Version: 1.0
Created: 2006
Revised: 2010-01
The Yale University EAD Encoding Best Practice Guidelines are intended to establish common encoding practices at Yale. The best practices are expresed as a Relax NG schema.
Yale EAD instances should validate against the EAD 2002 XSD Schema. Compliance with the Yale EAD Encoding Best Practices should be checked by external validation using the Relax NG best practices schema (yale.ead2002.rng). The main schema is dependent upon a second schema with datatypes and local settings (yale.ead2002.datatypes.rng).
This documentation is recorded in TEI embedded in the Relax NG schema. This XHTML version is generated using an XSLT stylesheet (yale.rng.xhtml.xsl).
Each Yale EAD instance must begin with the following XML declaration.
XML Declaration | <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> |
Description | Identifies the document as XML and the character encoding as UTF-8. |
Status | Required |
Element Name | Encoded Archival Description |
xpath | ead |
Description | The root element of all EAD documents. Organized into two subelements, eadheader and archdesc. |
Status | Required |
Parent | None |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | eadheader, archdesc |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | frontmatter |
Required Attributes | xmlns="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9", xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink", xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance", xsi:schemaLocation="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9 http://www.library.yale.edu/facc/schemas/ead/ead.xsd", id |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, relatedencoding |
Comments | The id attribute should be the same as the filename of the EAD instance. It corresponds to the Orbis key in the 035 field of the collection-level MARC record. It is also the same as the <eadid> element. |
Element Name | EAD Header |
xpath | ead/eadheader |
Description | A wrapper element for bibliographic and descriptive information about the finding aid document rather than the archival materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | ead |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | eadid, filedesc, profiledesc |
Optional Elements | revisiondesc |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | langencoding="iso639-2b", scriptencoding="iso15924", countryencoding="iso3166-1", repositoryencoding="iso15511", dateencoding="iso8601" |
Optional Attributes | audience="external | internal", findaidstatus="edited-full-draft", id="" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, relatedencoding |
Comments | The eadheader id attribute is reserved for encoding legacy NOTIS keys. |
Element Name | EAD Identifier |
xpath | ead/eadheader/eadid |
Description | A required subelement of eadheader that designates a unique code for a particular EAD finding aid document. |
Status | Required |
Parent | eadheader |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | countrycode="us", mainagencycode="", publicid="", url="" |
Optional Attributes | identifier="" |
Unused Attributes | encodinganalog, urn |
Comments | Examples of element data: beinecke.carson, mssa.ms.1840, mssa.ru.0151, divinity.172, music.smithEach repository has a unique repository code: US-CtY [MSSA], US-CtY-BR [Beinecke], US-CtY-D [Divinity], US-CtY-Mus [Music], US-CtY-A [Art], US-CtY-M [Medical Library],US- CtY-BA [British Art Center]Form Public Identifiers according to the following model:: "-//Yale University::Repository//TEXT (US::Repository Code::::[Finding Aid Title])//EN" Identifier attribute is reserved for Fedora identifier. URL attribute is reserved for the Yale Persistent Link (handle) for the finding aid. |
Example | <eadid countrycode="us" mainagencycode="US-CtY-BR" publicid="-//Yale University::Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library//TEXT (US::CtYBR::::[Henry de Bourbel Papers])//EN" identifier=""> beinecke.bourbel</eadid> |
Element Name | File Description |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc |
Description | A required subelement of the eadheader that bundles much of the bibliographic information about the finding aid. |
Status | Required |
Parent | eadheader |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | titlestmt, publicationstmt, notestmt |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | editionstmt, seriesstmt |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Title Statement |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/titlestmt |
Description | A required wrapper element within the filedesc portion of eadheader that groups information about the name of an encoded finding aid and those responsible for its intellectual content. |
Status | Required |
Parent | filedesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | titleproper[@type='formal'], titleproper[@type='filing'] |
Optional Elements | author, subtitle, sponsor |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Title Proper (Formal) |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/titlestmt/titleproper[@type="formal"] |
Description | The formal title of the finding aid, not the title of the group of materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | titlestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | date, emph, lb, num |
Unused Elements | abbr, expan, extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | type="formal" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, render |
Element Name | Title Proper (Filing) |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/titlestmt/titleproper[@type='filing'] |
Description | A version of the title of the finding aid revised to allow for alphabetization. |
Status | Required |
Parent | titlestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | abbr, date, emph, expan, extptr, lb, num, ptr |
Required Attributes | type="filing", audience="internal" |
Optional Attributes | render="altrender", altrender="nodisplay" |
Unused Attributes | encodinganalog, id |
Comments | For personal papers, list last name first, followed by first and middle names in parentheses. For organization records, list names in direct order. |
Comments | For personal papers, list last name first, followed by first and middle names in parentheses. For organization records, list names in direct order. |
Example | For personal papers: Carson (Rachel) Papers; Ladd (George Trumbull) Papers.For family papers: Bangs Family Papers; Sanford Family Papers.For corporate records: Book and Bond, Yale University, Records; British East India Company Records; Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education, Archives. |
Element Name | Subtitle |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/titlestmt/subtitle |
Description | A secondary or subsidiary name of an encoded finding aid that is subordinate to the main name encoded in titleproper. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | titlestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | date, emph, lb, num |
Unused Elements | abbr, expan, extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Author |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/titlestmt/author |
Description | Name(s) of institution(s) or individual(s) responsible for compiling the intellectual content of the finding aid. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | titlestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Sponsor |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/titlestmt/sponsor |
Description | Name(s) of institution(s) or individual(s) who endorsed, financed, or arranged the acquisition, appraisal, and processing of the described materials or the preparation and distribution of the finding aid. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | titlestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Publication Statement |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/publicationstmt |
Description | A wrapper element within the filedesc portion of eadheader for information concerning the publication or distribution of the encoded finding aid, including the publisher's name and address, the date of publication, and other relevant details. |
Status | Required |
Parent | filedesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | publisher, address, date |
Optional Elements | p |
Unused Elements | num |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Publisher |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/publicationstmt/publisher |
Description | Name of the party responsible for issuing or distributing the encoded finding aid. |
Status | Required |
Parent | publicationstmt |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Comments | Repeat publisher as needed for listing library subunits. |
Element Name | Note Statement |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/notestmt |
Description | A subelement within the filedesc portion of the eadheader that groups note elements, each of which contains a single piece of descriptive information about the finding aid. |
Status | Required |
Parent | filedesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | note |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Best Practices Note |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/notestmt/note[@type="bpg"] |
Description | A note to record which version of the Yale EAD Best Practice Guidelines the EAD instance complies with. |
Status | Required |
Parent | notestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | type="bpg" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | actuate, altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, show |
Element Name | Frontmatter Note |
xpath | ead/eadheader/filedesc/notestmt/note[@type="frontmatter"] |
Description | A generic element that provides a short statement about the finding aid. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | notestmt |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | type="frontmatter" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | actuate, altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, show |
Element Name | Profile Description |
xpath | ead/eadheader/profiledesc |
Description | A subelement of the eadheader that bundles information about the creation of the encoded version of the finding aid, including the name of the agent, place, and date of encoding. The profiledesc element also designates the predominant and minor languages used in the finding aid. |
Status | Required |
Parent | eadheader |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | creation, langusage, descrules |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Creation |
xpath | ead/eadheader/profiledesc/creation |
