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XML and EAD: Describing an archive and its contents

XML and EAD: Describing an archive and its contents

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At this point, we're ready to add information about the archive itself to the document. While <eadheader> focuses on administrative information about the finding aid, <archdesc> contains information about the contents of the collection the finding aid focuses on.

<archdesc> has only one required child element, <did>, which contains basic information about the collection such as where it's located, who created the items in the collection, and other relevant information about the collection itself. While <archdesc> has only one required child element, there are many optional elements that can be used in whatever combination necessary to mark up information contained in the finding aid, such as:

access restrictions on the materials in the collection
biographical information about the creator of the materials
how items are currently physically arranged
other collections that may be related to the one documented in the finding aid
any items that may have been removed from the original collection and moved elsewhere

Since <archdesc> contains a lot of information, we'll be working on it in two parts: first, we'll add the descriptive information about the collection we're working with, then we'll document the individual items in the collection. Let's start with adding <did> to the document.

Including descriptive information about the collection in `<did>`

As mentioned previously, <did> is the only required element of <archdesc>, and it contains information about the archive such as its location, who created the content, the size of the collection, and what language the materials are in.

<did> is also used elsewhere in EAD to contain descriptive information, and as such, it has no required elements. However, there are a number of optional child elements that can be used — to learn more about them, visit the EADiva page on <did> in EAD 2002. In our document, <did> will contain the following elements, which are required by the IU Archives EAD template:

<repository>: information about who currently owns the collection
<origination>: who created the contents of the collection
<unittitle> and <unitdate>: the name of the collection and when its contents were created
<physdesc>: information about the physical characteristics of the collection
<langmaterial>: what language the materials are in
<abstract>: a short description of the contents of the collection

Let's go ahead and add these elements, and any child elements they have, to <did>.

To add the element <did> to <archdesc>, add the highlighted code to edmondson.xml:
```
    </eadheader>
    <archdesc>
        <did>

        </did>
    </archdesc>
```
Exiting code block.

To add the <repository> element to <did>, add the highlighted code to the document:


    <archdesc>
        <did>
            <repository>

            </repository>
    </did>

To add the repository's name to <repository>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <repository>
                <corpname>Indiana University Archives</corpname>
            </repository>

To add the address information for the repository, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <repository>
                <corpname>Indiana University Archives</corpname>
                <address>
                    <addressline>1320 East Tenth Street</addressline>
                    <addressline>Herman B Wells Library E460</addressline>
                    <addressline>Bloomington, IN 47405</addressline>
                    <addressline>Phone: 812-855-1127</addressline> 
                </address>
            </repository>

As seen in step c, the content in each individual <addressline> in <address> can contain information other than address-specific content. Other contact information can be included as well, such as an email address or phone number.

To add <origination> to <did>, add the highlighted code to the document:


                </address>
            </repository>
            <origination label="creator">

            </origination>
        </did>

To add the people who created the items in the collection to <origination>, add the highlighted code to the document:


                </address>
            </repository>
            <origination label="creator">
                <persname>Clarence Edmund Edmondson</persname>
                <persname>Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson</persname>
            </origination>
        </did>

To add the title of the collection to <did>, add the highlighted code to the document:


                <persname>Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson</persname>
            </origination>
            <unittitle>Clarence Edmund Edmondson documents</unittitle>
        <did>

To add the creation dates for the objects in the collection to <did>, add the highlighted code to the document:


                <persname>Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson</persname>
            </origination>
            <unittitle>Clarence Edmund Edmondson documents</unittitle>
            <unitdate type="inclusive" normal="1883/1959">1883 to 1959</unitdate>
        <did>

To add information about the physical characteristics of the collection to <did>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <unittitle>Clarence Edmund Edmondson documents</unittitle>
            <unitdate type="inclusive" normal="1883/1959">1883 to 1959</unitdate>
            <physdesc>
                <extent>9 folders, 2 albums</extent>
            </physdesc>
        </did>

To indicate what language the contents of the material were created in, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <unitdate type="inclusive" normal="1883/1959">1883 to 1959</unitdate>
            <physdesc>
                <extent>9 folders, 2 albums</extent>
            </physdesc>
            <langmaterial>Contents of collection are in <language>English</language>.</langmaterial>
        </did>

To include a short description of the contents of the collection, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <unitdate type="inclusive" normal="1883/1959">1883 to 1959</unitdate>
            <physdesc>
                <extent>9 folders, 2 albums</extent>
            </physdesc>
            <langmaterial>Contents of collection are in <language>English</language>.</langmaterial>
            <abstract>Items in this collection include letters, photos, and other documents related to Clarence Edmund Edmonson and Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson. </abstract>
        </did>

At this point, we're done adding information to <did>. However, we're not quite through with adding information to <archdesc> — there are many more details we can include about the collection here.

