basic encoded archival description metro new york library council workshop presented by lara nicosia...

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…