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Archival Processing

EAD Template

After physical processing and arrangement is complete, enter the folder titles into the EAD Contents List Template. This template can be used to more easily create an EAD-coded contents list for finding aids. However, it's use can sometimes be tricky. Download a copy and test it out. See below for tips on filling the information in correctly and for navigating possible problems.

Notes to all:

  • This sheet was designed for EAD2002. If you're switching to EAD3, you will need to make some changes. 
  • This sheet will only work up to 3,000 entries. For larger collections, use multiple sheets.

Level Type (column A)

This field records the component level type (<c level="type">) for the entry. These correspond quite directly with levels in a finding aid. Options are generally:

  • series
  • subseries
  • file

Other options exist and can be found on the EAD Official website.

Level (column B)

This field records the level of the component (<c01>, <c02>, etc.). For example:

  • series = <c01>
    • subseries = <c02>
      • file = <c03>
  • series = <c01>
    • file = <c02>

Only record the single digit needed. This template is only coded to go up to level 6. If you need to go above that, you'll have to reconfigure the underlying equations of the Excel file. Good luck with that. See more about component levels on the EAD Official website.

Title (column C)

This field is pretty simple. Record the name of the series, subseries, or the folder title here. With series and subseries, it's best to include the heading and number (e.g., "Series I: Personal files"). 

Encode anything that should be italicized with one of the following formats: 

  • <emph render="italic">Italicized text here</emph>
  • <title render="italic">Title of a work</title> (for the title of a substantial or published work).

Dates (columns D-H):

Dates can be complicated. This template formats different forms of dates in different ways.

Date expression

  • use this field for any date that is not a simple year-to-year span
  • examples:
    • 1985
    • 1992-1993, 1999
    • 1987, 1999, undated

Date - begin and Date - end

  • for simple year-to-year spans (e.g., 1991-1996), use these fields, entering the start year into "Date - begin" and the end year into "Date - end"
  • example, for 1972-2005:​​

Date Bulk - begin and Date Bulk - end

  • similar to the simple year-to-year span above, but for bulk dates
  • this entry is generally only used at the series/subseries levels

Container/Instance Levels (columns I-M)

These fields are used to record the Container type (box/folder) and the Container numbers for each entry. Generally Level 1 is used for box information and Level 2 is used for folder information, but Level 1 can be used for folder information for small collections that do not constitute an entire box. The resulting code will look something like this: <container type="Box" label="Text">1</container><container type="Folder">1</container>.

Container - record the container type here

  • box (generally Level 1)
  • folder (generally Level 2)

Instance - record the number of the container here

Instance Type - record the type of material contained in the container here (generally "text" or "mixed_materials").

Instances should be recorded at the most granular components (not at parent levels). If you are describing at the folder level, list box/folder information at the folder ("file") level, but not at the series/sub-series level. 

Final Steps

Once you have all of your data entered and arranged, you're almost done. Given the nature of this template, cutting and pasting information or cells often disrupts the equations in various parts. So, once all is set: 

  • open a new version of the template
  • highlight your data from the draft version you've been working with (don't highlight the headers)
  • copy that data (ctrl+c)
  • paste it into the new sheet as values only
    • ctrl+v, then click on the paste options box and chose value, or
    • ctrl+alt+v (paste special) and chose the Values option under Paste, then hit OK

Fill out the information requested in the orange cells (A2-A5) on the second tab.