Description | A subelement of the profiledesc portion of eadheader used for information about the encoding of the finding aid, including the person(s) or agency(ies) responsible for the encoding, the date, and the circumstances under which the encoding was done. |
Status | Required |
Parent | profiledesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | date |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Language Usage |
xpath | ead/eadheader/profiledesc/langusage |
Description | A subelement within the profiledesc portion of the eadheader that provides a statement about languages, sublanguages, and dialects represented in an encoded finding aid. |
Status | Required |
Parent | profiledesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | language |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, emph, expan, extptr, extref, lb, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Descriptive Rules |
xpath | ead/eadheader/profiledesc/descrules |
Description | A subelement of Profile Description profiledesc for the enumeration of the rules, standards, conventions, and protocols used in preparing the description. |
Status | Required |
Parent | profiledesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, extref, lb, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, linkgrp, ptr, ref |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Revision Description |
xpath | ead/eadheader/revisiondesc |
Description | An optional subelement of the eadheader for information about changes or alterations that have been made to the encoded finding aid. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | eadheader |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | change |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | list |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Change |
xpath | ead/eadheader/revisiondesc/change |
Description | A subelement in the revisiondesc portion of eadheader used for a brief description of an update made to an EAD document. |
Status | Required |
Parent | revisiondesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | date, item |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Change Item |
xpath | ead/eadheader/revisiondesc/change/item |
Description | Designates information about a revision to the finding aid. |
Status | Required |
Parent | change |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, corpname, date, expan, extptr, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, linkgrp, list, name, note, num, occupation, origination, persname, ptr, ref, repository, subject, table, title, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | EAD Header Paragraph |
xpath | ead/eadheader//p |
Description | One or more sentences that form a logical prose passage. A paragraph may be a subdivision of a larger composition, or it may exist alone. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | blockquote, corpname, famname, function, genreform, geogname, date, emph, extptr, extref, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, ref, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, chronlist, expan, linkgrp, list, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | EAD Header Date |
xpath | ead/eadheader//date |
Description | A generic element that contains a month, day, or year in any format. Use date to identify any dates that merit encoding, except for the creation and other relevant dates of the described materials, which are instead tagged with the unitdate element. |
Parent | titleproper[@type='formal'], subtitle, publicationstmt, creation, change, p, item, label, chronitem, event, title, ref, extref |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | normal, calendar="gregorian", era="ce", type="original | ead | copyright | revised | XMetaLAuthor | Edix/Wordix | Excel | NoteTabPro | openOffice | OfficeOfOrigin:Word| vendor:ES | vendor:ArchProteus" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, certainty, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Archival Description |
xpath | ead/archdesc |
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. |
Status | Required |
Parent | ead |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | did, descgrp, scopecontent, dsc |
Optional Elements | bioghist, arrangement, controlaccess, index, odd |
Unused Elements | accessrestrict, accruals, acqinfo, altformavail, appraisal, bibliography, bioghist, controlaccess, custodhist, dao, daogrp, fileplan, note, odd, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, prefercite, processinfo, relatedmaterial, runner, scopecontent, separatedmaterial, userestrict |
Required Attributes | level="collection", type="register", relatedencoding="MARC21" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, otherlevel |
Element Name | Descriptive Identification |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did |
Description | A required wrapper element that bundles other elements identifying core information about the described materials at the collection level. |
Status | Required |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | unittitle, unitdate, unitid, physdesc, abstract, repository |
Optional Elements | head, origination, physloc, langmaterial, materialspec, note |
Unused Elements | container, dao, daogrp |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Overview". |
Element Name | Origination |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/origination |
Description | Information about the individual or organization responsible for the creation, accumulation, or assembly of the described materials before their incorporation into an archival repository. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | One of the following: persname, corpname, or famname |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, emph, expan, extptr, extref, lb, linkgrp, name, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | label="Creator:" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Title of the Unit |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/unittitle |
Description | The name, either formal or supplied, of the collection of materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, bibseries, corpname, date, edition, expan, extptr, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, imprint, linkgrp, name, num, occupation, persname, ptr, ref, subject, unitdate |
Required Attributes | label="Title:" |
Optional Attributes | type |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Date of the Unit |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/unitdate |
Description | The creation year, month, or day of the described materials. Can be expressed as inclusive or bulk dates. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | label="Dates: | Bulk Dates:", type="inclusive | bulk", normal, datechar="creation", calendar="gregorian", era="ce" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, certainty, id |
Element Name | ID of the Unit |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/unitid |
Description | Any alpha-numeric text string that serves as a unique reference point or control number for the described material, such as a lot number, an accession number, a classification number, or an entry number in a bibliography or catalog. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | label="Call Number:", countrycode="US", repositorycode |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, identifier, type |
Element Name | Physical Description |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/physdesc |
Description | A wrapper element for bundling information about the extent, size, appearance or construction of the described materials. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | dimensions, emph, extent, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, corpname, date, expan, extptr, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, linkgrp, name, occupation, persname, physfacet, ptr, ref, subject, title |
Required Attributes | label="Physical Description:" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, rules, source |
Element Name | Language of the Materials |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/langmaterial |
Description | A prose statement enumerating the language(s) of the archival materials found in the unit being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | language |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | label="Language(s):" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Abstract |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/abstract |
Description | A very brief summary of the materials being described, used primarily to encode bits of biographical or historical information about the creator and abridged statements about the scope, content, arrangement, or other descriptive details about the archival unit or one of its components. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref |
Required Attributes | label="Summary:" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, langcode, type |
Element Name | Repository |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/repository |
Description | The institution or agency responsible for providing intellectual access to the materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | corpname, address |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, emph, expan, extptr, extref, lb, linkgrp, name, ptr, ref, subarea, title |
Required Attributes | label="Repository:" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Physical Location |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/physloc |
Description | Information identifying the place where the described materials are stored, such as the name or number of the building, room, stack, shelf, or other tangible area. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, extref, lb, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, linkgrp, ptr, ref |
Required Attributes | label="Physical Location:" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, parent, type |
Element Name | Material Specific Details |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/materialspec |
Description | Data which are unique to a particular class or form of material and which are not assigned to any other element of description. Examples of material specific details include mathematical data, such as scale for cartographic and architectural records, jurisdictional and denominational data for philatelic records, and physical presentation data for music records. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, extref, lb, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, linkgrp, materialspec, ptr, ref |
