3.1 EAD Header
3.1 SECTIONS: EAD IdentifierFile DescriptionProfile DescriptionRevision Description
Tag:
Description:
The <eadheader> comprises a set of metadata about the finding aid that serves to identify each EAD instance. This element is based on the TEI header.
LC Practice requires the inclusion of <eadheader> and its subelements; <eadheader> and two of its subelements, <eadid> and <filedesc>, are required by the EAD DTD. Consistent formulation of this information is essential.
See Also:
Section 3.2, Title Page and Prefatory Matter Go to Section
Other Attributes:
- relatedencoding="MARC21" Required
- langencoding="iso639-2b" Required
- scriptencoding="iso15924" Required
- repositoryencoding="iso15511" Required
- countryencoding="iso3611-1" Required
- dateencoding="iso8601" Required
See Tag Library for full list of attributes and their values.
Subelements:
Listed in order required by DTD. Required elements must be included to conform with LC Practice.
- <eadid> Required by DTD See 3.1.1, EAD Identifier
- <filedesc> Required by DTD See 3.1.2, File Description
- <profiledesc> Required See 3.1.3, Profile Description
- <revisiondesc> Required if applicable See 3.1.4, Revision Description
Tagging Example 1:
<eadheader relatedencoding="MARC21" langencoding="iso639-2b" scriptencoding
="iso15924" repositoryencoding="iso15511" countryencoding="iso3166-1"
dateencoding="iso8601">
<eadid countrycode="us" mainagencycode="dlc" identifier=
"hdl:loc.mss/eadmss.ms001004" encodinganalog="856$u">
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms001004</eadid>
<filedesc>
<titlestmt>
<titleproper encodinganalog="245$a">Charles and Ray Eames Papers
</titleproper>
<subtitle>A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
</subtitle>
<author encodinganalog="245$c">Prepared by Margaret H. McAleer with
the assistance of Thelma Follette, Lisa Madison, Sharon Ann McCarthy,
and Robert A. Vietrogoski</author>
</titlestmt>
<publicationstmt>
<publisher encodinganalog="260$b">
<extptr href="lcseal" show="embed" actuate="onload" />
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
</publisher>
<address>
<addressline>Washington, D.C.</addressline>
</address>
<date encodinganalog="260$c" normal="1995">1995</date>
</publicationstmt>
<seriesstmt>
<titleproper>Registers of Papers in the Manuscript Division of the Library
of Congress</titleproper>
</seriesstmt>
</filedesc>
<profiledesc>
<creation>Text conversion and initial tagging provided by Apex Data Services
<date normal="1999-01">January 1999</date>; encoding completed by
Manuscript Division,<date normal="1999-07">July 1999</date>
</creation>
<langusage encodinganalog="546">Finding aid written in <language langcode=
"eng" encodinganalog="041">English</language> and <language langcode=
"ita" encodinganalog="041">Italian</language></langusage>
</profiledesc>
<revisiondesc>
<change encodinganalog="583">
<date normal="2000-04">2000 April</date>
<item>Linked to digital content</item>
</change>
<change encodinganalog="583">
<date normal="1999-11">1999 November</date>
<item>Revised to EAD version 1</item>
</change>
</revisiondesc>
</eadheader>
</ead>
Display of Tagging Example 1:
Charles and Ray Eames Papers
A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
Prepared by Margaret H. McAleer
with the assistance of Thelma Follette, Lisa Madison,
Sharon Ann McCarthy, and Robert A. Vietrogoski
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
[LC logo]
1995
Text conversion and initial tagging provided by Apex Data Services,
January 1999; encoding completed by Manuscript Division, July 1999
2000 April Linked to digital content
1999 November Revised to EAD version 1
Comments:
- Library of Congress finding aids currently use data from the <eadheader> to generate title page displays (while some divisions have previously encoded a separate <titlepage> element in <frontmatter> to present elements in an order not permitted by the DTD, these <titlepage> elements are not used for LC HTML displays). XSL stylesheets can reorder the display of elements and insert textual formatting that need not be included in <eadheader>, such as the finding aid URL (EADID handle). The LC logo, however, is provided through a link within the <publisher> element in <eadheader>.
- Set the RELATEDENCODING analog both at the <eadheader> and <archdesc> levels, since different encoding schemes may be used for the two major sections in future.
Repeatable: no
Order: first element within <ead>
Revision Date: 10/22/10
3.1.1 EAD Identifier
Tag:
<eadid>
Description:
The <eadid> is an element required by the DTD and provides a unique alphanumeric identifier for each EAD finding aid. The <eadid> remains constant no matter how many times the finding aid may be revised or expanded.
LC Practice requires the <eadid>, which should be formulated according to the scheme described below.
