EAD Finding Aids |
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Introduction to Encoded Archival Description (EAD) at the University ArchivesThe University Archives is in the process of developing EAD finding aids for our repository along with three other UB and Buffalo archival institutions: UB Music Special Collections, UB Law Special Collections, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. This project was supported in part with a 2005 Regional Bibliograpic Data Bases and Interlibrary Resources Sharing Program grant from the Western New York Library Resources Council. Revealing Hidden Treasures EAD not only allows for standardized access to collections, but also reveals previously hidden information to researchers globally. What was once contained within long, detailed paper finding aids available only at local repositories can now be easily searched online. By collaborating, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the University at Buffalo have begun to raise the visibility of research institutions of Western New York and the wealth of archival and manuscript collections available in this area. This retrospective conversion project will have a significant impact on bringing awareness to the collections of this region. What is an archival finding aid? Finding aids serve as the major means of access to the complex structure of information found in archival collections. Due to the extent of most archival collections, the amount of information captured in a single catalog record does not provide sufficient access to the full substance of these collections. Because there is no absolute standard in formatting finding aids, they tend to vary from repository to repository, and even within repositories. Finding aids written in the past at the University at Buffalo, for example, vary greatly in approach to formatting. Encoding a finding aid in EAD is a way to internationally standardize the finding aid format and allow greater access to the detailed information found in an archival collection. What is EAD? In 1993, the Berkeley Project received funds from the Department of Education in order to investigate the feasibility of developing an encoding standard for electronic versions of archival finding aids. The study was inspired by a recognition that archival repositories needed to expand access to collection information beyond what was available in MARC catalog records.¹ Principle investigator, Daniel Pitti, compiled the most common elements found in archival finding aids and created a DTD (document type definition) based on SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) that would provide uniformity and flexibility at the same time. Eleven years later, the EAD standard, which is maintained in the Network Development and MARC Standards Office of the Library of Congress in partnership with the Society of American Archivists (SAA), continues to be improved. At the present time, the archival community is using EAD 2002. The DTD can now be used in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) as well as SGML, allowing for a wider, more flexible implementation. EAD allows archival repositories to impose standards on finding aids while developing a unique display format customized for their institution. Utilizing EAD One of the advantages of applying standards to the structure and formatting of finding aids is the opportunity it creates for uniform search stratagems that can be utilized both within an institution and within any regional, national, or international, cooperative finding aid repository. In fact, a number of significant collaborative projects have surfaced over the past few years that utilize one interface to search the archival holdings of a consortium. In 1998, the OAC (Online Archive of California) was integrated with the California Digital Library to form a single searchable database for California's cultural history. The OAC uses the EAD encoded finding aids of libraries, museums, archives, and other institutions across California in order to provide direct access to materials such as manuscripts, photographs, and works of art.² In 2002, the Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA) was established in June 2002 through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Their Phase I, successfully completed in December 2004, included training participants from the 15 participating institutions, creating best practices, developing style sheets, encoding 2,200 finding aids, revising and updating legacy finding aids, and creating a finding aids database. The database currently contains more than 2,400 finding aids.³ See University at Buffalo EAD Encoding Best Practices, Version 1.0 for detailed guidelines on encoding procedures set by the EAD Working Group. (please note: this is an extremely long document. It will take a few moments to load.) ¹Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE. "Progress Reports." |
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UB Libraries >>> University Archives: HOME >>> EAD finding aids >>> EAD Project University Archives 420 Capen Hall - Buffalo, NY 14260 |
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