Required Attributes | label="Material Specification" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Note |
xpath | ead/archdesc/did/note |
Description | A generic element that provides a short statement that is comparable to MARC field 500. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | label="Note:" |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="500" |
Unused Attributes | actuate, altrender, audience, id, show, type |
Element Name | Administrative Information Description Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Description | A wrapper element used to group together elements relating to administrative information. |
Status | Required |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | descgrp[@type='provenance'], userestrict, prefercite, accessrestrict, processinfo, relatedmaterial, altformavail, accruals, appraisal, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, separatedmaterial, fileplan, bibliography |
Unused Elements | acqinfo, address, arrangement, bioghist, blockquote, chronlist, controlaccess, custodhist, index, list, note, odd, p, scopecontent, table |
Required Attributes | type="admininfo" |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Administrative Information". |
Element Name | Provenance Description Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/descgrp[@type='provenance'] |
Description | A wrapper element used to group together elements relating to provenance. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head, acqinfo |
Optional Elements | custodhist |
Unused Elements | accessrestrict, accruals, address, altformavail, appraisal, arrangement, bibliography, bioghist, blockquote, chronlist, controlaccess, descgrp, fileplan, index, list, note, odd, originalsloc, otherfindaid, p, phystech, prefercite, processinfo, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, separatedmaterial, table, userestrict |
Required Attributes | type='provenance' |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Provenance". |
Element Name | Acquisition Information |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/descgrp[@type='provenance']/acqinfo |
Description | Indicates the immediate source of the materials being described and the circumstances under which they were received. Includes donations, transfers, purchases, and deposits. |
Status | Required |
Parent | descgrp[@type='provenance'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | blockquote, head, table, list, chronlist |
Unused Elements | acqinfo, address, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Element Name | Custodial History |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/descgrp[@type='provenance']/custodhist |
Description | Information about the chain of ownership of the materials being described, before they reached the immediate source of acquisition. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='provenance'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | blockquote, head, table, list |
Unused Elements | acqinfo, address, chronlist, custodhist, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Element Name | Conditions Governing Use |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/userestrict |
Description | Information about conditions that affect use of the described materials after access has been granted. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, note, userestrict |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Ownership & Copyright". |
Element Name | Preferred Citation |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/prefercite |
Description | Information about how users should identify the described materials when referring to them in published credits. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, note, prefercite |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Cite As". |
Element Name | Conditions Governing Access |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/accessrestrict |
Description | Information about conditions that affect the availability of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, note, accessrestrict, legalstatus |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Information about Access". |
Element Name | Processing Information |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/processinfo |
Description | Information about accessioning, arranging, describing, preserving, storing, or otherwise preparing the described materials for research use. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, note, processinfo |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, type |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Processing Notes". |
Element Name | Related Material |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/relatedmaterial |
Description | Information about materials that are not physically or logically included in the material described in the finding aid but that may be of use to a reader because of an association to the described materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibref, chronlist, extref, linkgrp, note, ref, relatedmaterial, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, type |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Associated Materials". |
Element Name | Alternative Form Available |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/altformavail |
Description | Information about copies of the materials being described, including the type of alternative form, significant control numbers, location, and source for ordering if applicable. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, altformavail, chronlist, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, type |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Alternative Formats". |
Element Name | Accruals |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/accruals |
Description | Information about anticipated additions to the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | accruals, address, chronlist, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Accruals". |
Element Name | Appraisal |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/appraisal |
Description | Information about the process of determining the archival value and thus the disposition of records based upon their current administrative, legal, and fiscal use; their evidential, intrinsic, and informational value; their arrangement and condition; and their relationship to other records |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | appraisal, address, chronlist, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Appraisal". |
Element Name | Location of Originals |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/originalsloc |
Description | Information about the existence, location, availability, and/or the destruction of originals where the unit described consists of copies. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, note, originalsloc |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, type |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Location of Originals". |
Element Name | Other Finding Aid |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/otherfindaid |
Description | Information about additional or alternative guides to the described material, such as card files, dealers' inventories, or lists generated by the creator or compiler of the materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibref, chronlist, extref, linkgrp, note, otherfindaid, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Other Finding Aids". |
Element Name | Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/phystech |
Description | A description of important physical conditions or characteristics that affect the storage, preservation, or use of the materials described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, note, phystech |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, type |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Physical Characteristics / Technical Requirements". |
Element Name | Separated Material |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/separatedmaterial |
Description | Information about materials that are associated by provenance to the described materials but that have been physically separated or removed. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibref, chronlist, extref, linkgrp, note, ref, separatedmaterial, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, type |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Separated Materials". |
Element Name | File Plan |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/fileplan |
Description | Information about any classification scheme used for arranging, storing, and retrieving the described materials by the parties originally responsible for creating or compiling them. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, blockquote, table, list |
Unused Elements | address, bibref, chronlist, fileplan, note, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "File Plan". |
Element Name | Bibliography |
xpath | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/bibliography |
Description | Citations to works that are based on, about, or of special value when using the materials being described, or works in which a citation to or brief description of the materials is available. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | descgrp[@type='admininfo'] |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, bibref, blockquote, list, table |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibliography, chronlist, extref, linkgrp, note, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Bibliography". |
Element Name | Biography or History |
xpath | ead/archdesc/bioghist |
Description | A concise essay or chronology that places the archival materials in context by providing information about their creator(s). |
Status | Optional |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | bioghist, blockquote, chronlist, list, p, table |
Unused Elements | address, dao, daogrp, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | altrender, encodinganalog="545", id |
Unused Attributes | audience |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be either "Biographical Sketch," "Historical Sketch," or the name of the subject. |
Element Name | Scope and Content |
xpath | ead/archdesc/scopecontent |
Description | A prose statement summarizing the range and topical coverage of the described materials, often mentioning the form and arrangement of the materials and naming significant organizations, individuals, events, places, and subjects represented. |
Status | Required |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | blockquote, chronlist, list, p, table |