Encoding Analog:
856$u
Other Attributes:
- countrycode="us" Required
- mainagencycode="dlc" Required
- identifier=LC handle preceded by "hdl:" (do not include the LC handle server address "http://hdl.loc.gov") Required
Tagging Example 1:
<eadid countrycode="us" mainagencycode="dlc" identifier=
"hdl:loc.mss/eadmss.ms001004" encodinganalog="856$u">
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms001004</eadid>
</eadheader>
Display of Tagging Example 1:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms001004
Comments:
Assumptions:
- The <eadid> identifies the "work" (i.e., the intellectual content), whether fixed or dynamic in nature. Finding aids are by nature dynamic works; they can reflect additions to collections they describe, increased granularity of descriptions (especially with digital collections), and for encoded finding aids, increased levels of tagging.
- A new <eadid> is assigned only for a new work, not simply when the finding aid is updated.
- The <eadid> is a published identifier; it is not functionally similar to a PIN.
- Even if only part of a collection is initially processed and described, the EAD finding aid reflects the complete collection (in the header, scope and contents, etc.). The finding aid content should skeletally describe the complete collection and more completely describe the part of the collection being worked on. This should allow the finding aid to be expanded without requiring the <eadid> to change.
- If a finding aid is subdivided into physical parts, a unique <eadid> will not be assigned to each separate physical part (this whole/part information can be incorporated into "structural metadata" associated with the EADs).
EAD ID Structure:
- The Library of Congress bases its <eadid> practice on the persistent identifier naming scheme used for LC handles. The <eadid> reflects the primary handle registered by an LC division for each finding aid.
- An LC <eadid> consists of two parts: the naming authority and the finding aid item identifier.
- The naming authority identifies the LC division maintaining the finding aid (which may or may not be the LC division which created the finding aid). Because an LC <eadid> is also a persistent identifier, the naming authority is assigned at the time the <eadid> is created -- and will not change if the maintaining division changes its name. The naming authority is unique within LC.
Examples: loc.pnp or loc.mss- The finding aid item identifier is a two-part name. The first part is a stable "aggregate" name beginning with "ead." Each LC division uses the same aggregate name for all finding aids it maintains.
Examples: eadrbc or eadafc
The second part is an eight-character number assigned by the maintaining division. This number is structured as follows: the first two characters (lower case) identify the maintaining division, the next three digits identify an abbreviated date of creation for the finding aid, and the last three digits are a one-up ID number assigned to finding aids created within that year.
Example: ms001004 for the fourth finding aid created by the
Manuscript Division in 2001- The content of the <eadid> contains an LC handle resolved through LC's handle server (http://hdl.loc.gov). The actual LC handle is recorded in the <eadid> IDENTIFIER attribute.
- Set the <eadid> IDENTIFIER attribute to the LC handle
Example: "hdl:loc.afc/eadafc.af999001"
RLG Best Practice Guidelines state that <eadid> should include at least one of the following attributes: PUBLICID, IDENTIFIER, or URL. URN was added as an option in EAD 2002. LC has chosen to use IDENTIFIER as the attribute for handles. ("URI" is not a valid attribute in EAD 2002).- Set the content of the <eadid> to the URL for the LC handle resolved through LC's handle server. Examples of <eadid> content are:
- AFC: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af999001
- General Collections: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/eadgdc.gc006001
- G&M: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/eadgmd.gm001001
- MBRS/MI: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/eadmbrsmi.mi007001
- MBRS/RS: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs000001
- MSS: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms001028
- MUSIC: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu998001
- P&P: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/eadpnp.pp996001
- RBC: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/eadrbc.rb998001
- Other institutions and consortia assign <eadid> values using a variety of schemes. Many use the <eadid> PUBLICID attribute. EAD 2002 permits use of multiple types of identifiers; see Tag Library, <eadid>, for an example setting both PUBLICID and URL attributes.
Repeatable: no
Order: first element within <ead>
Revision Date: 05/01/08
3.1.2 File Description
Tag:
<filedesc>
Description:
Bibliographic information about the intellectual content of the encoded finding aid is bundled in the required element <filedesc>, in which elements such as the finding aid's title, subtitle, author, and publisher are encoded in a series of subelements.
LC Practice requires the inclusion of <filedesc>, which is a mandatory element required by the EAD DTD.
Subelements:
Listed in recommended order. Encoding analogs listed below are required.
- <titlestmt> Required by DTD
- <titleproper encodinganalog="245$a"> Required by DTD
- <subtitle>
- <author encodinganalog="245$c"> Recommended
- <editionstmt>
- <edition>
- <publicationstmt> Required
- <seriesstmt>
- <titleproper>
- <num>
- <notestmt>
- <note>
Tagging Example 1:
<titlestmt>
<titleproper encodinganalog="245$a">Charles and Ray Eames Papers
<titleproper>
<subtitle>A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress</subtitle>
<author encodinganalog="245$c">Prepared by Margaret H. McAleer with
the assistance of Thelma Follette, Lisa Madison, Sharon Ann McCarthy,
and Robert A. Vietrogoski</author>
</titlestmt>
<publicationstmt>
<publisher encodinganalog="260$b">
<extptr href="lcseal" show="embed" actuate="onload" />
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
</publisher>
<address>
<addressline>Washington, D.C.</addressline>
</address>
<date encodinganalog="260$c" normal="1995">1995</date>
</publicationstmt>
<seriesstmt>
<titleproper>Registers of Papers in the Manuscript Division of the Library of
Congress</titleproper>
</seriesstmt>
</filedesc>
Display of Tagging Example 1:
Charles and Ray Eames Papers
A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
Prepared by Margaret H. McAleer
with the assistance of Thelma Follette, Lisa Madison,
Sharon Ann McCarthy, and Robert A. Vietrogoski
[LC logo]
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
1995
Comments:
- Remember that the finding aid title may be different from the name of the collection.
