ICA Launches Interactive RiC Card Game to Support Archival Description Learning
Released following the publication of the Records in Contexts Application Guidelines (RiC-AG) Implementation Manual in October 2025, the card game offers an engaging and practical approach to exploring one of the archival profession's most significant descriptive frameworks.
Available in both English and French under a Creative Commons licence, the RiC Card Game is accompanied by supporting resources that explain how to prepare and facilitate sessions.
Designed for groups of four to eight participants, the game encourages collaborative learning through real-world archival scenarios. Guided by a facilitator with knowledge of RiC-CM, participants work together to build a network of connected entities using cards, string and paperclips. The exercise follows the lifecycle of an archival document—from its creation and inclusion in a collection through digitisation and eventual use in research—allowing participants to apply RiC concepts and relationships in a tangible way.
The card game has already been successfully trialled by EGAD members and was showcased at the Association of French Archivists Forum in March 2025 before being presented to an international audience during the ICA Barcelona Congress 2025.
Beyond its use as a workshop activity, the RiC Card Game is increasingly being incorporated into RiC training programs, helping professionals develop a deeper understanding of contextual archival description through active participation rather than theory alone. EGAD has also announced plans to develop a Spanish-language version in the future.
According to Florence Clavaud, Chair of ICA/EGAD, the RiC Card Game demonstrates how creative, hands-on approaches can transform learning and make complex archival concepts more accessible.
For archivists, records managers and information professionals seeking to build their understanding of Records in Contexts, the RiC Card Game provides a practical and engaging way to explore the future of archival description.