DEVELOPERS AND EARLY IMPLEMENTERS OF THE
ENCODED ARCHIVAL DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT TYPE DEFINITION
(EAD DTD)
ANNOUNCEMENT:
We are happy to announce that the *alpha* test version of the EAD DTD
(and related files) are now available for distribution. The alpha version is
intended to be used for field testing and preliminary implementation by
archivists and other interested parties. We are targeting this announcement
to subscribers to the EAD Electronic Forum since you represent those most
interested in the development and implementation of this new standard.
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), as applied in this suite
of DTDs and related documents, has the potential for revolutionizing the world
of finding aids by providing a single standardized encoding through which
archival descriptions can be exchanged and used. It should also simplify the
process of creating EADs in the future as the use of SGML tools becomes more
widespread and better understood.
During this alpha test we will be relying on *you* to provide feedback
about how workable this implementation of SGML is for your finding aids. We
are particularly interested in the workability of the the elements defined and
the adequacy of the accompanying documentation. Your constructive comments
would be greatly appreciated.
As you begin to implement this version of the EAD DTD, keep in mind that
it is the product of a lengthy development effort during which many options
and models were considered. It may not reflect the exact structure of the
finding aids that you currently produce, but it should provide elements into
which you can fit the information you currently capture.
The EAD DTD was designed to be somewhat prescriptive--providing and in
some cases requiring that finding aids be structured in a particular way.
This will occasionally result in differences between the structure of an
encoded archival description and the printed finding aid which has been used
as the source for its content. This would only be problematic if you plan to
convert a large number of existing paper finding aids into machine-readable
form following the EAD DTD.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
To implement this application of SGML, you will need various SGML files
and support documents. They are all available to you via FTP (File Transfer
Protocol) from the anonymous file server at the Library of Congress in
Washington, D.C. The host domain of LC's FTP server is:
ftp.loc.gov
Once an FTP session is initiated, you will be prompted for a name. You should
enter:
anonymous
When you are prompted for a password, enter you Internet address, or name.
At the FTP> prompt, change to the EAD subdirectory by entering the command:
cd pub/ead
NOTE: The character between the subdirectory names is a forward slash!
The command "dir" will return to you a list of the files available in the EAD
subdirectory.
The files you should transfer using the "get" command are listed below.
The "get" command should copy a file to the default directory on the machine
you are using locally. The first seven should be transfered as ASCII files,
which is normally the default transfer mode for most FTP applications. The
last file is a WordPerfect 5.1 document and as such must be transfered in
BINARY mode. To change mode enter the command "bin". The command "asc" can
be used to return to ASCII mode.
FILES:
ead.sgml.dec
ead.dtd
eadgrp.dtd
eadbase.ent
eadtable.ent
eadnotat.ent
eadchars.ent
ead_tags.wp5 [Transfer this last file as a BINARY file!]
Once you have the files you will probably want to use an SGML tool (parser)
of some kind to work with the EAD DTD. No freeware SGML tools are available
with the EAD DTD at this time.
If you do not have access to FTP, you may request a diskette containing
these files by contacting the Library of Congress, Network Development and
MARC Standards Office (NDMSO), who will be acting as the maintenance agency
for this standard. The address and contact information for NDMSO is given
below.
We encourage you to experiment with the EAD DTD as soon as possible.
The results of the alpha test will be used to prepare for a *beta* test later
this year (probably sometime after May 1996). If you know of anyone else
interested in this effort, encourage them to subscribe to the EAD electronic
forum by sending a subscription message to "[log in to unmask]".
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