This document provides an overview and introduction to Encoded Archival Description (EAD). It begins with the basics of EAD, including that it is an XML standard for encoding finding aids. It describes the structure of EAD finding aids and common tags used. It then covers implementing EAD, such as creating and editing EAD documents and transforming EAD into other formats like HTML. The document concludes with exercises for practicing editing an EAD finding aid.

1. Metropolitan New York Library Council
1

2. Outline
I. The Basics
II. Finding Aid
III. Implementation
Break
IV. Exercises
2

3. Introductions
3

4. Relax!
4

5. I. The Basics
5

6. What is EAD?
XML standard for encoding finding aids
I. Basics
6

7. 7
XML standard for encoding finding aids
I. Basics - What is EAD?
XML (eXtensible Markup Language):
a set of rules for structuring data via markup

8. 8
XML standard for encoding finding aids
I. Basics - What is EAD?
Tag:
<unitdate era=“ce”>2011</unitdate>
Attribute:
<unitdate era=“ce”>2011</unitdate>
Element:
<unitdate era=“ce”>2011</unitdate>

9. Elements and attributes defined by a
Document Type Definition (DTD) or a
Schema
<bioghist> <bionote>
9
I. Basics - What is EAD?
XML standard for encoding finding aids

10. <ead>
<eadheader>
<titleproper>Guide to the
Papers of Joseph Roth
</titleproper>
</eadheader>
</ead>
10
XML standard for encoding finding aids
I. Basics - What is EAD?

11. XML standard for encoding finding aids
Defined set of containers for descriptive data
EAD : DACS = MARC : AACR2
11
I. Basics - What is EAD?

12. XML standard for encoding finding aids
A description of records that gives the
repository physical and intellectual control over
the materials and that assists users to gain
access to and understand the materials (SAA)
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
12
I. Basics - What is EAD?

13. What is EAD?
XML standard for encoding finding aids
I. Basics
13

14. What is EAD?
EAD encoding is not a substitute for
sound archival description!
I. Basics
14

15. A Brief Aside: DACS
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
“rules to ensure the creation of
consistent, appropriate, and self-
explanatory descriptions of archival
material.”
I. Basics
15

16. I. Basics
16
I. Basics

17. II. Finding Aid
17

18. EAD Finding Aid Structure
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE ead SYSTEM "ead.dtd">
or
<ead xsi:schemaLocation="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9
http://www.loc.gov/ead/ead.xsd">
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="lbi2010.xsl"?>
II. Finding Aid
18

19. EAD Finding Aid Structure
<ead>
<eadheader>Information about repository and
finding aid</eadheader>
<archdesc>Description of archival
materials</archdesc>
</ead>
II. Finding Aid
19

20. Common Tags
• Structural and content tags
<eadheader>Many other tags</eadheader>
<date>July 4, 1776</date>
II. Finding Aid
20

21. Common Tags <eadheader>
• Finding aid author
<titlestmt>
<author>Processed by Stanislav Pejša.</author>
</titlestmt>
II. Finding Aid
21

22. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Minimum required description – “high-level did”
<did>
<origination>Roth, Joseph</origination>
<unittitle>Joseph Roth Collection</unittitle>
<unitdate>undated, 1890-2005</unitdate>
<abstract>[short descriptive text]</abstract>
[…]
II. Finding Aid
22

23. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Minimum required description – “high-level did”
<did>
[…]
<langmaterial>In German and English</langmaterial>
<physdesc>1 linear foot</physdesc>
<unitid>AR 10254</unitid>
<repository>Leo Baeck Institute</repository>
<physloc>V 11/2</physloc>
</did>
II. Finding Aid
23

24. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Biographical information
<bioghist><p>Joseph Roth was one of the most prominent
Austrian writers of the first half of the 20th
century.</p></bioghist>
• Controlled vocabulary
<controlaccess>
<geogname encodinganalog="651$a" source="lcsh"
authfilenumber="n 79040121">Austria</geogname>
</controlaccess>
II. Finding Aid
24

25. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Description of Subordinate Components
<dsc>
<c01 level="series">
<c02>Folder 1
<c03>Item 1</c03>
<c03>Item 2</c03>
</c02>
<c02>Folder 2</c02>
</c01>
II. Finding Aid
25

26. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Description of Subordinate Components
A Component <c> provides information about the content,
context, and extent of a subordinate body of materials.
Each <c> element identifies an intellectually logical section
of the described materials. The physical filing
separations between components do not always
coincide with the intellectual separations.
From EAD Tag library <http://www.loc.gov/ead/tglib/elements/c.html>
II. Finding Aid
26

27. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Description of Subordinate Components
<dsc>
<c01 level="series">
<did>
<unittitle id="serII">Series II: Addenda</unittitle>
<unitdate normal="1985/1996">1985-1996</unitdate>
</did>
<c02>Subordinate elements, such as folders</c02>
</c01>
II. Finding Aid
27

28. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Description of Subordinate Components
<c02>
<did>
<container type="box">2</container>
<container type="folder">1</container>
<unittitle>Articles</unittitle>
<unitdate>1985-1994</unitdate>
</did>
</c02>
II. Finding Aid
28

29. Common Tags <archdesc>
• Digital Archival Object (<dao>)
<c02>
<did> […]
<unittitle>Articles</unittitle>
</did>
<dao
href="http://www.archive.org/stream/josephroth_07_r
eel07#page/n218/mode/1up" actuate="onrequest"
linktype="simple" show="new"/>
</c02>
II. Finding Aid
29

30. Common Tags – Human Readable?
<dimensions>
II. Finding Aid
30

31. Common Tags – Human Readable?
<dimensions>
A subelement of <physdesc> for information
about the size of the materials being
described; usually includes numerical data.
II. Finding Aid
31

32. Common Tags – Human Readable?
<famname>
II. Finding Aid
32

33. Common Tags – Human Readable?
<famname>
The proper noun designation for a group of
persons closely related by blood or persons
who form a household. Includes single
families and family groups, e.g., Patience
Parker Family and Parker Family.
II. Finding Aid
33

34. Common Tags – Human Readable?
<revisiondesc>
II. Finding Aid
34

35. Common Tags – Human Readable?
<revisiondesc>
An optional subelement of the <eadheader>
for information about changes or
alterations that have been made to the
encoded finding aid.
II. Finding Aid
35

36. EAD Finding Aid
II. Finding Aid
36

37. oXygen Setup
37
II. Finding Aid
1. Start the oXygen XML editor program
2. Open “JosephRoth.xml” found in the EAD
folder on the desktop

38. oXygen Setup
38
II. Finding Aid

39. III. Implementation
39

40. III. Implementation:
Creating EAD
40

41. III. Implementation: Creating EAD
41
Archivists’ Toolkit Archon
ArchivesSpace

42. ICA-AtoM
III. Implementation: Creating EAD
42

43. oXygen
III. Implementation: Creating EAD
43

44. III. Implementation: Creating EAD
44
NoteTab Dreamweaver
EADitor Note Pad

45. PASCL spreadsheet
III. Implementation: Creating EAD
45
“the spreadsheet from heaven”

46. My Workflow
III. Implementation: Creating EAD
46

47. EAD Tag Library
III. Implementation: Creating EAD
47

48. SAA Standards Portal
III. Implementation: Creating EAD
48

49. III. Implementation:
Using EAD
49

50. Now What?
III. Implementation: Using EAD
50

51. XSLT
51
III. Implementation: Using EAD

52. Processing documents
XML
Document
[EAD]
XSLT
Stylesheet
XSLT Processor
[Saxon, Xalan or
other program,
which can be built
into oXygen ]
HTML
Document
[Webpage or
online finding
aid]
Text
Document
[csv (can be
opened in
Excel]
XML
Document
[New EAD
document,
MaRCXML]
The
“Original
Document”
Not
Changed
The “Final
or Output
Document”
New File
III. Implementation: Using EAD

53. XSLT Starter Example
Original Document XSLT Stylesheet
Output Document
<book>
<title>Hello World
Book</title>
<date>1997</date>
</book>
<xsl:stylesheet>
<xsl:template match=“book”>
The title of my book is <value-of
select=“title”>.
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
The title of my book is Hello World Book.
III. Implementation: Using EAD

54. EAD to HTML
III. Implementation: Using EAD
54

55. EAD to HTML with DC
III. Implementation: Using EAD
55

56. EAD to HTML with microdata
III. Implementation: Using EAD
56

57. EAD to PDF
III. Implementation: Using EAD
57

58. EAD to MARC
III. Implementation: Using EAD
58

59. Other Uses
• Integration with other standards (e.g. EAC-CPF)
• Open Archives Initiative – Protocol for Metadata
Harvesting (OAI-PMH)
• EAD consortia
• Metadata for digitized collections
III. Implementation: Using EAD
59

60. Other Uses
• Flexible search and display
III. Implementation: Using EAD
60

61. The Future of EAD: EAD3
Beta release of EAD revision, August 2013
• Reduce semantic overload
• Simplify and standardize links
• Reduce mixed content
• Add, deprecate, and delete elements
• Revision is schema only
III. Implementation: Using EAD
61

62. The Future of EAD: EAD3
III. Implementation: Using EAD
62
EAD 2002: <unitdate>1905-1993</unitdate>
EAD3: <unitdatestructured>
<daterange>
<fromdate>1905</fromdate>
<todate>1993</todate>
</daterange>
</unitdatestructured>

