The Expert Group on Archival Description (EGAD) of the International Council on Archives (ICA) is pleased to announce the publication of the RiC Card Game, following the release of the Records in Contexts (RiC) Application Guidelines (RiC-AG) Implementation Manual in October 2025.
The RiC Card Game is available in English and French under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, along with supporting documents explaining how to prepare and facilitate the game.
The game consists of printed cards that several EGAD members have successfully used in practice. Its first version in French was presented in spring 2025 at the Association of French Archivists Forum, followed by the English version during the first day of the ICA Barcelona Congress 2025.
Part of a RiC card game in French, at the end of the workshop (at the forum of the Association of French Archivists, March 2025). Photo credit: Florence Clavaud.
Designed for groups of 4 to 8 participants, each team receives a copy of the game and is guided by a facilitator. Facilitators are required to have a solid understanding of RiC-CM, the conceptual model underlying RiC, and of the case study used in the session. Participants work together to construct, step by step, a network of linked entities using cards, paperclips, and pieces of string, applying the entities and relationships defined by RiC-CM to a real archival document: from its creation, through its integration into a collection, digitisation, and eventual use in a research project.
The card game is now also being used as part of RiC training sessions. Looking ahead, the group plans to produce a Spanish version.
The RiC Card Game is a fun and highly practical way for archivists to grasp the conceptual model of Records in Contexts. It demonstrates how creative, hands-on methods can enhance understanding and transform archival description.
Florence Clavaud
ICA/EGAD Chair
