The Influence of American and European Practices on the Evolution of EAD

SUMMARY

Widespread adoption of EAD in the United States and in Europe is attributable to a number of factors, including compatibility with ISAD(G), availability of funding for data conversion, requirements of granting agencies, and the desire of archivists to use common standards.     

Moving Beyond the Name: Defining Corporate Entities to Support Provenance-Based Access

SUMMARY

The second edition of the International Standard Archival Authority Records for Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families (ISAAR(CPF)2) focuses on describing entities as they exist in reality, rather than on establishing authorized terms. This change allows authority records to include multiple authorized terms representing an entity as it changed over time. Traditionally, an authority record has been created for a corporate body each time its name changed. This practice results in an artificial, fragmented view of the entity, concentrating on heading control rather than on providing contextual information necessary to assist with the provenance-method of retrieval and the interpretation of the records. In order to describe entities as ISAAR(CPF)2 allows and better reflect records-creating environments, the author proposes that an authority record describe a definable unit that performs a distinct function without major temporal interruption.     

国外档案战略规划的发展现状及特点分析

在明确战略规划对档案事业发展重要性的基础上,阐述了主要国际组织及部分国家档案战略规划的发展现状与成就,如国际档案理事会、美国、英国、澳大利亚、加拿大等。从其战略规划文本中挖掘并分析了国外档案战略规划的四个突出特点,为我国档案战略规划的制订与研究提供有益的借鉴。     

Towards a Better Description of Genre Archives: A Case Study of Travel Archives

Abstract

Researchers attempting to access genre archives are often stymied by insufficient metadata. They frequently overlook collections because a processing archivist may not have described those collections in a way which would have benefitted their research. Historic travel writing, often the end-product of a travel archive, generally focused on pilgrimages, exploration, adventure, and leisure. Yet finding these types of archives is a difficult task due to either too narrow/too broad or insufficient metadata. Archivists can play a more active role in helping these collections expand their audiences by making them more accessible.     

EAD Encoding and Display: A Content Analysis

ABSTRACT

The study investigated implications of variations in EAD-encoded finding aids on the Web. A content analysis methodology was used to examine five different aspects of EAD finding aids: (1) data elements; (2) labeling terminology; (3) navigation; (4) browsing; (5) searching. Seventeen EAD finding aid web sites selected from 161 RLG member institution web sites, were examined. The results of the study showed that variations in EAD finding aids existed. These include inconsistency in the use of data elements, labeling terminology, and browsing attributes. In addition, some of the EAD finding aid web sites did not provide navigational aids within a finding aid or search functions for access to it. Findings suggest that increased navigational aids, as well as more browsing and search functions are needed to provide better access to EAD-encoded finding aids.     

Examining Search Functions of EAD Finding Aids Web Sites

ABSTRACT

This article examined the search functions for all individual EAD Web sites listed on the Library of Congress Web site in 2003. In particular, the type of search engine, search modes, options for searching, search results display, search feedback, and other features of the search systems were studied. The data analysis suggests that there have been some improvements for EAD finding aids within Web sites, but also that problems persist. In addition, the functionality of search systems on Web sites varied considerably and the advantages of EAD finding aids for hierarchical searching have not been fully realized. The article also offers observations about cooperative EAD projects, the issue of search queries, and the relationship between Google and EAD Web sites.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Managing their own past</Emphasis>. German archivists between national socialism and democracy

The article examines the transition of (West) German archivists from the Nazi period to the time of Allied occupation and on into the early years of the Federal Republic of Germany. After considering the extent of the profession’s nazification, the article focuses on Allied denazification efforts after the war and discusses the strategies archivists devised in order to maneuver through these dangerous times. In the end, the archival profession mastered the transition with only minor “denazification damage.” The article closes with an examination of the consequences of the continuity of personnel especially among the leading archivists of the former Prussian Archival Administration (Preussische Archivverwaltung) for the reconstruction of the archival profession in West Germany.

Bibliographical Resources for Eastern and Central European Studies: Experiences and Future Prospects: An International Symposium at Herder-Institut,Marburg, Germany,March 14–15, 2003

ABSTRACT

The article summarizes presentations at a symposium on bibliographical resources for Eastern and Central European studies, held at the Herder-Institut in Marburg, Germany. Online resources were presented from Germany (primarily), Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.