3.3 Collection-Level Information (Archival Description)
3.3 SECTIONS: Home | Basic Description (The High-Level <did>) | Controlled Vocabulary Terms | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketches and Agency Histories | Scope and Content Note | Arrangement | Description of Subordinate Components | Adjunct Descriptive Data | Other Descriptive Data
3.3.9 Other Descriptive Data
Tag:Description:<odd>
See Also:The <odd> element is a generic catchall element used primarily for descriptive information not fitting into any existing tags. It is particularly useful in the conversion of retrospective finding aids, where descriptive elements have been mixed (for instance, administrative information with scope note) and cannot be readily teased apart, and can also be used in other situations in which the burden of more specific tagging cannot be justified.
Labels/heads:Section 3.3.7.4, Expanded Description of Components Go to Section
Encoding Analog:Choose or formulate required <head> appropriate to content for <odd> at the <archdesc> level, e.g.
- Collection Concordance by Format
- Introduction
Other Attributes:500 (use at <archdesc> level)
Tagging Example 1:Use type attributes for <odd> elements at the <archdesc> level to indicate regularly occurring structures that do not fit into any other element, e.g.
- type="Format Concordance"
Format concordance coded as table
<head>Collection Concordance by Format</head>
<table>
<tgroup cols="3">
<colspec colnum="1" colname="1" colwidth="20"/>
<colspec colnum="2" colname="2" colwidth="50"/>
<colspec colnum="3" colname="3" colwidth="50"/>
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Numbers</entry>
<entry>Physical Description</entry>
<entry>Location Numbers</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<emph render="bold">Sound Recordings</emph>
</entry>
<entry> </entry>
<entry> </entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>36</entry>
<entry>12-inch acetate-on-aluminum discs</entry>
<entry>AFS 3905-3940 (original field recordings)</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>5</entry>
<entry>10-inch DT reels</entry>
<entry>LWO 4872: reels 255-259 (preservation copies)</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<emph render="bold">Graphic Images</emph>
</entry>
<entry> </entry>
<entry> </entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>1</entry>
<entry>black-and-white photoprint</entry>
<entry>AFC 1940/002:P1</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>1</entry>
<entry>copy negative</entry>
<entry>AFC 1940/002:P1-p1</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
</odd>
Format concordance coded as table
Collection Concordance by Format
Numbers Physical Description Location Numbers
Sound Recordings
36 12-inch acetate-on-aluminum discs AFS 3905-3940
(original field recordings)
5 10-inch DT reels LWO 4872: reels 255-259
(preservation copies)
Graphic Images
1 black-and-white photoprint AFC 1940/002:P1
1 copy negative AFC 1940/002:P1-p1
Tagging Example 2:
<odd> for miscellaneous information at component level
<did>
<unittitle>A short alleluia</unittitle>
</did>
<odd>
<p>Photocopy of holograph choral (SSAA) score with red pencil
annotations (2 copies); 2 p. Note: In caption: The Byrn Mawr
College Chorus </p>
</odd>
</c03>
<odd> for miscellaneous information at component level
A short alleluia
Photocopy of holograph choral (SSAA) score with red pencil
annotations (2 copies); 2 p. Note: In caption: The Byrn Mawr
College Chorus
Tagging Example 3:
<odd> for map information at component level
<did>
<unittitle encodinganalog="245$a">Eastern Asia 1:1,000,000. Canton</unittitle>
</did>
<odd type="notes" encodinganalog="500">
<p>Accompanied by graphic flight line index (incomplete).</p>
<p>Sortie 35PR 4MH 29. Height 30,000 ft.</p>
</odd>
</c03>
<odd> for map information at component level
Eastern Asia 1:1,000,000. Canton
Notes: Accompanied by graphic flight line index (incomplete).
Sortie 35PR 4MH 29. Height 30,000 ft.
Comments:
- Use <odd> for descriptive elements which fit no existing EAD tag, such as concordances by format compiled by the American Folklife Center and cartographic details described by Geography and Map Division. Set the TYPE attribute to indicate the nature of the content and indicate the appropriate ENCODINGANALOG (usually 500). See Examples 1 and 3.
- Scattered miscellaneous descriptive data within components in the container list may be encoded as <odd> when the burden of more specific tagging for this data cannot be justified. See Example 2.
- When encoding retrospective finding aids, encoders are encouraged to work with finding aid authors to separate collection-level information into the more specific tags rather than encoding mixed descriptive data as <odd>. Encoding data with more specific tags enables more uniformity in the searching and display of finding aids in the LC and other databases. Finding aid creators are encouraged to avoid the unnecessary commingling of descriptive elements.
Revision Date: 05/09/03
