physical characteristics note RiC-A31

Definition

Information about the physical features, completeness, or conservation status of an Instantiation. Includes information about the physical nature and condition such as conservation status or the deterioration of an Instantiation (for example its carrier) affecting the ability to recover information.

Scope notes

Not to be confused with the intellectual completeness of a Record Resource and its sub-entities, which is covered by the Integrity attribute. May include digital file fixity.

Declared on

• Instantiation RiC-E06

Examples

• A web page (HTML, 15 images, 2 CSS, 1 JavaScript), with 1 CSS missing.
• British Library binding
• Digital file format: JPEG-2000
• For carrier: hard drives on which the author wrote physically (using a pen).
• Letter physical characteristics: corner without text missing – the carrier is damaged, but no information of the content is missing
• The charter is missing the seal.
• Watermarked
• carrier heavily foxed
• some loss of text due to rodent damage