Finding Aids Slides

• 1. Best Practices for Creating Finding AidsSo youve processed the collection, now what?? By jennifer whitlock, archivist, Indianapolis Museum of Art,for Society of Indiana Archivists Workshop Fall 2011

2. What is a Finding Aid? A description of an archival collection usually containing the history of the creator as well as an inventory of the contents. created in various electronic and print formats, including word processor document, spreadsheet, database, paper list, index cards, etc. 3. Sterling Library, Yale University http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SML-Card- Catalog.jpgCounty of San Diego Public Recordshttp://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/cob/bosa/navrecords3.htmlOld School FindingAidsOregon State Archiveshttp://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/tour/reffindingnew.html 4. Paper Finding AidBentley Historical Library, University ofMichiganhttp://bentley.umich.edu/exhibits/bhl75/collections.php 5. Online Finding Aid 6. Hierarchy or nesting levels of descriptionBroader to more specificTop level description will be inherited by subsequent levelsCollection Series Sub- seriesfolder item http://gabbafriends.com/yo-gabba-nesting-dolls 7. How do you make it useful toyour patrons? Top level (usually collection or record group level)minimum: Unique ID code Repository info Title Date Extent linear feet, cubic feet, number of boxes Name of creator Scope and Content Access Conditions or restrictions Language of the Material Next level (series or record series) includes all of theabove unless it is the same or if it needs more specificinformation 8. How do you make it useful to your patrons?Multilevel Optimum:All of the previous Plus: Administrative/Biographical History Scope and Content (including full detaileddescription) Access pointsCan add any additional elements that might be useful 9. How do you make it useful to your patrons? Everycollection isdifferent - notall elementswill be usedfor everycollection Tailordescription tosuit the size,importance,and 10. Links to example finding aids Guggenheim http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/library-and-archives/archive-collections Archives of American Arthttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collectionsonline/ Greene & Greene Virtual Archives http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/greeneandgreene/ http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt5p30075x 11. Playing well with othersStandards for content General International Standard Archival DescriptionISAD(G) http://www.icacds.org.uk/eng/ISAD(G).pdf Describing Archives: A Content Standard DA:CS [basedon ISAD(G)]http://www.archivists.org/governance/standards/dacs.asp Rules for Archival Description RAD [Canadian]http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/archdesrules.html 12. Playing well with othersDescribing Archives: A Content Standard DA:CS Scope and Content Historical/Biographical Access Points 13. ...Playing well with othersAccess PointsControlled Vocabularies and Specialized ThesaurusInternational Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (ISAAR(CPF)) http://www.icacds.org.uk/eng/isaar2ndedn-e_3_1.pdf LC Subject headings (LCSH)http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=159 LC Authority Headings http://authorities.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First LC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials I: Subject terms (TGM I)http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tgm1/ 14. Playing well with othersAccess PointsControlled Vocabularies and Specialized ThesaurusGetty Vocabularieshttp://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/index.htmlGetty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN)Getty Union List of Artist Names (ULAN)Thesaurus for Use in College and University Archiveshttp://www2.archivists.org/thesaurus 15. Playing well with othersStandards for formatThe standard machine-readable format for manuscript collection finding aids, widely used in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia, ishttp://www.loc.gov/ead/MARC MAchine-Readable Cataloging usually Collection level record searchable with library materials 16. Playing well with othersSoftware:XML editing programs: Examples: Xmetal, NoteTab (w/EAD Cookbook), Oxygen,etc. Even MS Word tries to use XML Apply XSLT (stylesheets) for display Convert to HTML for web display Disadvantages: Does not support other archival functions: reference, accessions, locations, etc. Not as user friendly as archives specific software No display features No digital image metadata or support 17. Playing well with othersNot only for findingaids, supports manyarchival managementOpen Source Archives Management Toolsfunctionsone searchable databaseCan export EAD (andMARC) and collaborateUser friendly interfaceDesigned for archivists byarchivistsCommunity inputBUTFree as in kittens not as inbeer 18. Playing well with othersConsortia or portals:Arizona Archives online: http://www.azarchivesonline.org/xtf/searchOnline Archives of California: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/Northwest Digital Archives: http://nwda.wsulibs.wsu.edu/Rocky Mountain Online Archive: http://rmoa.unm.edu/Texas Archival Resources Online: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/Ohio Link Finding Aid Repository: http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/North Carolina Exploring Cultural Heritage Online: http://www.ncecho.org/Archives Florida: http://palmm2.fcla.edu/afl/ 19. Playing well with othersConsortia or portals:We need a EAD finding aid portal for Indiana! Whos in? Indiana Memory, Indiana Digital Library http://www.in.gov/memories/ 20. Future of the Finding AidWhats next? Visualization, Timelines, graphs, mapping Augmented reality Interactive, custom display based on user needs Tagging, researcher comments, user createddescription Cool like the commercial website Visual rather than purely textualOpen the door to whole new audiences. 21. DEMO!!!! 22. Lets make a finding aidhttp://www.imamuseum.org/archon/