EAD (Encoded Archival Description ; Version 2002 Official Site)

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ead listserv

An unmoderated listserv (ead@loc.gov) is open to developers and implementers of the EAD DTD and schema. To subscribe to the forum:

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  general information 


  version 2002 - current  


  version 1.0 (1998) - superseded documentation  


  Encoded Archival Context  


  tools and helper files  

A variety of tools and helper files for a number of different XML authoring and editing applications is available at the SAA Standards Portal EAD Web site. These tools will be kept up to date with the current versions of the software with which they are intended to be used: http://www2.archivists.org/groups/technical-subcommittee-on-encoded-archival-description-ead/encoded-archival-description-ead

  SAA EAD Roundtable  

The EAD Roundtable of the Society of American Archivists is intended to promote the implementation and use of encoding standards for dissemination of archival information: http://www2.archivists.org/groups/encoded-archival-description-ead-roundtable


The EAD Document Type Definition (DTD) is a standard for encoding archival finding aids using Extensible Markup Language (XML). The standard is maintained in the Network Development and MARC Standards Office of the Library of Congress (LC) in partnership with the Society of American Archivists.