Workbook on Digital Private Papers > Arranging and cataloguing digital and hybrid archives > EAD templates for a personal archive
EAD templates for a personal archive
EAD and its relationship to other metadata about a digital object
There will inevitably be some degree of overlap between the detailed descriptive metadata provided for researchers in the EAD catalogue and the metadata wrapped with a digital object in its associated METS document, which will also contain a level of descriptive metadata. It is therefore important to ensure that where duplication occurs, the metadata provided is consistent and some workflow for keeping the two metadata instances in sync will need to be developed. In some cases the preservation metadata will be recorded in the form of a code or machine-readable format; where this data is supplied in the EAD finding aid, it should be in an understandable form for researchers, with machine-readable format recorded using attributes if necessary.
As item-level EAD catalogues are unlikely to be created, the digital object and its metadata (the DIP) should be as self-describing as possible, so if researchers link from a higher level in the EAD catalogue (e.g. from series description to folder) they will be able to understand component objects.
Paradigm suggests that the following information is recorded as part of the DIP:
Descriptive metadata:
MODS for description in the digital repository:
MODS is used at Oxford in other digital library settings, such as the Oxford Digital Library. By providing a MODS record for individual digital archives users will be able to cross-search local repositories.
- <identifier> (maps to EAD unitid element).
- <titleInfo><title> (maps to EAD title element).
- <name role="creator"> (maps to EAD origination element).
- <originInfo>
(maps to EAD date element). - <abstract> (maps to EAD scopecontent element).
Dublin Core metadata for OAI-PMH harvesters:
- <identifier> (maps to EAD unitid element).
- <title> (maps to EAD title element).
- <creator> (maps to EAD origination element).
- <date(s) of creation>, using ISO 8601 (maps to EAD date element).
- <description> (brief account of content; maps to EAD scopecontent element).
- <relation> (maps to EAD relatedmaterial element); provide information about different versions of the document which exist in the same archive using the archive's formal identification system.
Administrative metadata:
a) Rights metadata
Rights metadata relating to access and use: recorded using METSRights:
- <rightsDeclaration> A statement describing the Intellectual Property Rights associated with the item and a brief outline of any restrictions on use.
- <rightsHolder><rightsHolderName> Identity of the rights holder; ‘type' of rights holder can also be specified.
- <rightsHolder><rightsHolderContact> Provide initial contact details for the current rights holder or their representative (in most cases researchers will be advised to apply to repository staff as rightsholders' personal contact details cannot be published without permission).
b) Technical/digital provenance metadata
Information drawn from PREMIS:
- <objectIdentifier> Persistent identifier.
- <originalName> The creator's original name for the file.
- <size> File size in bytes.
- <fixity> The repository should provide a fixity checksum for each instance of the object, so that the user can verify that it is authentic. A link to information about the repository's authenticity mechanisms could also be provided here.
- <format> The current format (which may or may not be the same as the creating format).
- <inhibitors> Details of any inhibitors or passwords imposed by creator.
- <creatingApplication> Creating hardware and software; and date created by application (this should be a span date consistent with EAD record, recording date first created and date last modified).
- <relationship> Details of digital provenance; e.g. a pointer to an object from which the current object is derived.
c) Structural metadata
Structural metadata: drawn from METS structMap or generated by the digital repository, recording information about the object's relationships with other digital objects in the archive, expressed using Resource Description Framework (RDF). See Chapter 05 Administrative and preservation metadata for more information about how digital objects and intellectual entities are defined in PREMIS.