Describing more aspects of the collection

With <did> added to the document, let's focus on the optional elements we'll be adding to <archdesc>. The elements we'll be working with are all required by the IU Archives template, even though they're considered optional elements by EAD 2002. We'll start out with adding the following elements:

<accessrestrict>: includes information about any restrictions on how people can access and interact with the materials in the collection
<bioghist>: contains biographical information about the subject of the collection
<arrangement>: how materials in the collection are organized
<scopecontent>: includes information about what the materials in the collection cover, such as important people, dates, topics, etc.
<controlaccess>: collects terms and subject headings that enable authority-controlled searching of finding aids

Let's go ahead and add these elements (and any child elements they contain) to the document.

To add information about usage restrictions for the collection items, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <abstract>Items in this collection include letters, photos, and other documents related to Clarence Edmund Edmonson and Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson. </abstract>
		</did>
		<accessrestrict>
            <p>Documents are open for research. Advance notice required for access.</p>
        </accessrestrict>
    </archdesc>

To add biographical information about the creator of the collection's contents, add the highlighted code to the document:


		<accessrestrict>
            <p>Documents are open for research. Advance notice required for access.</p>
        </accessrestrict>
        <bioghist>
            <p>Clarence's parents were John E. and Florence Edmondson. Clarence was born in Elletsville, but his family moved to Bloomington. After graduating from IU he taught biology at Crawfordsville High School from 1906-1909 at which time he returned to IU. He was the first Dean of Men.</p>
        </bioghist>
    </archdesc>

To add the <arrangement> element to <archdesc>, add the highlighted code to the document:
```
        </bioghist>
		<arrangement>
		
		</arrangement>
    </archdesc>
</ead>
```
Exiting code block.

To add information about how the materials are organized to <arrangement>, add the highlighted code to the document:


        </bioghist>
		<arrangement>
			<p>Materials are currently organized by folder or album, with contents falling into the following categories:</p>
            <list>
                <item>Folders 1, 2: letters</item>
                <item>Folders 4, 5: newspaper clippings</item>
                <item>Folders 3, 6, 7: various personal documents</item>
                <item>Albums 1, 4; folders 8, 9: photographs</item>
            </list>		
		</arrangement>
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add information about the scope of the collection to <archdesc>, add the highlighted code to the document:


        </arrangement>
        <scopecontent>
            <p>Letters, photos, newspaper clippings, and personal documents belonging to Clarence Edmondson.</p> 
        </scopecontent>
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add <controlaccess> to <archdesc>, add the highlighted code to the document:


        </scopecontent>
        <controlaccess>
		
        </controlaccess>
    </archdesc>
</ead>

The elements we're about to add to <controlaccess> are all optional elements as outlined in the EAD 2002 schema — however, the ones we're working with may be required by IU Archives when marking up a finding aid.

To add the controlled access headings to <controlaccess>, add the highlighted code to the document:


        </scopecontent>
        <controlaccess>
            <persname role="subject">Edmondson, Clarence Edmund</persname>
            <corpname>Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)</corpname>
            <famname role="subject">Edmondson family</famname>
            <genreform>letters</genreform>
            <genreform>photographs</genreform>
            <geogname>Bloomington, IN</geogname>
            <occupation>Biology teacher</occupation>
	</controlaccess>
    </archdesc>
</ead>

NOTE: To learn more about how <controlaccess> is used, view the EADiva page on <controlaccess> in EAD 2002.

Next, we'll add <separatedmaterial>, which contains information relating to material that may have been separated from the collection for whatever reason, as well as <relatedmaterial>, which contains information about materials that may be related to the collection we're working with.

