A great deal of EAD's full potential has yet to be realized. As Kate Bowers mentioned, it's the path to discoverability via ArchiveGrid and other consortia/aggregators now, and allows for consistency and interoperability that makes life easier for users. And since the major finding aid platforms export EAD, it's become one of the paths of least resistance for propagating finding aids.
That said, it seems like a great deal is still waiting to happen to take advantage of potential linkages and discoverability based on many more possible facets. I'm optimistic about the future; I think we've barely kicked the proverbial tires on what EAD may be able to do for us.
Maristella Feustle
Music Special Collections Librarian
University of North Texas
-----Original Message-----
From: Encoded Archival Description List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bowers, Kate A.
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 12:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: EAD3 Implementation
Kelcy:
Although we have not implemented EAD3, I've started to use it conceptually and EAD3 has invaded my speech, particularly when it comes to our current effort to ingest all of our (just shy of 7000) finding aids from our existing EAD backed to ArchivesSpace. For example, we've been paying close attention to footages and gigabytes in extents in the hopes that we can ingest this data properly to then use them as "space occupied" extents.
Peter:
Although many archivists' interaction with it may very soon not involve angle brackets and XML editing software, EAD is not dead. EAD at the moment is the lingua franca of archival description (I mean, it is a "metadata transmission standard for hierarchical descriptions of archival records".) If you want your inventories to hit ArchivesGrid and other awesome places where information is shared or re-purposed, it is important to continue to make your data available in a shared standard. In addition, getting your data into ArchivesSpace by keying is not efficient. I genuinely expect that data on resources will continue to be produced externally for some time (where it is more efficient to do so) and converted to EAD for ingest. Even if you key all your data into ArchivesSpace from now on, and even if your local search and discovery is via a single system, there are huge benefits to sharing outside that system.
Kate
Kate Bowers
Collections Services Archivist for Metadata, Systems, and Standards Harvard University Archives [log in to unmask]
617.496.2713
voice: (617) 384-7787
fax: (617) 495-8011
web: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:archives
Twitter: @k8_bowers
-----Original Message-----
From: Encoded Archival Description List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Carini
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 10:55 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [EAD] EAD3 Implementation
Hi Kelcy,
I got nothin' for ya on this, but wanted to ask you a theoretical question instead of answering yours. ;-)
What do you see at the future of EAD?
I'm leaning away from EAD at the moment. We are using ArchivesSpace and I would like to use that as our public front end and abandon EAD altogether. We currently present our guides in EAD, but take no advantage what-so-ever of the power of the format. In addition, it is enormously problematic for archival record groups that are in a constant state of flux with new additions arriving biannually. Our guides to institutional records--and even some manuscript collections--are constantly out of date.
No need to respond quickly as this is purely theoretical and posed out of curiosity.
Hope all is well at Amherst!
Peter
_______________
Peter Carini
College Archivist
Dartmouth College
________________________________________
From: Encoded Archival Description List <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Kelcy Shepherd <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 9:05 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: EAD3 Implementation
Hi all,
I've been working on a piece on implementing EAD, and it has made me curious about the adoption of EAD3. Who is converting to, or actively planning their conversion to EAD3? What is your timeline for conversion? Are there any institutions just starting to encode their finding aids that are jumping right into EAD3?
Thanks in advance for sharing,
Kelcy
Kelcy Shepherd
Head of Digital Programs
Amherst College
PO Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
413-542-5481
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