The International Council on Archives (ICA) appointed a group of experts on archival description (EGAD) in late 2012 to develop an international conceptual model for archival description. EGAD based their work on the four standards for archival description issued by ICA and developments in archival description standards over the past 20 years. Their goal was to create a conceptual model that reflects international professional consensus and maximizes the opportunities for archival communication afforded by current and emerging technologies.