Portuguese Portal for Archives

The Portuguese Portal for Archives (PPA) is the public interface of the Portuguese archives network (PAN).

It allows users to perform searches into the repositories that joined the network. The portal harvest periodically metadata from those repositories, concentrating it in a central repository managed by Directorate General for the Portuguese Archives (DGARQ).

In order to facilitate this service the PPA has a help menu.

The PPA also provides information on holders, e.g. entities that included their repositories in the PAN. Bear in mind that the portal only retrieves 7 metadata elements, which are enough to provide elementary information about a resource. In order to see the full information about records and images associated to them you must jump to the original repository. This option is always provided by the portal interface.

If you wish to obtain additional information about Portuguese archives network, requirements, benefits, please look for PAN goals, PAN scope, PAN content, PAN regulations, Joining PAN and FAQ’s.

Help menu

The examples given in this tutorial assume, merely as an example, we are looking for information about an individual whose name is "Pedro Francês".

The search engine has the following features:

• It does not differentiate caps from minuscule;
• It does consider accentuation.

The queries will be performed in the following fields:

• Holder;
• Reference code;
• Title;
• Dates;
• Description level;
• Dimensions and genreform;
• Administrative/biographic/family history.

The portal offers simple and advanced search.

I. Simple search

1. Simple search can be performed in two ways:

1.1. Without quotation marks (" "). In this case each word from the search expression will be searched individually: results will encompass records that contain the word Pedro, the word Francês or both, together or separated.

1.2. With quotation marks (" ") being in this case the search expression retrieved literally. The search engine will retrieve a shorter list of records on account of the higher refinement of the query.

When presenting the results, the PPA shows in the left upper corner of the screen:

• The total number of retrieved records;
• The search expression used;
• The elapsed time for retrieval.

1.3. The retrieved records can be sorted according the following criteria:

• Relevance (default);
• Reference code;
• Title.

In images 2 and 3 the retrieved records are sorted by the default criterion (relevance).

The relevance criterion accounts for the grade of proximity with the search term or expression.

The other criterion allows presenting the records in ascending or descending order.

Image 4 show ascending order based on element Title:

1.4. One can refine the results of a simple search. This is achieved by performing a second query over the records retrieved by the first search.

The refinement possibilities can be performed using the following fields:

• Description levels
  you can choose a specific descriptive level;
• Holders
  you can choose specific(s) holder(s);
• Date range
  you can chose between interval(s) of dates that are proposed to you. These are automatically obtained by an analysis of the first and final date of the set of retrieved records.
• With or without associated digital image
  you can choose whether you want a record that has associated (or not) a digital surrogate.

These possibilities can be combined or individually chosen.

Example: Selecting the options "date range = 1473-1561" plus the option "with associated image"...

... becomes clear that the number of retrieved records decreases substantially.

1.5. It’s possible to visualize completely each retrieved records selecting the option "see original record". The portal redirects the user to the institutional web repository of the holder of the selected record.

1.6. In the right size of the screen a cloud of the most searched expressions is represented. You can actually use each term or expression as a hyperlink to perform the search.

Below the input box, information is recorded stating the total amount of records aggregated by the portal which are therefore available for search.

II. Advanced search

1. Advanced search is more suited to users that are knowledgeable of archival resources or/and of the information they are looking for. It offers greater retrieval precision.

2. After defining the terms or search expressions it’s possible to combine the fields in which this query should be performed.

2.1. Reference code

It’s usually alphanumeric and it’s formed according to ISAD (G) (ODA I) guidelines:

Country code / holders code / unit code

Example: PT/TT/TSO-IL/028/06/109

Portugal / Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (Holder) / Tribunal do Santo Ofício (Fonds) - Inquisição de Lisboa (Subfonds) / Processos (Series) / Processo de Pedro Francês (File).

This element must be keyed the exact way or it won’t return results.

Example: PT/TT/TSO-IL/028/03297

Example: PT-TT/TSO-IL/028/06/109

In the example above the right code has been imputed but with the wrong characters (- instead of /). Therefore, no results returned!

Example: Whenever the complete unit reference code is not known it’s possible to use part of it, as long as it’s components (acronyms and characters) comply entirely to the part of the original code you want to retrieve.

