OhioLINK EAD Finding Aid Repository

Contributors: Frequently Asked Questions

1) Why does my institution need to register in order to use the EAD Encoding Tool or upload finding aids into the Repository?

The registration process provides many advantages to the OhioLINK EAD project.

• It provides OhioLINK with a contact person for each institution that contributes to the Finding Aid Repository project as well as those who utilize the EAD Encoding Tool. This helps us better respond to any technical issues or problems that might arise in the utilization of these tools by various institutions across the state.
• It ensures that each contributor to the Finding Aid Repository has a unique LC MARC Institution Code. These short alphabetic codes are used in union catalogs such as OCLC WorldCat and
  the OhioLINK central catalog to differentiate ownership of particular items and collections. (See question 2 below for more information.)
• The registration process allows for the creation of an administrative account for each contributing institution. For those who use the EAD Encoding Tool, this administrator is also authorized to set up individual users accounts for his/her institution and is able to control access levels for users at his/her institution.

2) Why does my institution need to have an LC MARC institution code?

The international EAD standard requires a unique identifier for each institution creating finding aids. The authoring institution's LC MARC code is used as the identfier, which in turn serves as the basis for the ID for each finding aid the institution creates. This enables the sorting of large number of finding aids in an electronic environment.

The use of these institution codes allows for the search, retrieval, and sorting of finding aids by institution in cooperative catalogs and databases, including the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repostiory. Also, the institution code is used in the generation of a unique finding aid identifier that allows for the identification of each finding aid in the Repository and within the EAD Encoding Tool environment.

3) Is the Repository and use of the EAD Encoding Tool limited to OhioLINK institutions only?

No. OhioLINK has opened the EAD Repository and use of the Encoding Tool to any insitution in Ohio, provided the registration process has been completed. This policy allows for the inclusion of finding aids from a multitude of cultural heritage institutions in Ohio, such as historical societies, special and public libraries, and museums, in addition to academic libraries.

4) What are the advantages of creating finding aids using EAD?

Please see the OhioLINK EAD Starter Packet, "Why EAD?" (Section 2) for information on this topic.

5) What is the purpose of the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository?

The OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository will allow students, faculty, and other researchers to search finding aids from a multitude of institutions in the state of Ohio. This will eventually allow for "one stop shopping" when searching for archival materials and primary sources in the state. For example, a student interested in Civil War diaries of Ohio soldiers would be able to conduct a keyword or subject search in the Repository to locate relevant materials from several institutions.

The Repository also allows more specilized searching by genre or format, the ability to limit searching to just one institution's holdings, and the ability to browse collections by subject headings.

6) If my institution submits finding aids to the OhioLINK Repository, can they also be accessed through our local website?

Yes. One of the features of the EAD Encoding Tool is that it allows for the downloading of the EAD xml file to you local computer or network. You may then display that file on your institution's local website, or simply save the file as a local backup. If you need information on how to display EAD xml files on your website, please contact the EAD Task Force (Cara Gilgenbach; (330) 672-1677; cgilgenb@kent.edu).

7) I've heard that EAD will be moving toward a schema structure in the future, instead of xml. What does this mean for the OhioLINK EAD project?

The OhioLINK EAD Task Force is aware of this movement in EAD to a schema structure and is monitoring developments in the national and international archival community. At present, the transition to the schema structure is on hold, pending further development and "finalization" of that version of EAD. Information about this future change will be shared with contributing institutions before any changes are made to the Encoding Tool or functionality within the Repository.

8) I need help. Do you offer training opportunities for learning how to use the EAD Encoding Tool?

At present, the EAD Task Force is planning both online and in-person training programs to be offered in 2008 and following years. If your institution is interested in more information on training opportunities, please contact the EAD Task Force Training Team (Rhonda Rinehart; 330-972-6474; rhonda6@uakron.edu).

9) When I access the Finding Aid Creation Tool, I notice that the url changes to a "kent.edu" location. I thought this was an OhioLINK service. Please explain.

The EAD Finding Aid Creation Tool was developed jointly by members of the OhioLINK EAD Task Force and Kent State University Libraries and Media Services, Systems Unit staff. Programming was completed by David Gaj, Applications Developer, Kent State University Libraries. Specifications and content standards for the Tool were developed by members of the EAD Task Force.