RK&M GLOSSARY

Annex 1. RK&M glossary

The RK&M glossary represents a peer-reviewed set of terms and their definitions, serving the purpose of efficient communication and better understanding of RK&M preservation issues within and beyond the NEA RK&M initiative. It defines the most important key terms and concepts used in the project and as such provides useful guidance on terminology in the area of RK&M preservation for radioactive waste disposal, including the preand, especially, postclosure phases of repositories. The terms and concepts in the glossary do not uniquely pertain to the RK&M preservation topic. They are also used in other contexts and international texts, where their meaning may differ. The RK&M project glossary definitions do not necessarily reflect the most common understanding or use of the terms. The definitions provided aim at stipulating the respective term within the RK&M preservation context.

The glossary was developed and updated iteratively throughout the duration of the RK&M initiative by its members. The guiding principles in preparing glossary entries were: i) usefulness within the wider RK&M preservation context, ii) understandability, iii) internal consistency with respect to other glossary entries, and iv) unambiguousness.

Archive

Collection of records that have been selected for permanent preservation due to their continuing administrative, informational, legal and historical value as evidence of the work of the creating organisation or programme. The term “archive” also refers to the building or part of a building in which archives are preserved and made available for consultation, as well as to the agency or programme responsible for selecting, acquiring, preserving and making available archives.

Commentary: National archives acquire, preserve and make available for research national records, in particular those created by national agencies. They usually establish policies and procedures for managing these records and assist national agencies in carrying out their record management responsibilities.

Archives differ from libraries in the sense that libraries are usually created with the intention of providing public access to collections of published materials.

Archives differ from time capsules in that they are maintained to preserve, and to provide the means to access, their inventories.

Awareness

Consciousness of the existence of something.

Commentary: “Something” can refer to a tangible object (“awareness of the repository”, “awareness of the records”) or to an intangible object (“awareness of a problem”, “awareness of events in the past”).

Control

The function of directing, ruling, regulating, restraining or limiting.

Commentary: Control can be carried out by individuals, groups of individuals, institutions and inanimate objects. These are referred to as “controllers”.