The option "see original record" redirects you to the full record that is maintained in the holder’s original Web repository.

2.2. Title

With this option the query is performed in the field Title only.

The Title designates the description unit.

Examples of Titles (in portuguese of course...):

• Casa dos Condes das Alcáçovas;
• Repartição do Tombo Geral do Reino;
• Registo de Processos;
• Processo de Pedro Francês
• Livro de contas e lembranças do padre Francisco Justiniano Pereira de Carvalho;
• "Carta régia aos dois chanceleres das Relações de Lisboa e do Porto para a reclusão das pessoas, e sequestro dos bens dos regulares da Companhia de Jesus, que haviam maquinado, persuadido, e incitado a conjuração que abortou aquele delito".

2.3. Scope and content

With this option the query is performed in the Scope and content field only.

Scope and content is a very useful field as it permits to appraise the potential relevance of the description unit. It records also chronological periods, geographical areas, toponymes, functions, activities, etc.

3. In order to restrict the query the user can choose in each of the above mentioned fields the following operators:

3.1. Match all words

Equivalent to Boolean "and".

It retrieves records where all the terms of the search expression are present (together or separated).

Example: Pedro Francês

The search will retrieve all the records where the words "Pedro" or "Francês" are present.

3.2. At least one word

This option is equivalent to boolean operator "or". It allows retrieving all records where at least one of the terms of the search expression is present. In the given example it will retrieve all records that contain Pedro, Francês or Pedro Françês.

3.3. Match exact phrase

It allows retrieving only the exact expression.

E.g., only the records in which the expression "Pedro Françês" is present will be retrieved.

Records containing "Pedro"; "Françês" won’t be retrieved.

3.4. Don’t match these words; don’t match exact phrase

This option is equivalent to boolean "no".

It will exclude from the query words or an exact phrase:

3.4.1. Don’t match Exact phrase

Example: "Pedro Françês"

The search engine will exclude every record where the expression is present.

3.4.2. Don’t match Exact words

Combining this operator with "at least one word" (or).

Example: Pedro Francês

All the records containing the word "Pedro", "Francês"; Pedro Francês" will be excluded.

4. Date range

This element allows queries applying chronological parameters.
If one is looking for a full exact date (year, month, day) it should be keyed in the first field that corresponds to the initial date.
If you only know a partial date (only the year, or month or day) the search engine will retrieve all records that match that date or later dates.
If you input data in the final date field, records containing that date or prior dates will be retrieved.
Whenever the initial and final date fields are completed the search engine will retrieve records containing those dates plus all records containing dates comprehended between the inclusive dates declared.

Only two records retrieved...

5. The advantage of using the advanced search is the possibility of combining different fields together with several filters (description level, holder, language, associated image).
Whenever several fields and filters are used the search engine uses by default the boolean expression "match all words" (and).
Look at the following example:

24 records retrieved. This query can be further refined:

6. Filters

Filters restrict the search, narrowing it’s scope.
The filters available are the same that can be found in simple search (cf. p. 5).

6.1. Description level

Description levels reflect the relative position a description unit has in the general hierarchy of a records group. By other words, they correspond to the several constitutive parts of the Fonds. A description unit may be in hierarchical dependence of an upper level and have at the same time, one or several other levels as dependants.

• Fonds (F)
• Subfonds (SF)
• Class (SC)
• Subclass (SSC)
• Series (SR)
• Subseries (SSR)
• Container (UI)
• File (DC)
• Document (DS)

If no level is assigned the query will be performed in all levels.
Resuming the previous search using the filter description level, we obtain... :

...only the Fonds and Subfonds level are retrieved.:

6.2. Holders

Look at the following example:

Although both retrieved records contain information after the final date expressed it has information within the chosen time span.

6.3. Language

With this option one can define the language contained or on which the record was written. The possible options are included in a combo box and do not permit all languages but only the most common ones.

6.4. Absence or presence of associated digital images

It allows restricting the retrieval to records to which digital images are present or absent.
The default option is "retrieve all records". In this case all records irrespective or having or not images associated, will be retrieved.