To add information about material that was removed from the collection to <archdesc>, add the highlighted code to the document:


        </controlaccess>
        <separatedmaterial>
            <p>Materials related to Ernie Pyle (documents, letters, etc) have been moved to the appropriate Ernie Pyle collections.</p>
        </separatedmaterial> 
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add information about materials related to the collection to the document, add the highlighted code to the document:


        </separatedmaterial> 
        <relatedmaterial>
            <p>Correspondence of Edna Hatfield Edmondson can be found at the Indiana University Archives.</p>
        </relatedmaterial>
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To save the file, on the keyboard, press:
Control key + S

Using `<descrgp>` in the IU Archives template

We have one last element to add before marking up the materials that make up the collection — <descgrp>. The <descgrp> element functions as a wrapper grouping related child elements of <archdesc> together. In the IU Archives template, <descgrp> collects the following child elements:

<accruals>: information about any expected additions to the collection
<acquinfo>: aquisition information
<userestrict>: usage restriction information
<prefercite>: the preferred method for citing materials in this collection
<custodhist>: custodial history of the collection
<processinfo>: the processing status of the collection

Let's add <descgrp> and its children to the document.

To add the <descgrp> element to <archdesc>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <p>Correspondence of Edna Hatfield Edmondson can be found at the Indiana University Archives.</p>
        </relatedmaterial>
        <descgrp>
		
        </descgrp>
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add information about any potential additions to the collection to <descgrp>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <p>Correspondence of Edna Hatfield Edmondson can be found at the Indiana University Archives.</p>
        </relatedmaterial>
        <descgrp>
	    <accruals>
                <p>No additions to collection expected at this time.</p>
            </accruals>
        </descgrp>		
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add acquisition information to <descgrp>, add the highlighted code to the document:


        <descgrp>
            <accruals>
                <p>No additions to collection expected at this time.</p>
            </accruals>
            <acqinfo>
                <p>Records donated to IU Archives by Nick Hatfield, Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson's great nephew.</p>
            </acqinfo>
        </descgrp>		
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add information about usage restrictions to <descgrp>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <acqinfo>
                <p>Records donated to IU Archives by Nick Hatfield, Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson's great nephew.</p>
            </acqinfo>
            <userestrict>
                <p>Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.</p>
            </userestrict>
        </descgrp>		
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add instructions for citing the contents of the collection to <descgrp>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <userestrict>
                <p>Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.</p>
            </userestrict>
            <prefercite>
                <p>[Item], Clarence Edmund Edmondson Papers, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.</p>
            </prefercite>
        </descgrp>		
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add the custodial history of the items in the collection to <descgrp>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <prefercite>
                <p>[Item], Clarence Edmund Edmondson Papers, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.</p>
            </prefercite>
            <custodhist>
                <p>Items were originally collected by Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson.</p>
            </custodhist>
        </descgrp>		
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To add processing information to <descgrp>, add the highlighted code to the document:


            <custodhist>
                <p>Items were originally collected by Edna Elder Hatfield Edmondson.</p>
            </custodhist>
            <processinfo>
                <p>These files have not been fully processed yet, and are currently in the order in which they were received.</p>
            </processinfo>
        </descgrp>		
    </archdesc>
</ead>

To save the file, on the keyboard, press:
Control key + S

We've finished adding the descriptive information about the collection to the document. Next, we'll focus on adding information about the individual objects in the collection.

XML and EAD: Describing an archive and its contents

Available Files

Including descriptive information about the collection in <did>

Step 1: Add the element <did> to <archdesc>.

Step 2: Add information about the repository that holds the collection to <did>.

Step 3: Add information about the origin of the collection's contents to <did>.

Step 4: Add information about the archive's title and the dates it covers to <did>.

Step 5: Add information about the size, language, and contents of the collection to <did>.

Describing more aspects of the collection

Step 1: Add information about access restrictions to the document using the <accessrestrict> element.

Step 2: Add biographical information to the document with <bioghist>.

Step 3: Add information about how the collection is organized using <arrangement>.

Step 4: Add information about the collection's scope using <scopecontent>.

Step 5: Add controlled access headings to the document with <controlaccess>.

Step 6: Add information about materials that have been separated from the collection using <separatedmaterial>.

Step 7: Add information about materials related to the ones we're working with using <relatedmaterial>.

Step 8: Save the file.

Using <descrgp> in the IU Archives template

Step 1: Add <descgrp> to the document.

Step 2: Add information about accruals and acquisition information to the document.

Step 3: Add usage restrictions and citation instructions to the document.

Step 4: Add custodial history and processing information to the document.

Step 5: Save the file.

Including descriptive information about the collection in `<did>`

Using `<descrgp>` in the IU Archives template