Unused Elements | address, arrangement, dao, daogrp, note, scopecontent |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Description of the Papers," "Description of the Records," or "Description of the Collection". |
Element Name | Arrangement |
xpath | ead/archdesc/arrangement |
Description | Information on how the described materials have been subdivided into smaller units, e.g., record groups into series, identifying the logical or physical groupings within a hierarchical structure. Can also be used to express the filing sequence of the described materials, such as the principle characteristics of the internal structure, or the physical or logical ordering of materials, including alphabetical, chronological, geographical, office of origin, and other schemes. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | blockquote, list, p, table |
Unused Elements | address, arrangement, chronlist, note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Arrangement". |
Element Name | Controlled Access Headings |
xpath | ead/archdesc/controlaccess |
Description | A wrapper element that designates key access points for the described materials and enables authority-controlled searching across finding aids on a computer network. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | p, corpname, famname, function, genreform, geogname, name, occupation, persname, subject, title, controlaccess |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Access Terms". |
Element Name | Other Descriptive Data |
xpath | ead/archdesc/odd |
Description | An element for information about the described materials that is not easily incorporated into one of the other named elements within archdesc and dsc. Usually used for appendices. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | head |
Optional Elements | blockquote, chronlist, list, p, table |
Unused Elements | address, dao, daogrp, note, odd |
Required Attributes | type="add | appendix | index | microfilm" |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should start with "Appendix". |
Element Name | Index |
xpath | ead/archdesc/index |
Description | A list of key terms and reference pointers that have been assembled to enhance access to the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | head, indexentry |
Optional Elements | p, listhead |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, index, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should start with "Index". |
Element Name | Index Entry |
xpath | ead/archdesc/index/indexentry |
Description | A formatting element that pairs an index term with one or more linking elements. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | index |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | namegrp, ptrgrp |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | corpname, famname, function, genreform, geogname, indexentry, name, occupation, persname, ptr, subject, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience |
Element Name | Name Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc/index/indexentry/namegrp |
Description | A formatting element used in an indexentry to group access element entries that share the same ptrgrp element. |
Status | Required |
Parent | indexentry |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, famname, function, genreform, geogname, name, occupation, persname, subject, title |
Unused Elements | note |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Pointer Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc/index/indexentry/ptrgrp |
Description | A wrapper element for one or more Pointer ptr or Reference ref elements used in an indexentry. |
Status | Required |
Parent | indexentry |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | ptr, ref |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Description of Subordinate Components |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc |
Description | A wrapper element that bundles information about the hierarchical groupings of the materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | archdesc |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head, c01 |
Optional Elements | p, thead |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, c, chronlist, dsc, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | type="combined" |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, othertype, tpattern |
Comments | The heading for this element - encoded in <head> - should be "Collection Contents". |
Element Name | Component (First Level) |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01 |
Description | A wrapper element that designates the top or first-level subordinate part of the materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | dsc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | did |
Optional Elements | accessrestrict, acqinfo, altformavail, arrangement, bioghist, c02, custodhist, note, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, userestrict |
Unused Elements | accruals, appraisal, bibliography, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, descgrp, dsc, fileplan, head, index, odd, prefercite, processinfo, separatedmaterial, thead |
Required Attributes | level="subgrp | series | subseries | file | item | otherlevel", id |
Optional Attributes | otherlevel |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, tpattern |
Element Name | Component (Second Level) |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02 |
Description | A wrapper element that designates a second-level subordinate part of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01 |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | did |
Optional Elements | accessrestrict, acqinfo, altformavail, arrangement, bioghist, c03, custodhist, note, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, userestrict |
Unused Elements | accruals, appraisal, bibliography, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, descgrp, dsc, fileplan, head, index, odd, prefercite, processinfo, separatedmaterial, thead |
Required Attributes | id |
Optional Attributes | level="series | subseries | file | item | otherlevel", otherlevel |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, tpattern |
Element Name | Component (Third Level) |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02/c03 |
Description | A wrapper element that designates a third-level subordinate part of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c02 |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | did |
Optional Elements | accessrestrict, acqinfo, altformavail, arrangement, bioghist, c04, custodhist, note, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, userestrict |
Unused Elements | accruals, appraisal, bibliography, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, descgrp, dsc, fileplan, head, index, odd, prefercite, processinfo, separatedmaterial, thead |
Required Attributes | id |
Optional Attributes | level=" subseries | file | item | otherlevel", otherlevel |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, tpattern |
Element Name | Component (Fourth Level) |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02/c03/c04 |
Description | A wrapper element that designates a fourth-level subordinate part of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c03 |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | did |
Optional Elements | accessrestrict, acqinfo, altformavail, arrangement, bioghist, c05, custodhist, note, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, userestrict |
Unused Elements | accruals, appraisal, bibliography, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, descgrp, dsc, fileplan, head, index, odd, prefercite, processinfo, separatedmaterial, thead |
Required Attributes | id |
Optional Attributes | level=" subseries | file | item | otherlevel", otherlevel |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, tpattern |
Element Name | Component (Fifth Level) |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02/c03/c04/c05 |
Description | A wrapper element that designates a fifth-level subordinate part of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c04 |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | did |
Optional Elements | accessrestrict, acqinfo, altformavail, arrangement, bioghist, c06, custodhist, note, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, userestrict |
Unused Elements | accruals, appraisal, bibliography, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, descgrp, dsc, fileplan, head, index, odd, prefercite, processinfo, separatedmaterial, thead |
Required Attributes | id |
Optional Attributes | level="subseries | file | item | otherlevel", otherlevel |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, tpattern |
Element Name | Component (Sixth Level) |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02/c03/c04/c05/c06 |
Description | A wrapper element that designates a sixth-level subordinate part of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c05 |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | did |
Optional Elements | accessrestrict, acqinfo, altformavail, arrangement, bioghist, custodhist, note, originalsloc, otherfindaid, phystech, relatedmaterial, scopecontent, userestrict |
Unused Elements | accruals, appraisal, bibliography, c07, controlaccess, dao, daogrp, descgrp, dsc, fileplan, head, index, odd, prefercite, processinfo, separatedmaterial, thead |
Required Attributes | id |
Optional Attributes | level="file | item | otherlevel", otherlevel |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, tpattern |
Element Name | Component Descriptive Identification |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did |
Description | A required wrapper element that bundles other elements identifying core information about the described materials. |
Status | Required |
Parent | c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | unittitle |
Optional Elements | container, dao, daogrp, langmaterial, materialspec, origination, physdesc, physloc, unitdate, unitid |
Unused Elements | abstract, head, note, repository |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Unit ID |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/unitid |
Description | Any alpha-numeric text string that serves as a unique reference point or control number for the described material, such as a lot number, an accession number, a classification number, or an entry number in a bibliography or catalog. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | type, countrycode="US", repositorycode |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, identifier, label |
Element Name | Component Unit Title |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/unittitle |
