DATA BASE
The Jamaica Archives has also embarked on a three-year programme to computerise the Finding Aids for archival materials. This is in a further effort to increase easy access to the collection.  On completion, this database will be made available to researchers who visit the Archives. It will  also be uploaded to the Jamaica Archives and Records Department’s (JARD’s) Web site, www.jard.gov.jm, thus ensuring wider access.

B. FINDING AIDS FOR PUBLISHED WORKS

Published Works can be considered as printed materials that are produced for distribution and for sale. The published works maintained by the Jamaica Archives are mainly books, although there are a few periodical titles among the collection.

Books

Printed works produced by the Government Ministries, Agencies and Departments are listed in a separate index.  In addition to this, the Archives is developing a Subject Catalogue of the other books in its holdings. The system being used for classification is the Dewey Decimal Classification, which assigns numbers based on  10 subject categories as listed below:

000-099               GENERALITIES -  Encyclopedias, dictionaries, newspapers and periodicals.  Example: 030 is the number for General encyclopedias.

100-199               PHILOSOPHY – logic, parapsychology and occultism, psychology.  Example: 150 is psychology.

200-299               RELIGION – Bible, theology and the related subject. Example: Bible is 220.

300-399               SOCIAL SCIENCES – Education, economics, sociology, law, customs, social issues. Example: 370 is the number for Education.      

400-499               LANGUAGE – different languages. Example: the number for African Languages is 496.

500-599               PURE SCIENCES – Mathematics Physics, Chemistry. Example: the number for Biology is  574.

600-699               TECHNOLOGY (Applied Sciences) – Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Home Economics and Family Living. Example: the number for Accounting is 657.

700-799               THE ARTS (Fine and Decorative Arts)  - Architecture, sculpture, painting and music. Example: the number for music is 780.

800-899               LITERATURE & RHETORIC – Drama, poetry, and literature in different languages. Example: the number for English Drama is 822.

900-999               GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY and auxiliary disciplines – Example: the number for West Indian History is 972.9, while that for Jamaican History is 972.92.

N.B. Most of the items in our collection fall into the latter subject category, in accordance with our focus on history.

All individual books  which have been donated or purchased will eventually be included in the Subject Catalogue. A programme has also been started to catalogue and classify those publications which were received as part of  archival consignments and are listed  under the collections with which they were donated.