is a kind of record. Because they link, context builds up: a person connects to the items they wrote, the organization they worked for, and the events they took part in.
Items
The records themselves: documents, images, and media, described in full.
Fonds and collections
The hierarchy that holds items, from fonds down to file and item level.
People
Named individuals linked to the records and to one another.
Organizations
Corporate bodies and agencies linked to records and people.
Subjects
Topics drawn from controlled vocabularies and your own local terms.
Accessions
Incoming material, tracked from arrival and kept linked to what it becomes.
Events
Dated occurrences that connect records, people, and organizations.
Controlled vocabularies
Describe subjects with terms other archives share.
Subjects draw from established vocabularies, so your records line up with the wider catalog world. When your collection needs language that no standard vocabulary carries, add local terms.
LCSH · AAT · TGM · UNESCO · MeSH · LOCAL TERMS
See your own records arranged in the hierarchy, from fonds to item.
A working setup using your records, not a sales presentation.