館藏目錄
Archives Catalogue

Catalogue User Guides


About Archives Catalogue 

The archives of Chung Ying Theatre are open for public access. Users can search the physical Theatre's documentary heritage through the Archives Catalogue system. You can apply to reserve the archives you wish to consult through the booking system on this site and then visit us in person to view the historical materials after receiving our reply. From user summit reservation to receiving a reply, it takes 1-3 working days. This system generally makes no records available for online reading or free download.

Production of a drama play involves many creators, so the historical materials may involve complicated copyright issues. Per the Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528), whether possible uses beyond reading and quotation must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, photocopies, electronic copies, photos taken with a phone, and other forms of reproduction may not always be allowed.

Users who just want detailed information about programmes, like performance details and cast, but without the need to view physical objects, should access our Production Database to search the compiled information.


Useful Tips

Since archives differ from books, there is no published material to refer to and no clear classification. After a new collection arrives, the Archives must analyze its physical status and content and carry out archival arrangements and descriptions. The purpose is to systematically classify the archives and integrate the information to make it easy to search and use.

After the arrangement, a tree structure, Levels of Description, will be formed. The Archives will describe each level to varying degrees. This Catalogue is arranged and described according to the international standards and principles of the General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), for multi-level descriptions. It allows users to use metadata such as chronological range, archive producer, subject, administrative history, abstract, etc., to retrieve required information, narrow the search scope, and even obtain additional reference information.

Below is an introduction to the Level of Description for CY Fonds:

  • Fonds: the highest arrangement level, created by grouping the record series of the whole organization. The only fond in this catalogue is “Chung Ying Theatre Fonds”.
  • Series: A series contains folders that share content or format, similar subject matter, and activities that were initially kept together and/or have a shared origin as creators.
  • Sub-series: Records forming a clearly defined series within a series.
  • File: a unit, such as a file/folder, a volume, an album, an interview, etc.
  • Item: a single unit, such as a photograph, a 3D object, or a piece of paper. Each item has a unique reference number that can be quoted for enquiries.

Quick Guide 

Three steps for accessing records:

1. Use the Search or Browse function to find records.

2. After clicking the star-shaped button to bookmark the needed records, the “Saved records” button will automatically appear on the menu bar. Only file and item-level records can be ordered (please refer to this guide for “Useful Tips”).

3. Click the ‘Access Request’ button on the right panel of the ‘Saved records’ page, and enter your name, contact information (phone and email), and the time and date you would like to apply for reading in the pop-up message box. We will reply within 1-3 working days. If you need assistance with searching, please briefly introduce your research content and search scope so we can provide suggestions. Users can also select ‘Email catalogue entry’ to send the list of items to themselves.


Searching

The search function allows you to search for a word or phrase across the collection and within specific record groups. The field is not case-sensitive. There are three different search options:

  • Simple Search: search the whole online catalogue for a word or phrase
  • Search Within: search for a word or phrase within a specific record group where the reference code is known
  • Advanced Search: search for a word or phrase within specified field(s) and date range

From the search results page, you can

  • On the left panel, filter your results using a date range (e.g., 1979-1985) or catalogue level (e.g., series, file) to narrow down.
  • Click the star-shaped button to add needed records to the “Saved records”.
  • Click the buttons at the top left of the page to print or send an email from the entry results for future reference.

Browsing

The Browse option lists the entire Chung Ying collection in a hierarchical format. Click on the + symbols to expand the hierarchy, and click on View to view the specifics for each section. The higher-level description describes the common background information of the lower level, providing content and context information that can help the users judge its relevance to their research.


Access

Click the star-shaped button to bookmark the needed files or items. The ‘Saved records’ button will automatically appear on the menu bar with the number of items added. You can retrieve, remove, or add more items to the list anytime. From the list, users can:

  • Email catalogue entries: Users can print or email the entries list for future reference by clicking buttons in the right panel of saved records.
  • Access Request: Subject to specific access conditions, most items in our archives with ‘File’ or ‘Item’ as their Level of description and ‘Open’ as their Access Status can be ordered for study at a pre-arranged time in Chung Ying.