63. The Future of EAD: EAD3
• October 1, 2013: End of beta comment period
• December 1, 2013: Deliver final schema and tag
library to the SAA Standards Committee
• Winter 2014: Submit new version to SAA Council
for adoption, publish after adoption.
SAA TS-EAD site
III. Implementation: Using EAD
63

64. The Future of EAD: EAD3
“In an ideal world, EAD and EAC-CPF would be
opaque to all but a few expert users, created when
needed as secondary outputs from efficient and
adaptable software tools with archivist-optimized
interfaces.”
Thirty Years On: SAA and Descriptive Standards
III. Implementation: Using EAD
64

65. The Future of EAD: EAD3
“This next wave [of archival standards] is going to
push beyond online versions of print-based
document genres and embrace the Web as the
native format for description—dynamic, diverse,
and discoverable description.”
Thirty Years On: SAA and Descriptive Standards
III. Implementation: Using EAD
65

66. Relax!
III. Implementation: Using EAD
66

67. IV. Exercises
67

68. Exercise Setup
68
IV. Exercises
1. Start the oXygen XML Editor program
2. Open “JosephRoth.xml” found in the EAD
folder on the desktop

69. Exercise How To
69
IV. Exercises

70. Exercise How To
70
IV. Exercises

71. Exercise How To
71
IV. Exercises

72. Exercise How To
72
IV. Exercises

73. How does this work? XSLT!
73
IV. Exercises

74. Exercise How To
74
IV. Exercises
1. Make the change in the XML
2. Hit the red arrow to transform the XML to
HTML
3. Examine the HTML in the browser

75. IV. Exercises
Exercise How To - Tips
1. Be very careful with quotation marks and
angle brackets
<unitdate era="ce">2011</unitdate>
2. Copy and paste carefully - know where the
cursor is
3. O/o are not the same as 0
4. Look up while typing

76. IV. Exercises
Exercise How To - Tips
Check for
error
messages

77. Processing the
Joseph Roth Addendum
You are a processing
archivist at the Leo Baeck
Institute. You have been
asked to process an
addendum to the Joseph
Roth Collection, and to
update the EAD finding
aid accordingly.
IV. Exercises
77
Austrian writer Joseph Roth (1894-1939)

78. Exercise 1: Housekeeping
Update the information in the <eadheader>
section to reflect your contribution.
IV. Exercises
78

79. Exercise 1: Housekeeping
<ead><eadheader><filedesc><titlestmt>
<author>Processed by Stanislav Pejša.
Addendum processed by [your name].</author>
IV. Exercises
79

80. The head archivist tells you that there is an error in
the biographical information. Roth’s mother’s
first name is Maria, not Mario.
Fix this typo.
IV. Exercises
80
Exercise 2:
Biographical Information

81. <ead><archdesc>
<bioghist><p>
Find “Mario” and replace with “Maria”
</p></bioghist>
IV. Exercises
81
Exercise 2:
Biographical Information

82. Looking at the existing controlled access points,
you realize that the subject term for Roth’s
birthplace, “Brody, Galicia” is incorrect. The
proper LC term is “Brody (Ukraine)”.
Correct the term.
IV. Exercises
82
Exercise 3a:
Geographic Information

83. <ead><archdesc><controlaccess>
<geogname>
Find “Brody, Galicia” and replace with “Brody
(Ukraine)”
</geogname>
IV. Exercises
83
Exercise 3a:
Geographic Information

84. Add the LC authority file number for “Brody
(Ukraine)”.
IV. Exercises
84
Exercise 3b:
Geographic Information

85. Go to LC authorities: http://id.loc.gov
Search for Brody (Ukraine)
<ead><archdesc><controlaccess>
<geogname encodinganalog="651bb0$a"
role="subject" source="lcsh"
authfilenumber="n88212572">Brody
(Ukraine)</geogname>
IV. Exercises
85
Exercise 3b:
Geographic Information

86. IV. Exercises
86
Exercise 3b:
Geographic Information

87. The addendum you are given is one folder,
consisting of material in Polish from a 2002
conference about Roth.
Add this folder to Series II: Addenda, and update
the rest of the finding aid accordingly.
IV. Exercises
87
Exercise 4:
Adding a New Folder

88. The addendum you are given is one folder,
consisting of material in Polish from a 2002
conference about Roth.
Add this folder to Series II: Addenda, and update
the rest of the finding aid accordingly.
IV. Exercises
88
Exercise 4:
Adding a New Folder
"

89. What needs to be added?
Where in the finding aid?
IV. Exercises
89
Exercise 4a:
Adding the Folder

90. <ead><archdesc><dsc><c01 level="series">
<c02>
<did>
<container type="box">2</container>
<container type="folder">3</container>
<unittitle>Polish conference</unittitle>
<unitdate>2002</unitdate>
</did>
</c02>
IV. Exercises
90
Exercise 4a:
Adding the Folder

