EAD Tag Library for Version 1.0

EAD Elements: <archdesc> Archival Description

Description:

A wrapper element for the bulk of an EAD document instance, which describes the content, context, and extent of a body of archival materials, including administrative and supplemental information that facilitates use of the materials. As explained more fully in the Overview of the EAD Structure, information is organized in unfolding, hierarchical levels that allow for a descriptive overview of the whole to be followed by more detailed views of the parts, designated by the element Description of Subordinate Components <dsc>. Data elements available at the <archdesc> or unit level are repeated at the various component levels within <dsc>, and information is inherited from one hierarchical level to the next.

The Descriptive Identification <did> element is required to appear in <archdesc> before presenting more detailed descriptions in <bioghist>, <scopecontent>, and <dsc>, in order to provide first a basic description of the archival materials.

The <archdesc> element has several specialized attributes. The required LEVEL attribute identifies the character of the whole unit, for example, "collection," "fonds," "recordgrp," "series," "subgrp," "subseries," or "otherlevel." This attribute is comparable to ISAD(G) data element 3.1.4 and MARC field 351, subfield c.

The TYPE attribute can be used to categorize the finding aid as an inventory or register.

The LEGALSTATUS attribute can be used to point out the "public" or "private" nature of the materials. This attribute is comparable to ISAD(G) data element 3.4.1.

The LANGMATERIAL attribute can be used to identify, by an ISO 639-2 code, any language(s) of the materials being described. List the most heavily represented language first. This attribute is a coded counterpart to ISAD(G) element 3.4.4 and MARC field 546.

May contain:

add, admininfo, arrangement, bioghist, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, did, dsc, note, odd, organization, runner, scopecontent

May occur within:

ead

Attributes:

ALTRENDER	#IMPLIED, CDATA
AUDIENCE	#IMPLIED, external, internal
ENCODINGANALOG	#IMPLIED, CDATA
ID	#IMPLIED, ID
LANGMATERIAL	#IMPLIED, CDATA
LEGALSTATUS	#IMPLIED, public, private, otherlegalstatus
LEVEL	#REQUIRED, series, collection, file, fonds, item, otherlevel, recordgrp, subgrp, subseries
OTHERLEGALSTATUS	#IMPLIED, CDATA
OTHERLEVEL	#IMPLIED, CDATA
OTHERTYPE	#IMPLIED, CDATA
RELATEDENCODING	#IMPLIED, CDATA
TYPE	#IMPLIED, inventory, register, othertype

Example:

<ead audience="external" relatedencoding="MARC">
<eadheader audience="internal" findaidstatus="edited-full-draft" langencoding="ISO 639-2">
<eadid>[...]</eadid>
</eadheader>
<frontmatter>[...]</frontmatter>
<archdesc langmaterial="eng fre" level="fonds">
<did>[...]</did>
<admininfo>[...]</admininfo>
<bioghist><[...]</bioghist>
<scopecontent>[...]</scopecontent>
[other possible elements and text... ]
<dsc type="combined">
<c01 level="series">
[other possible elements and text... ]
</c01>
<c01 level="series">
[other possible elements and text... ]
</c01>
</dsc>
</archdesc>
</ead>

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Home Page	Acknowledgments	Introduction	EAD Design Principles	Overview of EAD Structure	Tag Library Conventions	EAD Attributes	EAD Elements by Tag Name	Index of EAD Element Names