Description | The name, either formal or supplied, of the described materials. |
Status | Required |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, emph, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, ref, subject, title, unitdate |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, bibseries, date, edition, expan, extptr, imprint, linkgrp, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | type |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label |
Element Name | Component Unit Date |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/unitdate |
Description | The creation year, month, or day of the described materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | type="inclusive | bulk", normal, calendar="gregorian", era="ce" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, certainty, datechar, encodinganalog, id, label |
Element Name | Component Origination |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/origination |
Description | Information about the individual or organization responsible for the creation, accumulation, or assembly of the described materials before their incorporation into an archival repository. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, emph, famname, lb, name, persname, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label |
Element Name | Component Physical Description |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/physdesc |
Description | A wrapper element for bundling information about the appearance or construction of the described materials, such as their dimensions, a count of their quantity or statement about the space they occupy, and terms describing their genre, form, or function, as well as any other aspects of their appearance, such as color, substance, style, and technique or method of creation. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | dimensions, emph, extent, lb, physfacet |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, corpname, date, expan, extptr, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, linkgrp, name, occupation, persname, ptr, ref, subject, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, rules, source |
Element Name | Component Language of the Materials |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/langmaterial |
Description | A prose statement enumerating the language(s) of the archival materials found in the unit being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | language |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, language, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label |
Element Name | Material Specific Details |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/materialspec |
Description | Data which are unique to a particular class or form of material and which are not assigned to any other element of description. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, extref, lb, num, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, linkgrp, materialspec, ptr, ref |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | type |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label |
Element Name | Component Physical Location |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/physloc |
Description | Information identifying the place where the described materials are stored, such as the name or number of the building, room, stack, shelf, or other tangible area. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, extref, lb, title, ptr, ref |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, linkgrp |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, parent, type |
Element Name | Container |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//did/container |
Description | A did subelement for information that contributes to locating the described materials by indicating the kinds of devices that hold the materials and identifying any sequential numbers assigned to those devices. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | type="Box | Folder | Reel" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, parent |
Element Name | Digital Archival Object |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/dao |
Description | A linking element that uses the attribute HREF to connect the finding aid information to electronic representations of the described materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | daodesc |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="simple", xlink:actuate="onRequest|none", xlink:show="new", xlink:role, xlink:href |
Optional Attributes | xlink:title |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, entitiyref, id, xlink:arcrole, xpointer |
Comments | An emplty <dao> element will be used as the target of a link. The link will consist of the text of the <unitid> and or <unittitle> elements as displayed in the finding aid.If xlink:actuate="none", no link will be rendered. |
Element Name | Digital Archival Object Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp |
Description | A wrapper element that contains one or more related Digital Archival Object Locations daoloc that should be thought of as a group and may share a single common Digital Archival Object Description daodesc. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | did |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | resource, daoloc, arc |
Optional Elements | daodesc |
Unused Elements | extptrloc, extrefloc, ptrloc, refloc |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="extended" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id, xlink:role, xlink:title |
Comments | Two extended link patterns are supported by these best practices. The first pattern is a text link to an external digital archival object. The second pattern is a thumbnail link to an external digital archival object. |
Element Name | Digital Archival Object Description |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/daodesc |
Description | Information about the contents, usage, or source of a Digital Archival Object dao or Digital Archival Object Group daogrp. When the unittitle or other descriptive information in a c0# element is sufficient to identify one or more digital objects, the daodesc caption is not necessary. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Digitial Archival Object Group: Text to DAO Pattern |
Comments | The following is an example of the pattern of daogrp elements that should be used for a text link to a digital archival object, where the text of the resource element is the link anchor and the href attribute of the daoloc element is the target fo the link.If arc[@xlink:actuate='none'], the text will be rendered but the link will not be actionable. |
Example | <daogrp xlink:type="extended"> <resource xlink:type="resource" xlink:label="start">Digital version of the letter</resource> <daoloc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="reference" xlink:role="image/jpeg" href=""/> <arc xlink:type="arc" xlink:from="start" xlink:to="reference" xlink:actuate="onRequest" xlink:show="new"/> </daogrp> |
Element Name | Resource: Text to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/resource |
Description | A linking element that specifies the local resource that participates in an extended link. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="resource", xlink:label="start" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id, xlink:role, xlink:title |
Element Name | Digital Archival Object Location: Text to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/daoloc |
Description | The location of a Digital Archival Object that is a resource in an extended link. Within a daogrp, a daoloc element is used instead of a dao element to indicate that an extended, possibly multidirectional link is being tagged. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="locator", xlink:label="reference", xlink:role, xlink:href |
Optional Attributes | xlink:title |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, entityref, id, xpointer |
Comments | If used, the attribute xlink:role should encode the MIME type of the linked resource. |
Element Name | Arc: Text to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/arc |
Description | Specifies the rules for traversal among the participating resources in an extended link. Arc uses the attributes to and from to define the traversal between named pairs of resources. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="arc", xlink:from="start", xlink:to="reference", xlink:actuate="onRequest|none", xlink:show="new", |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, id, xlink:title |
Element Name | Digitial Archival Object Group: Thumb to DAO Pattern |
Comments | The following is an example of the pattern of daogrp elements that should be used for a thumbnail link to a digital archival object, where the image linked from the daoloc element with the label attribute value thumb is the link anchor and the href attribute of the daoloc element with the label attribute value reference is the target fo the link.If arc[@xlink:to='reference'][@xlink:actuate='none'], the thumbnail will be embedded in the finding aid but it will not be an actionable link.. |
Example | <daogrp xlink:type="extended"> <resource xlink:type="resource" xlink:label="start" /> <daoloc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="thumb" xlink:role="image/jpeg" xlink:href=""/> <daoloc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="reference" xlink:role="image/jpeg" xlink:href=""/> <arc xlink:type="arc" xlink:from="start" xlink:to="thumb" xlink:actuate="onLoad" xlink:show="embed"/> <arc xlink:type="arc" xlink:from="thumb" xlink:to="reference" xlink:actuate="onRequest" xlink:show="new"/> </daogrp> |
Element Name | Resource: Thumbnail to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/resource |
Description | A linking element that specifies the local resource that participates in an extended link. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | emph, lb |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="resource", xlink:label="start" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id, xlink:role, xlink:title |
Element Name | First Digital Archival Object Location: Thumbnail to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/daoloc |
Description | The location of a Digital Archival Object that is a resource in an extended link. Within a daogrp, a daoloc element is used instead of a dao element to indicate that an extended, possibly multidirectional link is being tagged. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="locator", xlink:label="thumb", xlink:role, xlink:href |
