1. You Dont Get to Describe Records Without Making a Few Standards
The Archival Network
Michael Rush, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
Session 706 Thirty Years On: SAA and Descriptive Standards
Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, August 27, 2011

2. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, mmwm, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmwm/4129052805/
3. After the flood
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Momentum shift toward ICA standards
ISAAR (CPF), 2nd ed. (2004)
ISDF (2007)
ISDIAH (2008)
Reactionary mindset
Unclear expectations
Confusing reporting lines
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5. Standards Committee Changes
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Expanded Standards Committee to 9 members
Technical Subcommittees for each adopted standard
Development and Review Teams
5 year review cycles
Standards vs. Best Practices
Adoption vs. Endorsement
Support for a more active Standards Committee
Infrastructure for a Standards Portal
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9. http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/dl_crosscollex/brbldl_getrec.asp?fld=img&id=1048412
10. Under Construction
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Standards Portal
EAC-CPF Implementation
EAD Revision
DACS Revision
11. CC BY 2.0, veggiefrog, http://www.flickr.com/photos/veggiefrog/2145862702
12. Blockbuster Summer 2013
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EAD
DACS
ArchivesSpace*
* a de facto standard?
13. CC BY 2.0, falardeau, http://www.flickr.com/photos/49889874@N05/5270987711/
14. ICA Descriptive Standards
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ISAD (G)
International Standard for Archival Description (General)
ISAAR (CPF)
International Standard for Archival Authority Records (Corporate bodies, Persons, and Families)
ISDF
International Standard for Describing Functions
ISDIAH
International Standard for Describing Institutions with Archival Holdings
15. National Descriptive Standards
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DACS
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (US)
RAD
Rules for Archival Description (Canada)
16. Encoding/Transmission Standards
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Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Context Corporate bodies, Persons, and Families
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18. 19. Whats Missing?
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Encoded Archival Context Functions?
Encoded Archival Context Institutions with Archival Holdings?
Additional or expanded national content standards?
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21. Tenets for Future Standards
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27. CC BY 2.0, Yandle, http://www.flickr.com/photos/yandle/4337747398/
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37. Tenets for Future Standards
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Machine Usability
Human Usability
Avoid ambiguity (data first)
Links, links, links
Focus on tools, not tags
Standardize non-archival tasks
Internationalization
38. What else is missing?
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Best Practices for
Display
Search and Discovery
Capturing User-Generated Content
39. Best Practices for Display
Best Practices for Search and Discovery
Best Practices for Capturing User-Generated Content
40. What is SAAs role?
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Maintenance of national standards
Maintenance of adopted international standards
Development of best practices
International engagement and collaboration
Dissemination and education