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We have used <eadgrp> in one situation, and another solution for a
different task.

We use <eadgrp> to pull together all our collection level descriptions.
As there is not the same tradition of MARC encoded collection
descriptions here that there is in the USA, there has been some recent
catching up here using EAD for collection descriptions. Each collection
description is a separate EAD instance and they all bundle together as a
single EADGRP instance. This is a convenient way of keeping everything
together and can be easily mounted on the webserver we use (still going
with Dynaweb).

However we also have collections with very large numbers of finding aids
or just very large finding aids (owing to our rather verbose legacy
catalogues). For these it has been far easier to create an EAD finding
aid at series (or pick another intermediate term) level giving short (by
our standards) descriptions and an <otherfindaid> link to the separate
handlist for each subordinate section. This gives for example a finding
aid to the 300 odd parts currently making up our Sudan Archive with
links to finding aids to about 200 of them.

You can use either method, but I have found it difficult to manage
really large single files (more than a few MB and it may start taking
noticably longer to load, save or process), especially if they are going
to be edited frequently - it sometimes seems that the bigger the file
the easier it is to garble it.

Depending on which software you use, you may find it makes life
complicated trying to run EAD and EADGRP documents together, as using
the internal switches in the DTD may require you to precompile several
versions of the EAD2002 DTD.
--
# Richard Higgins
# Durham University Library
# Archives & Special Collections
# Palace Green
# Durham
# DH1 3RN
# E-Mail: [log in to unmask]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Encoded Archival Description List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> Of Peter Carini
> Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 3:23 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: <archdescgrp> question
>
> We are in the early stages of implementing EAD.  We want to describe our
> archival record groups primarily at the series level as separate EAD
> instances, and we want to create an instance that represents the parent
> record that will link all of the series together.  Using the EAD
> elements, <eadgrp>, <archdescgrp> and <dscgrp> seems to be the way to do
> this, but we are struggling a bit to figure out how to apply these
> elements.  So, first question, are we correct in thinking that this is
> the best way to go about achieving our goal and, second, would someone
> who has used these elements in this fashion be willing to supply a
> sample document or documents?
>
> Peter Carini, College Archivist
> Rauner Special Collections Library
> 6065 Webster Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755-3519 USA
> tel: 603-646-3728 - fax: 603-646-0447
> http://www.dartmouth.edu/~speccoll/
>