Finding Aids of the Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam
http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/findingaids
The Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) has started making its rich and vast special collections and manuscript archives accessible at the collection or archive level by using electronic finding aids. A first set of finding aids is now online, the result of an innovative EDUBA project. Researchers can identify collections via these finding aids and determine whether they contain materials that are of interest to their research. Furthermore, the intellectual cohesion of each collection is documented in the finding aid.
Because of its numerous and extensive collections and archives it is not always possible for the Library to describe each item (e.g. a letter, a manuscript or an object) separately. By using finding aids the Library will be able to describe all relevant collections and archives at least at the collection description level. For important cultural-historical materials the Library can extend the finding aids to include item-level descriptions and the digital version of the item itself.
Finding aids for the following collections and archives have been made available online:
· Collectie Van Benthem & Jutting
· Archief van het Amsterdams Boekverkopersgilde
· Collectie A.N.J. den Hollander
· Collectie Gerardus van Papenbroeck
· Collectie Jacob Visser
· Collectie Jan van Krimpen
· Collectie Voorlichtingsbureau voor de Voeding
· Collectie kookboeken.
For the Collectie Van Benthem & Jutting the finding aid contains a complete contents list and a number of digitised portraits, illustrations and examples from ledgers, bookseller's catalogues and author's contracts.
For the encoding of its finding aids, the Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam uses the XML Document Type Definition 'Encoded Archival Description' (EAD), an open standard that is used by libraries and archives internationally for archival description. Moreover, the EAD is an international communications and exchange standard, which will allow libraries and archives to set up common search services for archival materials. The Library of Congress and the Society of American Archivists maintain the EAD standard. The Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam is the first library in the Netherlands to implement the EAD. The Nationaal Archief and the International Institute for Social History are the two archives in the Netherlands that use the EAD to make finding aids available electronically.
Links:
· Finding Aids of the Library of the UvA: http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/findingaids
· Special Collections: http://www.uba.uva.nl/special_collections
· EDUBA programme & project: http://www.uba.uva.nl/projecten/eduba_programma.cfm
· Digital Production Centre: http://www.uba.uva.nl/digital_production_centre
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