Optional Attributes | xlink:title |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, entityref, id, xpointer |
Element Name | Second Digital Archival Object Location: Thumbnail to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/daoloc |
Description | The location of a Digital Archival Object that is a resource in an extended link. Within a daogrp, a daoloc element is used instead of a dao element to indicate that an extended, possibly multidirectional link is being tagged. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="locator", xlink:label="reference", xlink:role, xlink:href |
Optional Attributes | xlink:title |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, entityref, id, xpointer |
Element Name | First Arc: Thumbnail to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/arc |
Description | Specifies the rules for traversal among the participating resources in an extended link. Arc uses the attributes to and from to define the traversal between named pairs of resources. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="arc", xlink:from="start", xlink:to="thumb", xlink:actuate="onLoad", xlink:show="embed", |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, id, xlink:title |
Element Name | Second Arc: Thumbnail to DAO |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/c02//did/daogrp/arc |
Description | Specifies the rules for traversal among the participating resources in an extended link. Arc uses the attributes to and from to define the traversal between named pairs of resources. |
Status | Required |
Parent | daogrp |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:type="arc", xlink:from="thumb", xlink:to="reference", xlink:actuate="onRequest|none", xlink:show="new", |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, id, xlink:title |
Element Name | Component Level Conditions Governing Access |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//accessrestrict |
Description | Information about conditions that affect the availability of the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | accessrestrict, address, blockquote, chronlist, head, legalstatus, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level Acquisition Information |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//acqinfo |
Description | The immediate source of the materials being described and the circumstances under which they were received. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | acqinfo, address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Alternative Form Available |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//altformavail |
Description | Information about copies of the materials being described, including the type of alternative form, significant control numbers, location, and source for ordering if applicable. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, altformavail, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level Arrangement |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//arrangement |
Description | Information on how the described materials have been subdivided into smaller units or the filing sequence of the described materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, arrangement, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Biography or History |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//bioghist |
Description | A concise essay or chronology that places the archival materials in context by providing information about their creator(s). |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, bioghist, blockquote, chronlist, dao, daogrp, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Custodial History |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//custodhist |
Description | Information about the chain of ownership of the materials being described, before they reached the immediate source of acquisition. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | acqinfo, address, blockquote, chronlist, custodhist, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Note |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//note |
Description | A generic element that provides a short statement explaining the text, indicating the basis for an assertion, or citing the source of a quotation or other information. Used both for general comments and as an annotation for the text in a finding aid. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | type |
Unused Attributes | actuate, altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, show |
Element Name | Component Level Location of Originals |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//originalsloc |
Description | Information about the existence, location, availability, and/or the destruction of originals where the unit described consists of copies. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, originalsloc, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level Other Finding Aid |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//otherfindaid |
Description | Information about additional or alternative guides to the described material, such as card files, dealers' inventories, or lists generated by the creator or compiler of the materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, otherfindaid, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//phystech |
Description | A description of important physical conditions or characteristics that affect the storage, preservation, or use of the materials described. This includes details of their physical composition or the need for particular hardware or software to preserve or access the materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, phystech, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level Related Material |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//relatedmaterial |
Description | Information about materials that are not physically or logically included in the material described in the finding aid but that may be of use to a reader because of an association to the described materials. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, extref, head, linkgrp, note, ref, relatedmaterial, table, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level Scope and Content |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//scopecontent |
Description | A prose statement summarizing the range and topical coverage of the described materials, often mentioning the form and arrangement of the materials and naming significant organizations, individuals, events, places, and subjects represented. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, arrangement, blockquote, chronlist, dao, daogrp, head, note, scopecontent, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Conditions Governing Use |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//userestrict |
Description | Information about conditions that affect use of the described materials after access has been granted. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, table, userestrict |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level File Plan |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//fileplan |
Description | Information about any classification scheme used for arranging, storing, and retrieving the described materials by the parties originally responsible for creating or compiling them. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, fileplan, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Bibliography |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//bibliography |
Description | Citations to works that are based on, about, or of special value when using the materials being described, or works in which a citation to or brief description of the materials is available. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | p, list, bibref |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibliography, blockquote, chronlist, extref, head, linkgrp, note, ref, table, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Processing Information |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//processinfo |
Description | Information about accessioning, arranging, describing, preserving, storing, or otherwise preparing the described materials for research use. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, processinfo, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Element Name | Component Level Accruals |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//accruals |
Description | Information about anticipated additions to the materials being described. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | accruals, address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Appraisal |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//appraisal |
Description | Information about the process of determining the archival value and thus the disposition of records based upon their current administrative, legal, and fiscal use; their evidential, intrinsic, and informational value; their arrangement and condition; and their relationship to other records. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, appraisal, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Preferred Citation |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//prefercite |
Description | Information about how users should identify the described materials when referring to them in published credits. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, blockquote, chronlist, head, note, prefercite, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Component Level Separated Material |
xpath | ead/archdesc/dsc//separatedmaterial |
Description | Information about materials that are associated by provenance to the described materials but that have been physically separated or removed. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | c01, c02, c03, c04, c05, c06 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | p, list |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, extref, head, linkgrp, note, ref, separatedmaterial, table, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, type |
Block data elements can be used in many EAD data elements as listed above.
Element Name | Heading |
xpath | ead/archdesc//head |
Description | A generic element that designates the title or caption for a section of text, including a list. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | althead |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Paragraph |
xpath | ead/archdesc//p |
Description | One or more sentences that form a logical prose passage. A paragraph may be a subdivision of a larger composition, or it may exist alone. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, famname, function, genreform, geogname, date, emph, extptr, extref, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, ptr, ref, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, linkgrp, list, note, origination, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Bibliographic Reference |
