MicheleR wrote:
> Hello -- another question, this one regarding process of encoding finding
> aids. I'm interested in (a) who does the encoding and (b) at what point in
> the process the encoding is done. For example, I can see at least three
> options right off the bat:
>
> a) finding aids are originally written in EAD using authoring software (e.g.
> XMeTaL)
> b) finding aids are written in regular form (MSWord, etc) and then encoded
> at the end by the processor
> c) finding aids are written in regular form (MSWord, etc) and then encoded
> at the end by a dedicated encoder (either in-house or out-sourced)
>

Hi Michele

One other option for you to consider:

d) finding aid content is input to an on-screen form (say, in Excel or
Access, if that's what you have), then EAD-ified using simple formulas
or scripts, and validated automagically by any number of free-ish XML
tools.

If you're cataloguing a fairly homogeneous collection, and using a
well-defined subset of EAD, this can be a speedy and reliable approach,
and keep a lot of markup clutter out of the authors' hair. Elements
common across finding aids can be inserted by the scripts.

I'd definitely never recommend using a word processor to enter
information like this - I'd always think first of getting it into
spreadsheet or database tables, or directly into XML. One can quickly
and easily transform structured data into documents (and do all sorts of
other useful things), but the reverse is rarely the case, and is best
avoided IMO.

HTH

Richard


--
/
\ Richard M Davis
/ Digital Archives Specialist
\ University of London Computer Centre
/ Tel: +44 (0) 20 7692 1350
\ mailto: [log in to unmask]
/