Help Pages - EAD Files
Help Pages - EAD Files
In December 2002, a new version of the EAD DTD was released. This new version, EAD 2002, replaces EAD 1.0.
This page will connect you with the files needed to implement EAD 1.0 and EAD 2002.
For information on the general approach to the changes made in creating EAD 2002, see Design Principles for Enhancements to EAD
MARCH 23, 2001:
Read the compilation of submissions for changes to the EAD.DTD.
For the steps involved in creating and delivering finding aids in EAD format, please see the Implementation Overview.
You will need three key pieces of documentation:
It's also good to learn from those who are already implementing EAD. See Other useful documentation below or the Annotated Implementors page.
We hope you have considered Version 2002 before using this older version of EAD.
Some alterations may be required to make the DTD function correctly with certain indexing software. Please see the Helper Files.
Other useful documentation and web sites
The Official Web Site for EAD is maintained in the Network Development and MARC Standards Office of the Library of Congress in partnership with the Society of American Archivists. It includes information about the development of the EAD standard, news and announcements, a list of implementors, and tools.
The Society of American Archivists has published Context, Theory, and Case Studies. This collection explores the context within which Encoded Archival Description (EAD) was developed, the essentials of its structured approach to encoding finding aid data, and the role that EAD is meant to play in individual repositories and for the archival profession as a whole. It also includes six case studies. It is available through the SAA website.
The EAD Electronic List is operated by the Library of Congress, Network Development and MARC Standards Office. The list is a closed unmoderated electronic mail posting service created to facilitate the exchange of information about EAD. Developers and implementers of the EAD DTD are welcome to join the list and share their ideas and experiences with using SGML for finding aids. This site includes directions for subscribing to the list and a link to the archive of list messages (which are available for browsing sorted by posting date, author, and subject.)
The Society of American Archivists has published the Application Guidelines for EAD version 1.0 and EAD 2002 prepared by the Encoded Archival Description Working Group. This volume introduces Encoded Archival Description (EAD) from administrative, archival, and technical perspectives. It is available for purchase through the SAA website.
The RLG Recommended Best Practice Guidelines for EAD standardization and interchange.
Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS)
Richard Miles Davis has created a draft HTML file listing all of the EAD v. 1.0 elements (as tags) and entities in alphabetical order. Attribute and content-model specifications are also shown more or less as they appear in the DTD.