xpath | ead/archdesc//bibref |
Description | A reference element that provides a citation and/or electronic link for a published work such as a book, article, dissertation, motion picture, or sound recording. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, famname, emph, extptr, extref, lb, name, num, persname, ptr, ref, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibseries, edition, expan, imprint |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | xlink:type="simple" |
Unused Attributes | xlink:actuate, altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, encodinganalog, entityref, xlink:href, id, xlink:role, xlink:show, xlink:show, xlink:title, xpointer |
Element Name | Block Quote |
xpath | ead/archdesc//blockquote |
Description | A formatting element that designates an extended quotation. |
Required Elements | p |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | address, chronlist, list, note, table |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Address |
xpath | ead//address |
Description | A generic element for information about the place where someone or something is located and may be reached. |
Required Elements | addressline |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Address Line |
xpath | ead//address/addressline |
Description | A generic element for one line of a postal or other address. May be repeated as many times as necessary to enter all available lines of an address. |
Status | Required |
Parent | address |
Repeatable | yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | altrender="email | fax | phone" |
Unused Attributes | audience, id |
Element Name | List |
xpath | ead/archdesc//list |
Description | A formatting element that contains a series of words or numerals (called items) separated from one another and arranged in a linear, often vertical sequence. |
Required Elements | item | defitem |
Optional Elements | head, listhead |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | type="simple | deflist | marked | ordered" |
Optional Attributes | numeration="arabic | upperalpha | loweralpha | upperroman | lowerroman" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, continuation, id, mark |
Element Name | Item |
xpath | ead/archdesc//list//item |
Description | A formatting element used as an entry in a simple, random, or ordered list. |
Parent | list | defitem |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, date, emph, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, lb, list, name, num, occupation, persname, ref, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, extptr, linkgrp, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience |
Element Name | Definition List Item |
xpath | ead/archdesc//list/defitem |
Description | A formatting element in a special type of list that keeps an entry in a list (called a label) paired with its definition, description, or explanation (called an item). |
Status | Optional |
Parent | list |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | label, item |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | id |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience |
Element Name | Label |
xpath | ead/archdesc//list/defitem/label |
Description | A formatting element that identifies the term or concept being described, defined, or explained in a Definition List Item defitem. |
Status | Required |
Parent | defitem |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, date, emph, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, ref, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, extptr, linkgrp, list, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | List Head |
xpath | ead/archdesc//listhead |
Description | A formatting element that groups headings for columns in a definition, marked, or ordered list, Chronology List chronlist, or index. The headings are called head01 and head02. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | list | chronlist |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | head01, head02 |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | First List Heading |
xpath | ead/archdesc//listhead/head01 |
Description | Formatting element within listhead that designate the heading over the first columns in a two column list. |
Status | Required |
Parent | listhead |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Second List Heading |
xpath | ead/archdesc//listhead/head02 |
Description | Formatting element within listhead that designate the heading over the second column in a two column list. |
Status | Required |
Parent | listhead |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, ptr |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Chronological List |
xpath | ead/archdesc//chronlist |
Description | A formatting element that designates information about the sequence in which significant past events, associated with the described materials, occurred. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | ead/archdesc//bioghist[not(ancestor::dsc)] | ead/archdesc/scopecontent | ead/archdesc/descgrp[@type='admininfo']/descgrp[@type='provenance']/acqinfo |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | chronitem |
Optional Elements | head, listhead |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Chronology List Item |
xpath | ead/archdesc//chronlist/chronitem |
Description | A formatting element that keeps a date paired with an associated event or group of events within a Chronology List chronlist. |
Status | Required |
Parent | chronitem |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | date, eventgrp |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | event |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Event Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc/chronlist//chronitem/eventgrp |
Description | An element within a Chronology List Item chronitem that bundles one or more event elements associated with the same date. |
Status | Required |
Parent | chronitem |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | event |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Event |
xpath | ead/archdesc//chronlist/chronitem/eventgrp/event |
Description | That part of a Chronology List Item chronitem which describes or names something that happened. The event is paired with a date (a single date or date range) and can be grouped with other events in eventgrp, if multiple events need to be associated with the same date. |
Status | Required |
Parent | eventgrp |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, date, emph, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, ref, subject, title, unitdate |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, extptr, linkgrp, list, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Table |
xpath | ead/archdesc//table |
Description | A wrapper element for formatting information in a row and column display. |
Required Elements | tgroup |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, colsep, frame, id, pgwide, rowsep |
Element Name | Table Group |
xpath | ead/archdesc//table/tgroup |
Description | A formatting element that bundles table subelements: colspec, thead, and tbody. Tables are comprised of one or more tgroup elements, depending on the number of times the column specifications change. The tgroup element provides a subgrouping of rows within a table that all use the same column specifications. |
Status | Required |
Parent | table |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | tbody |
Optional Elements | colspec, thead |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | cols |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | align, altrender, audience, colsep, id, rowsep |
Element Name | Table Head |
xpath | ead/archdesc//table/tgroup/thead | ead/archdesc/dsc/thead | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/thead |
Description | A formatting element that contains the heading information in a table, usually column heads, that appears at the top of the table and may appear again at the top of any physical break in rows in the body. Also, a formatting element that is used to provide column headings for components of the dsc element. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | tgroup | c01 |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | row |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | valign="top | middle | bottom" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Table Body |
xpath | ead/archdesc//table/tgroup/tbody |
Description | A formatting element that contains one or more row elements, which in turn contain entry elements in a table. |
Status | Required |
Parent | tgroup |
Repeatable | No |
Required Elements | row |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | valign="top | middle | bottom" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id |
Element Name | Row |
xpath | ead/archdesc//table//row | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/thead/row |
Description | A formatting element that contains one or more entry elements (horizontal cells) in a table. |
Status | Required |
Parent | thead | tbody |
Required Elements | entry |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | valign="top | middle | bottom" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, id, rowsep |
Element Name | Table Entry |
xpath | ead/archdesc//table//row/entry | ead/archdesc/dsc/c01/thead/row/entry |
Description | A formatting element that designates the contents of a cell in a table. A cell is the intersection of a row and a column. |
Status | Required |
Parent | row |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, date, emph, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, ref, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, extptr, linkgrp, list, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | align="left | right | center | justify | char", valign="top | middle | bottom", colname="" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, char, charoff, colsep, id, morerows, nameend, namest, rowsep |
Comments | @colname should be used within <thead>s that are children of dsc or c01. Those <thead>s are used to change the default dsc column headers. @colname values control which column heading is replaced. Acceptable values include "box", "folder", "reel", "desc", and "dates", corresponding to the Box, Folder, Reel, Description, and Dates columns. |
The following inline access point elements can be used in many EAD data elements as listed above.
