A Brief Introduction to Encoded Archival Description

Kevin Schlottmann

Queens College Archives and Special Collections

April 7, 2010

EAD: What is it?

• XML standard for encoding finding aids

EAD: What is it?

• XML standard for encoding finding aids

• XML = eXtensible Markup Language

• Set of rules for structuring data

• Example: What is 2010?

XML: What is it?

<year> 2010 </year>

<ATM pin code> 2010 </ ATM pin code>

<unitprice type=“$”> 2010 </unitprice>

XML: What is it?

Tag:<unitprice type=“$”> 2010 </unitprice>

Element:<unitprice type=“$”> 2010 </unitprice>

Attribute:<unitprice type=“$”> 2010 </unitprice>

EAD: What is it?

• XML standard for encoding finding aids

• Standard (uniform criteria) for encoding archival finding aids

EAD: What is it?

• XML standard for encoding finding aids

• Other encoding standards:– MARC (books)– Dublin Core (electronic objects)

• Content standards:– DACS (Describing Archives: A Content

Standard)– AACR2

EAD: Why Use It?

• EAD easily maps to other standards such as MARC or Dublin Core

• EAD allows more consistent output

• EAD can provide much more sophisticated searches

• EAD sets you up nicely for current and future data re-use

From Archivists listserv message from Michele R Combs Tuesday, December 01, 2009 2:49 PM

EAD: Why Use It?

If we want our finding aids and collections to play in the larger electronic universe, we need structured, shareable descriptive metadata.

EAD: Why Use It?

“This model of wide and unrestricted sharing is relatively new for archivists, who are accustomed to mediating access to archival collections.”

Riley/Shepard, 94

Baraka Finding Aid (Display)

• Creator: Baraka, Imamu Amiri, 1934- • Title: Amiri Baraka Collection • Inclusive Dates: 1964-1974 • Bulk Dates: 1968 • Quantity: 1 folder (SC) • Abstract: Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones on

October 7, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey) is an American writer of poetry, drama, essays, and music criticism. The collection consists of correspondence and clippings, most relating to Baraka's 1967 arrest in Newark, New Jersey; there is one letter from Baraka (1974).

• Language: English, one item in Russian

Baraka Finding Aid (Unstructured)

Creator: Baraka, Imamu Amiri, 1934- Title: Amiri Baraka Collection Inclusive Dates: 1964-1974 Bulk Dates: 1968 Quantity: 1 folder (SC) Abstract: Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones on October 7, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey) is an American writer of poetry, drama, essays, and music criticism. The collection consists of correspondence and clippings, most relating to Baraka's 1967 arrest in Newark, New Jersey; there is one letter from Baraka (1974). Language: English, one item in Russian

Baraka Finding Aid (EAD)<archdesc level="collection" type="inventory" relatedencoding="MARC21">

<origination label="Creator: "><persname encodinganalog="100">Baraka, Imamu Amiri, 1934-</persname></origination><unittitle encodinganalog="245$a" label="Title: ">Amiri Baraka Collection</unittitle><unitdate encodinganalog="245$f" type="inclusive" label="Inclusive Dates: ">1964-1974</unitdate><unitdate encodinganalog="245$g" type="bulk" label="Bulk Dates: ">1968</unitdate><physdesc encodinganalog="300$a" label="Quantity: "><extent>1 folder </extent></physdesc><abstract encodinganalog="520$a" label="Abstract: ">Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones on October 7, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey) is an

American writer of poetry, drama, essays, and music criticism. The collection consists of correspondence and clippings, most relating to Baraka's 1967 arrest in Newark, New Jersey; there is one letter from Baraka (1974).

</abstract><unitid encodinganalog="099" label="Identification: " countrycode="US"

repositorycode="NSyU">2484305</unitid><langmaterial label="Language: " encodinganalog="546"><language langcode="eng">English</language> , one item in <language langcode="rus">Russian</language></langmaterial>

Baraka Finding Aid

• XML

• HTML

• Printer-friendly

EAD: How to Use It

“To implement EAD fully requires completing a multistep path. The steps include establishing a workflow, establishing coding standards, encoding finding aids, developing Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) style sheets to translate EAD’s XML, setting up an EAD server, and finally publishing the encoded EAD finding aids to the Web.” Yaco 457

EAD: How to Use It

It’s like records management:

Make friends with IT.

EAD: Resources

• EAD templates

• Web-based forms for EAD

• EAD listserv

• EAD Toolkit

• XML editors

• Content management softwareCombs, Michele, Mark A. Matienzo, Merrilee Proffitt, and Lisa Spiro. 2010. Over, Under, Around, and Through: Getting Around Barriers to EAD

Implementation. www.oclc.org/research/publications/library/2010/2010-04.pdf

EAD: Resources

• http://www.loc.gov/ead/

• http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/ead/

• http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/marac/marac.html 

Just dive in!

Archivists’ Toolkit: What is it?

“The Archivists’ Toolkit™, or the AT, is the first open source archival data management system to provide broad, integrated support for the management of archives.”

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AT: What Does It Do?

• Accessioning and describing archival materials (including location)

• Establishing names and subjects associated with archival materials (authority records)

• Exporting EAD finding aids, MARCXML records, and METS, MODS and Dublin Core records

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Accession and description

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Authority records

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Export

INSERT EXAMPLE OF FINDING AID – MAYBE LINK?

http://www.aip.org/history/ead/20080202.html 23

AT: Strengths

• Software is free (like kittens, not like beer)

• Designed by archivists: interface is intuitive

• Manages most common archival processes

• Designed for metadata standards24

AT: Drawbacks

• Work in progress; Archon-AT integration

• Importing is not fully developed

• Backend is technical: “To run the client it is necessary to install a database backend. Currently, the AT will fully support a MySQL 5.0, MS SQLServer 2005, or an Oracle 10g backend.”

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AT: How to Use It

It’s like records management:

Make friends with IT.

Questions/Comments?