3.2 Title Page and Prefatory Matter
Tag:
Description:
The <frontmatter> element is a wrapper for publication-type structures, <titlepage> and <div>. The <titlepage> element groups bibliographic details about the encoded finding aid in an order and format optimized for display. The <div> element is a generic textual element that can be used to encode a forward, acknowledgements, introduction, or other prefatory material which does not pertain to the content of the specific finding aid or collection.
LC Practice discourages use of <titlepage> in favor of generating title page displays from the EAD header. A <div> may be used for common generic information, but such data which may pertain to repository policies, access, and reproduction is usually available on the division's Web site and may be linked to from the appropriate part of the finding aid instead.
See Also:
Section 3.1, EAD Header Go to Section
Subelements:
Tagging Example 1:
Generic introduction to finding aids
<div>
<head>Introduction</head>
<p>A finding aid or register is a descriptive access tool prepared to assist
researchers in locating materials relevant to their research. It usually contains
far more detail about a collection than can be captured in a bibliographic record.
The finding aid often provides information about a collection's provenance and
the conditions under which it may be accessed or copied; biographical or
organizational histories related to the collection; a note describing the scope
and content of the collection; and progressively detailed descriptions of the
parts or components of the collection together with the corresponding call
numbers, container numbers, or other means for researchers to identify and
request the physical entities of interest to them. Detailed inquiries must be
satisfied through a researcher's examination of the collection itself.</p>
</div>
</frontmatter>
Display of Tagging Example 1:
Generic introduction
Introduction
A finding aid or register is a descriptive access tool prepared to
assist researchers in locating materials relevant to their research.
It usually contains far more detail about a collection than can be
captured in a bibliographic record. The finding aid often provides
information about a collection's provenance and the conditions under
which it may be accessed or copied; biographical or organizational
histories related to the collection; a note describing the scope and
content of the collection; and progressively detailed descriptions
of the parts or components of the collection together with the
corresponding call numbers, container numbers, or other means for
researchers to identify and request the physical entities of interest
to them. Detailed inquiries must be satisfied through a researcher's
examination of the collection itself.
Comments:
- The use of <div> as generic text, illustrated above, is not recommended for online finding aids. If such data must be included, care should be taken to distinguish generic introductory text from information that belongs in more specific elements such as <userestrict> or <prefercite>.
- Title page displays for Library of Congress online and print finding aids are generated from the <eadheader>. XSL stylesheets permit the elements to display in different order or in an abbreviated fashion. Stylesheets also allow data such as the finding aid handle identifier, the Divisional contact information handle, and the LCCN Permalink for the collection's bibliographic record to be inserted without being explicitly encoded in the finding aid.
For example:
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
Contact information:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Cite this finding aid as:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms998024
LC Online Catalog record for this collection:
http://lccn.loc.gov/mm94083006
Repeatable: no
Order: following <eadheader> and before <archdesc>
Revision Date: 10/21/10