- Each division should follow its own guidelines for the formulation of titles and in deciding whether series titles are to be used (for instance, the Manuscript Division has discontinued use of series titles). Finding aid titles may be formulated without subtitles, as is done by Music Division and American Folklife Center.
- Date normalization will follow ISO standard 8601. Follow this normalization standard also for <unitdate> elements normalized in the <did> and component levels.
Repeatable: no
Order: first element within <ead> following <eadid>
Revision Date: 05/01/08
3.1.3 Profile Description
Tag:
Description:
The <profiledesc> element bundles information about the creation of the encoded finding aid.
LC Practices requires the inclusion of <profiledesc>, as it establishes initial version control for the finding aid.
Subelements:
- <creation> Required
- <date> (set normal attribute) Required
- <langusage encodinganalog="546"> Required
- <language langcode="eng" encodinganalog="041"> Required
Set the SCRIPTCODE attribute for <language> using ISO 15924 only if nonroman script needs to be noted.
Tagging Example 1:
<creation>Finding aid encoded by Marsha Maguire, <date normal="2009">2009
</date></creation>
<langusage encodinganalog="546">Finding aid written in <language langcode=
"eng" encodinganalog="041">English</language> and <language langcode=
"fre" encodinganalog="041">French</language></langusage>
</profiledesc>
Display of Tagging Example 1:
Finding aid encoded by Marsha Maguire, 2009
Tagging Example 2:
<creation>Text conversion and initial tagging provided by Apex Data Services,
<date normal="1999-01">January 1999</date>; encoding completed by
Manuscript Division, <date normal="1999-07">July 1999</date>
</creation>
<langusage encodinganalog="546">Finding aid written in <language langcode=
"eng" encodinganalog="041">English</language></langusage>
</profiledesc>
Display of Tagging Example 2:
Text conversion and initial tagging provided by Apex Data Services, January 1999; encoding completed by Manuscript Division, July 1999
Comments:
- Each division should follow its own guidelines on giving names of encoders. It will be useful to record conversions performed in whole or part by outside agencies.
- Use natural language for a statement of the language or languages in which the finding aid is written; use the LANGCODE attribute with value taken from ISO 639-2 for the language code in <language>, which will normally be "eng".
- Use the ENCODINGANALOG attribute "546" for <langusage> and "041" for <language>; the latter maps most precisely to the LANGCODE attribute on <language>. Note that this differs from the current version of RLG Best Practice Guidelines for Encoded Archival Description, which sets "546" as ENCODINGANALOG for <langusage>.
Repeatable: no
Order: follows <filedesc> and precedes <revisiondesc>
Revision Date: 05/01/08
3.1.4 Revision Description
Tag:
Description:
The <revisiondesc> element contains information about substantial changes that have been made to the encoded finding aid.
LC Practice requires the inclusion of <revisiondesc> when applicable.
Subelements:
Tagging Example 1:
<change encodinganalog="583">
<date normal="1999-07">1999 July</date>
<item>Finding aid revised to incorporate additional materials, December 18,
1998, and re-encoded by John Smith.</item>
</change>
</revisiondesc>
Display of Tagging Example 1:
Latest revision: 1999-07
Tagging Example 2:
<change encodinganalog="583">
<date normal="2004-05-18">2004-05-18</date>
<item>converted from EAD 1.0 to EAD 2002</item>
</change>
<change encodinganalog="583">
<date normal="2000-04">2000 April</date>
<item>linked to digital content</item>
</change>
</revisiondesc>
Display of Tagging Example 2:
Latest revision: 2004-05-18
Comments:
- Remember that revisions to finding aids that take place before first conversion to EAD are listed in <author> in <filedesc> and <processinfo> rather than in the <eadheader>.
- There is no need to record minor changes or corrections in <revisiondesc>. File dates can be used to track such changes.
- Provide sufficient information about each major change to identify the nature of the change. Name or identify the parties responsible for changes to the electronic finding aid if different from those already recorded under <creation>. See Example 1.
- Give year and month, or year, month, and date for each change; list the date before the change. List changes in reverse chronological order. See Example 2.
- When LC converted its finding aids from version 1.0 to EAD 2002, a <change> element was automatically to an existing <revisiondesc> (see Example 2). A <revisiondesc> was created if the finding aid had not previously been revised.
Repeatable: yes
Order: follows <profiledesc>
Revision Date: 5/24/04