Basic Encoded Archival Description

METRO New York Library Council Workshop

Presented by Lara NicosiaDecember 9, 2011New York, NY

What is EAD?

Image Source: Syracuse UniversitySpecial Collections Research Center

Timeline 1993 – University of California, Berkeley

Started with SGML, FINDAID DTD (1995)

1995 – Finding Aids Conference

1996 – “Beta” version of EAD DTD (Sep)

1998 – EAD DTD 1.0 released

2002 – EAD DTD 2002

2013 – EAD DTD revision

What is EAD?

International standard

XML-based

Platform-neutral

Intellectual content, not presentation

Compatible with a variety of formats

Increased usability

Alphabet Soup

Data ContentWhat to include…

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

International Standard for Archival Description (ISAD)

FGDC-STD-001-199 (geospatial metadata)

ISO-999 (content, organization, and presentation of indexes)

Data ValuesPrescribe specific terms…

LCSH – subject headings

LCNAF – personal and corporate names

MeSH – subject headings

AAT – genres and forms

ISO-639.2 – languages

ISO-8601 – nominalized dates

How it is expressed or stored…

EAD – finding aids

EAC – persons, corporations, families

MARC – OPAC records

METS – metadata for digital library objects

MODS – bibliographic metadata

Data Structure

Markup Language

Basic Encoded Archival Description Metro NY Library Council Lara Nicosia Rochester Institute of Technology

ldnwml@rit.edu

<title>Basic Encoded Archival Description</title>

<sponsor>Metro NY Library Council</sponsor>

<presenter>

<name>Lara Nicosia</name>

<institution>Rochester Institute of Technology</institution>

<contact>ldnwml@rit.edu</contact>

</presenter>

Markup Language XML = Extensible Markup Language

Tag structure: Elements and attributes

<persname role=“creator”>

Element Attribute

Element Structure

<persname role=“creator”>John Steinbeck</persname>

ElementStart Tag End Tag

<lb></lb> OR <lb />

Nesting Elements

<physdesc><extent>2 linear feet</extent><physdesc>

<physdesc><extent>2 linear feet</physdesc></extent>

Basic Rules of XML Elements must have a closing tag

<unittitle></unittitle> OR <lb />

Tags are case sensitive <persname> NOT <PersName>

Elements must be nested properly <physdesc><extent></extent></physdesc>

Attribute values must be quoted <unitdate type=“inclusive”>

Alphabet Soup

Data ContentWhat to include…

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

International Standard for Archival Description (ISAD)

FGDC-STD-001-199 (geospatial metadata)

ISO-999 (content, organization, and presentation of indexes)

Data ValuesPrescribe specific terms…

LCSH – subject headings

LCNAF – personal and corporate names

MeSH – subject headings

AAT – genres and forms

ISO-639.2 – languages

ISO-8601 – nominalized dates

How it is expressed or stored…

EAD – finding aids

EAC – persons, corporations, families

MARC – OPAC records

METS – metadata for digital library objects

MODS – bibliographic metadata

Data Structure

Alphabet Soup<unitdate normal=“1910/1940”>1910-1940</unitdate>

DACS Date ISO-8601 Normalize (i.e. 1910/1940) EAD unitdate

<persname source=“lcnaf”>Smith, John</unitdate> DACS Creator LCNAF Controlled value (i.e. Smith, John) EAD persname

Parts of an XML Document Declaration

<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8” ?> Version of XML

Document Type Declaration <!DOCTYPE ead SYSTEM “ead.dtd”>

Constraints of the document

Root element <ead>

Root Element - <ead>

Sole parent element of all other elements Contains all other elements

Can only be one instance per document

Must be present

Sample Document Structure<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8” ?>

<!DOCTYPE ead PUBLIC “+//ISBN 1-931666-00-8//DTD ead.dtd Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002//EN” “ead.dtd”>

<ead>

all other tags…

</ead>

Parts of an EAD Document <eadheader> - Information about the

finding aid (e.g data encoded, title, etc.) <archdesc> - Information about the

collection (e.g. scope, inventory, etc.) <did> - collection-level description <dsc> - detailed inventory of the contents

(i.e. box, folder, or item-level description)

EAD Structure• <eadheader> (finding aid)

• <archdesc> (collection)

• <controlaccess>• Access points such as

subject headings

• <dsc>• Inventorty list of collection

materials

<eadheader> <eadid> - unique code for EAD document

(e.g. rit0001)

<filedesc> - wraps bibliographic information about finding aid

<titlestmt> - wraps information about finding aid title and author

<titleproper> - finding aid title (e.g. Guide to the Susan Bevier papers)

<archdesc> <did> - wraps core information about materials

<head> - caption/title for the finding aid section <origination> - party responsible for creation of

collection <unittitle> - title of described materials <physdesc> - information about appearance of

described materials (e.g. 2 linear feet) <repository> - body providing intellectual access <abstract> - brief summary of described materials

Style Sheets

Determine presentation

Enhance readability

Display/hide information

Check out some of the free style sheets available on the web!

Inventory List Component, level 1 (c01)

Level information (did) Title of series (unittitle)

Component, level 2 (c02) Level information (did)

Title of subseries (unittitle) Component, level 3 (c03)

Level of information (did) Title of box, folder, materials(unittitle) Date of materials (unitdate) Container number (i.e. box, folder) (container)

Inventory List<c01>

<c02>

<c03></c03>

<c03>

<c04></c04>

</c03>

</c02>

</c01>

Getting Started

Develop a plan

Start with what you already have

Use resources that are already available

Recruit talent

Establish a workflow

Sample Workflow

Maintaining a Standard

Establish Best Practice Guidelines

Create a detailed manual

Develop a template Use comments to add notes and document changes

Train other staff members Professional staff, paraprofessionals, interns,

students, volunteers…