Introduction to EAD

Lisa Jeskins and Bethan RuddockArchives HubMimas

By the end of today’s session we will have given you an introduction to:

• XML• EAD• EAD Editor

Objectives

XML = Extensible Markup Language

XML is a system for creating languages: ◦ Or a meta-language

Use XML to design your own markup language, consisting of meaningful tags that describe the data they contain

Create a language for describing…anything

What is XML?

the ability to exchange/share data

provides advantages of cross-searching, so user can easily search across and retrieve resources from a variety of different systems

allows users to move beyond individual websites for individual resources

integrates information resources presented in different formats

XML facilitates interoperability

What is Interoperability?

XML does not do anything itself. It is pure information wrapped in XML tags

You must use other means to send, receive or display the data

Something to remember about XML

XML XML technologies

is used by to createDetailed description to view in a browser

Summary entry to view in a browser

PDF for print

XML is not about content, though there might be certain restrictions on content

XML is essentially about structure

Creating a consistent structure via XML tagging enables content to be easily identified (by machines) and used in different ways

XML provides structure

XML: elements

<title> Alice in Wonderland </title>

*XML allows you to define your tags*

<book>Alice in Wonderland</book>

<filmtitle>Alice in Wonderland</filmtitle>

<tag> content </tag>

Title Alice in Wonderland

Author Lewis Carroll

Extent 1 volume

Format hardback

Content in a database

<books><title>Alice in Wonderland</title><author>Lewis Carroll</author><extent>1 volume</extent><format>hardback</location></books>

XML: Structure

Valid XML provides consistency and facilitates the exchange of data

Valid XML is important for displaying, processing and exchanging XML in a wider environment

a root element is required<catalog> …..all your tags and content…</catalog>

closing tags are required

case matters

Valid XML must be well-formed

elements must be properly nested

<physdesc><extent>10 boxes</extent></physdesc>

<physdesc><extent>10 boxes</physdesc></extent>

Valid XML must be nested

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylemacdonald/3199283481/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iguanajo/297386921/

Look at the album information on your sheet of paper In pairs, create xml tags for the information that you

see

e.g.◦ <title></title>, <albumtitle></albumtitle>◦ <artist></artist>, <singer></singer>, <band></band>

10 mins to create tags 5 mins to feedback

Exercise

archiveshub.ac.uk

<catalog><cd><title>Lungs</title><artist>Florence and the Machine</artist><genre>indie</genre><year>2009</year></cd>

<cd><title>Slash</title><artist>Slash</artist><genre>rock</genre><year>2010</year></cd>

</catalog>

Possible Answers

A Document Type Definition or Schema defines the building blocks of an XML document

It specifies elements and attributes and defines how they can be used

People can agree to use a common DTD/Schema for interchanging data

Document Type Definitions/Schemas

What about display?

XML file DTD or Schema Valid XML

Blue Elephant Papers

……………………

…………

Blue Elephant Papers

Browse List

International standard, supported by the W3C Open, licence free and platform neutral Human and machine readable Hierarchical structure (good for archive descriptions) Can be used for data exchange

◦ XML is the main basis for defining data exchange languages ◦ Meaningful tags facilitate extraction – data can be manipulated as

required Government mandates XML for data exchange (e-GIF) XML has been widely adopted commercially as well as in the public

sector

Why use XML?

EAD = Encoded Archival Description

EAD is XML for finding aids

A data structure standard – not a content standard

EAD Working Group (EADWG)

What is EAD?

Allows finding aids to be indexed, searched, retrieved and navigated

Compatible with ISAD(G)

Flexible enough to deal with all types of finding aids◦ single or multi-level, long or short, lists or calendars etc.

Can create new finding aids as well as converting old ones to standardised form

Can share data between systems

Why use EAD?

<ead>

<eadheader></eadheader>

<archdesc><did></did>

</archdesc>

</ead>

Basic EAD file structure

<ead> EAD root element<eadheader> EAD file information wrapper

</eadheader>

<archdesc> Finding aid wrapper

<did></did> Core collection information wrapper

</archdesc></ead>

Basic EAD file structure

EAD beetle

<archdesc>

<eadheader>

<did>

sub-fonds descriptions

<archdesc level="fonds"> <did> <unitid>GB 0001 Foster</unitid> <unittitle>Papers of Dr Foster</unittitle> <unitdate normal = "1820-1833">1820-1833</unitdate> <repository>University of Gloucestershire</repository> <physdesc> <extent>1 box</extent> <physfacet>Four folders of letters, 230 folios</physfacet> </physdesc> <langmaterial><language langcode=“eng”>English<language> </langmaterial> <origination>Dr Foster</origination> </did>

Hub <did> EAD2002

EAD version 1 DTD

EAD 2002 DTD

EAD 2002 Schema

Available from http://www.loc.gov/ead/

Human-readable version: EAD Tag Library (Society of American Archivists)

EAD DTD

Library of Congress Official EAD site: http://www.loc.gov/ead/

Tag Library: http://www.loc.gov/ead/tglib/index.html

EAD Roundtable Help Pages: http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/ead/

EAD Documentation

It is XML, which is an international standard

It is a simple and effective way of structuring content and providing meaning

Machines can manipulate the content in all sorts of ways

It is a great format to store finding-aids

EAD is a good thing because…

Not many UK archives currently using EAD as a storage format

EAD will increasingly be used as an export format from proprietary database systems like CALM, for use in XML-based gateways such as Aim25 and the Archives Hub

New software becoming available all the time, which makes it easier to create, search and display XML – much of this is open source and often free

EAD in the real world

UK Archives

Effective cross-searching requires:

◦Interoperability

which requires

◦Common standards

Cross-searching

Differences in how EAD is used

Encourages interoperability but still requires work to ensure seamless cross-searching

EAD is flexible and includes a large number of tags which has advantages and disadvantages

EAD in the Hub and Aim25

XML is an international standard for sharing information

EAD is the XML language for archival finding aids

EAD is not a content standard

EAD will become increasingly important

Summing-up

Any Questions?&

Hands on