91. Does the date information need to be updated?
IV. Exercises
91
Exercise 4b:
Updating the Dates

92. Series-level date:
<ead><archdesc><dsc><c01 level="series"><did>
<unitdate normal="1985/2002"
type="inclusive">1985-2002</unitdate>
NB: Also at the collection level (high-level did), in
the arrangement note, and in the title.
IV. Exercises
92
Exercise 4b:
Updating the Dates

93. Collection-level date:
<ead><archdesc><did>
Arrangement note date:
<ead><archdesc><arrangement>
Title date:
<ead><eadheader><filedesc><titlestmt>
IV. Exercises
93
Exercise 4b:
Updating the Dates

94. Find the existing language information, and see if
you can understand the format. Add Polish to
the list of languages, at both the series and the
collection levels.
IV. Exercises
94
Exercise 4c:
Updating the Language

95. <language langcode="pol">Polish</language>
ISO639-2 code
(id.loc.gov)
IV. Exercises
95
Exercise 4c:
Updating the Language

96. <ead><archdesc><did> and
<ead><archdesc><dsc><c01 level="series"><did>
<langmaterial>This series is in <language
langcode="ger">German</language>,
<language langcode="eng">English</language>, and
<language
langcode="pol">Polish</language>.</langmaterial>
IV. Exercises
96
Exercise 4c:
Updating the Language

97. Add one sentence to the Series II scope note
reflecting the additional folder.
IV. Exercises
97
Exercise 4d:
Updating the Series II Scope Note

98. <ead><archdesc><dsc><c01
level="series"><scopecontent><p>This series
consists of material that was added to the
collection after the inventory was drafted and
the bulk of the collection organized. […] Also
included are materials from a 2002 conference in
Poland.</p></scopecontent>
IV. Exercises
98
Exercise 4d:
Updating the Series II Scope Note

99. Link to the digitized version of the material in the
additional folder using this link:
http://bit.ly/x7944b
IV. Exercises
99
Exercise 5:
Adding a link to the digital object

100. <ead><archdesc><dsc><c01 level="series">
<c02>
<did>[…]</did>
<dao href="http://bit.ly/x7944b"
actuate="onrequest" show="new"/>
</c02>
IV. Exercises
100
Exercise 5:
Adding a link to the digital object

101. The head archivist has asked you to print out
copies of your EAD finding aid for the reading
room. Create a print-friendly HTML file.
IV. Exercises
101
Exercise 6:
Creating a Print-Friendly File

102. Find a stylesheet and save it in your EAD folder.
(We’ve done this for you – thanks Syracuse!)
Change the stylesheet declaration:
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="eadprint-su.xsl"?>
IV. Exercises
102
Exercise 6:
Creating a Print-Friendly File

103. IV. Exercises
103
Exercise 6:
Creating a Print-Friendly File

104. The head librarian has asked you to supply a MARC
record for your archival collection. Generate a
MARCXML record from this EAD.
IV. Exercises
104
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

105. Find an appropriate stylesheet.
(We’ve done this for you)
Set up a new transformation scenario.
IV. Exercises
105
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

106. IV. Exercises
106
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

107. IV. Exercises
107
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record
Click new, then
select “XML
transformation
with XSLT”

108. IV. Exercises
108
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

109. IV. Exercises
109
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

110. IV. Exercises
110
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

111. IV. Exercises
111
Exercise 7:
Generating a MARC Record

112. The first step in migrating existing finding aids to
EAD3 is to convert from DTD-based to schema-
based files. Convert a DTD-based finding aid to a
schema-based finding aid.
IV. Exercises
112
Exercise 8:
Converting from DTD to Schema

113. Find an appropriate stylesheet.
(dtd2schema_metro.xsl)
Set up and run a new transformation scenario.
(Follow the directions in exercise 7)
IV. Exercises
113
Exercise 8a:
Converting from DTD to Schema

114. IV. Exercises
114
Exercise 8b:
Converting from DTD to Schema
There is improperly coded data in the “normal”
attribute of the <date> tag (see the error
message). Fix this.

115. IV. Exercises
115
Exercise 8b:
Converting from DTD to Schema
Dates are encoded in the format YYYY-MM:

116. IV. Exercises
116
Exercise 8b:
Converting from DTD to Schema
Note also that attributes governing link behavior
have been converted to comply with Xlink:

117. IV. Exercises
117
Questions?

118. Resources
118

119. EAD Tools
Resources
119

120. Tinker!
• Gentle Introduction to XML
• EAD Cookbook
• A free XML editor
• Library of Congress EAD files
Resources
120

121. Download via Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/archivistkevin
Thank you!
121