1. Standards and exchange formats in the UK:
The Role of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) in
promotion of Access to Archives in the UK
Bill Stockting: Standards and exchange formats for
interoperability among archival information systems:
Bologna
8 May 2008
2. Introduction
UK archivists started using beta version of EAD in 1997,
mainly at:
๏ฎ The National Archives (TNA) (then the Public
Record Office (PRO)
๏ฎ University manuscripts and archives departments
EAD implemented in online applications of individual
university repositories and programmes providing
federated access, such as:
5. Introduction
Discussion will look at:
๏ฎ Background to success of EAD - the right tool at the
right time
๏ฎ Illustration of EAD as a flexible tool in the archival
description process:
๏ฎ Capturing standardised metadata
๏ฎ Editing and storing metadata
๏ฎ Searching and presenting metadata
๏ฎ Exchanging metadata
6. Background
Development of ICT and Internet in 1990โs:
๏ฎ Archivists see potential of ICT tools for access to
archives and development of EAD in US
๏ฎ UK strategic environment favourable and Government
policy argues for increased access to archives as part of
and electronic service delivery in public sector
๏ฎ Need for data format standards to achieve presentation
of archival metadata online
7. Background
EAD - the right tool at the right
time:
๏ฎ Based on open standards:
Initially SGML but early
compatibility with XML and
developing technologies
๏ฎ Not tied to commercial software
and freely available
๏ฎ Commitment to development
and maintenance by
international EAD Working
Group
๏ฎ Great flexibility
8. Capturing Standardised Metadata
EAD a structure standard designed to work with
description standards such as
๏ฎ MARC
๏ฎ ISAD(G), especially in current version - EAD 2002
EAD tags allow representation of:
๏ฎ finding aids conforming to rules of multi-level
description
๏ฎ all ISAD(G) data elements
9. Capturing Standardised Metadata
EAD used to create new
finding aids:
๏ฎ Text files easy to create
๏ฎ Use of common
SGML/XML authoring
tools that allow validation
against EAD DTD
๏ฎ Templates developed to
lessen routine tagging -
e.g. Archives Hub online
template -
http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/template/new/eadform2.html
10. Capturing Standardised Metadata
EAD used in process of retro-
conversion of legacy finding
aids:
๏ฎ TNA conversion from
distributed finding aids system
to integrated standardised
multi-level catalogue
๏ฎ A2A Programme - conversion
of paper and non-
standardised electronic finding
aids using EAD template
๏ฎ Conversion services such as
RLG/APEX
11. Editing and Storing Metadata
Despite advantages of relational
databases for the storage and
editing of descriptive metadata
EAD also used:
๏ฎ Smaller repositories - e.g.
Modern Records Centre, at
the University of Warwick
๏ฎ Federated services such as
Archives Hub and A2A
Programme
12. Searching and Presenting Metadata
EAD used to present finding
aids online:
๏ฎ Single finding aids by
transformation of EAD as XML
to HTML via XSL
๏ฎ Federated services show
many strategies:
๏ฎ Archives Hub: Cheshire
Search engine XML, Z39.50
and GRS1
๏ฎ NAHSTE: perl, XML::Twig
and cgi
๏ฎ A2A: XML, HTTP and XSL