Element Name | Personal Name |
xpath | ead/archdesc//persname |
Description | The proper noun designation for an individual, including any or all of that individual's forenames, surnames, honorific titles, and added names. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="100 | 600 | 692 | 700", role, rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Corporate Name |
xpath | ead/archdesc//corpname |
Description | The proper noun name that identifies an organization or group of people that acts as an entity. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="110 | 111 | 610 | 611 | 693 | 710 | 711", role, rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Family Name |
xpath | ead/archdesc//famname |
Description | The proper noun designation for a group of persons closely related by blood or persons who form a household. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="100 | 600 | 700", role, rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Name |
xpath | ead/archdesc//name |
Description | The proper noun or noun phrase designation for an entity that is difficult to tag more specifically as a corpname, famname, geogname, persname, or title. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog, role, rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Subject |
xpath | ead/archdesc//subject |
Description | A name or phrase that indicates a secondary or subsidiary administrative level within a repository or other corporate body; a specialized area of subject or other collecting emphasis within a larger unit; or an ancillary collecting area based on the physical form of the materials. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="650 | 690", rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Geographic Name |
xpath | ead/archdesc//geogname |
Description | The proper noun designation for a place, natural feature, or political jurisdiction. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="651", role, rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Genre/Physical Characteristic |
xpath | ead/archdesc//genreform |
Description | A term that identifies the types of material being described, by naming the style or technique of their intellectual content (genre); order of information or object function (form); and physical characteristics. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="655", rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal, type |
Element Name | Occupation |
xpath | ead/archdesc//occupation |
Description | A term identifying a type of work, profession, trade, business, or avocation significantly reflected in the materials being described. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="656", rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Function |
xpath | ead/archdesc//function |
Description | Terms for the spheres of activities and processes that generated the described materials. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="657", rules, source |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, authfilenumber, id, normal |
Element Name | Title |
xpath | ead/archdesc//title |
Description | The formal name of a work, such as a monograph, serial, or painting, listed in a finding aid. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | date, emph, lb, num |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | render="altrender | bold | bolddoublequote | bolditalic | boldsinglequote | boldsmcaps | boldunderline | doublequote | italic | nonproport | singlequote | smcaps | sub | super | underline", xlink:type="simple" |
Optional Attributes | encodinganalog="630 | 730 | 740"', xlink:role, rules, source, altrender |
Unused Attributes | xlink:actuate, xlink:arcrole, audience, authfilenumber, xlink:href, id, normal, xlink:show, xlink:title, type, xpointer |
Element Name | Date |
xpath | ead/archdesc//date |
Description | A generic element that contains a month, day, or year in any format. Use date to identify any dates that merit encoding, except for the creation and other relevant dates of the described materials, which are instead tagged with the unitdate element. |
Parent | titleproper[@type='formal'], subtitle, publicationstmt, creation, change, p, item, label, chronitem, event, title, ref, extref |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | normal, calendar="gregorian", era="ce", type="original | ead | copyright | revised | XMetaLAuthor | Edix/Wordix | Excel | NoteTabPro | openOffice | OfficeOfOrigin:Word| vendor:ES | vendor:ArchProteus" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, certainty, encodinganalog, id |
Comments |
Element Name | Number |
xpath | ead//num |
Description | A generic element for numeric information in any form. The num element is used only when it is necessary to display a number in a special way, or to identify it with a TYPE attribute. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | type |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Element Name | Language |
xpath | ead//language |
Description | A subelement of langusage within the profiledesc portion of the eadheader that specifies the language or communication system in which the finding aid is written. Also a subelement of langmaterial within did, where it specifies the language of the materials being described. |
Status | Required |
Parent | langusage, langmaterial |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | extptr, ptr |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | langcode, scriptcode |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id |
Comments | The langcode attribute value must come from the ISO 639-2b list (http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/).The scriptcode attribute value must come from the ISO 15924 list (http://unicode.org/iso15924/iso15924-codes.html). |
The following inline elements can be used in the <physdesc> element.
Element Name | Component Extent |
xpath | ead/archdesc//physdesc/extent |
Description | A physdesc subelement for information about the quantity of the materials being described or an expression of the physical space they occupy. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | physdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, type, unit |
Element Name | Component Dimensions |
xpath | ead/archdesc//physdesc/dimensions |
Description | A subelement of physdesc for information about the size of the materials being described; usually includes numerical data. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | physdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, dimensions, expan, extptr, extref, linkgrp, ptr, ref, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, type, unit |
Element Name | Component Physical Facet |
xpath | ead/archdesc//physdesc/physfacet |
Description | A physdesc subelement for information about an aspect of the appearance of the described materials, such as their color, style, marks, substances, materials, or techniques and methods of creation. |
Status | Optional |
Parent | physdesc |
Repeatable | Yes |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, lb |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, corpname, date, expan, extptr, extref, famname, function, genreform, geogname, linkgrp, name, occupation, persname, ptr, ref, subject, title |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, audience, encodinganalog, id, label, rules, source, type, unit |
The following inline style elements can be used in many EAD data elements as listed above.
Element Name | Emphasis |
xpath | ead//emph |
Description | Indicates text to be displayed with the form of emphasis noted in the render attribute. Use the RENDER attribute to specify the kind of emphasis, e.g., bold or italics. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | emph, extref, lb, ref, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, archref, bibref, expan, extptr, linkgrp, ptr |
Required Attributes | render="altrender | bold | bolddoublequote | bolditalic | boldsinglequote | boldsmcaps | boldunderline | doublequote | italic | nonproport | singlequote | smcaps | sub | super | underline" |
Optional Attributes | altrender |
Unused Attributes | id |
Comments | Should be used sparingly, only when necessary to indicate style for text where it is not indicated another element that is part of the regular EAD document structure. |
Element Name | Line Break |
xpath | ead//lb |
Description | An empty formatting element that forces text to start on a new line at a point chosen by the author rather than a linewrap algorithm or style sheet. Use only when a line break is needed within an element. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | None |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | None |
Comments | Should be used sparingly, only when necessary to indicate a line break at a point in the document where a break is not indicated another element that is part of the regular EAD document structure. |
The following linking elements can be used in many EAD data elements as listed above.
Element Name | Reference |
xpath | ead//ref |
Description | An internal linking element that provides for movement from one place in a finding aid to another place in the same finding aid. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, date, famname, function, genreform, geogname, emph, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, extptr, extref, list, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | target, xlink:type="simple", xlink:actuate="onRequest", xlink:show="replace" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, xlink:href, id, xlink:role, xlink:title, xpointer |
Comments | Uses the target attribute and the id attribute value of another element to link to a different location in the finding aid. |
Element Name | Pointer |
xpath | ead//ptr |
Description | An empty internal linking element that uses attributes to provide for movement from one place in a finding aid to another place in the same finding aid. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | target, xlink:type="simple", xlink:actuate="onRequest", xlink:show="replace" |
Optional Attributes | None |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, xlink:href, id, xlink:role, xlink:title, xpointer |
Comments | Uses the target attribute and the id attribute value of another element to link to a different location in the finding aid. |
Element Name | Extended Reference |
xpath | ead//extref |
Description | A linking element that can include text and subelements as part of its reference to an electronic object that is external to the EAD document. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | corpname, date, famname, function, genreform, geogname, emph, lb, name, num, occupation, persname, subject, title |
Unused Elements | abbr, address, archref, bibref, blockquote, chronlist, expan, extptr, extref, list, note, origination, ptr, repository, table, unitdate, unittitle |
Required Attributes | xlink:href, xlink:type="simple", xlink:actuate="onRequest", xlink:show="new" |
Optional Attributes | xlink:role |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, entityref, id, xlink:title, xpointer |
Comments | Used to create a link to external web pages or other web resources.If used, the attribute xlink:role should encode the MIME type of the linked resource. |
Element Name | Extended Pointer |
xpath | ead//extptr |
Description | An empty linking element that uses attributes to connect the EAD document to an external electronic object, which is not part of the materials being described. |
Required Elements | None |
Optional Elements | None |
Unused Elements | None |
Required Attributes | xlink:href, xlink:type="simple", xlink:actuate="onLoad", xlink:show="embed" |
Optional Attributes | xlink:title, xlink:role="image/jpeg | image/gif | image/png" |
Unused Attributes | altrender, xlink:arcrole, audience, entityref, id, xpointer |
Comments | Used to embed external images in the text of the finding aid. Not used for linking to digital representations of the described materials.If used, the attribute xlink:role should encode the MIME type of the linked resource. |
FACC welcomes questions and feedback about all things related to finding aids at Yale. Please feel free to contact co-chairs Mary Caldera and Mark Custer.