This document provides an overview of archives, archival description standards, and finding aids. It defines what archives are, distinguishing them from libraries. It describes the archival mission to identify, preserve, and provide access to materials of enduring value. Key aspects covered include the Descriptive Archival Content Standard (DACS), the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) standard for encoding archival finding aids, and how EAD maps to MARC21 fields. The document compares the differences between libraries and archives and outlines the core elements in DACS for archival description.

1. Archives, DACS and EAD
A Basic Primer

2. Archives
• To understand archival
repositories, holdings and
descrip<ve cataloging, one must
first understand what archives are
and how they differ from libraries.

3. Archives can be defined in 3 ways:
1. MATERIALS: Noncurrent records of an
ins<tu<on/organiza<on preserved because of
their enduring value.
2. PLACE: The repository. The building where
archived materials are located.
3. AGENCY: The archival agency/ins<tu<on/
program responsible for handling the archives.

4. The Archival Mission
• To iden:fy records and papers of
ENDURING VALUE
• To preserve them
• To make them accessible to
patrons

5. This archival mission includes the
following cyclical process:
• Appraisal • Access and Reference
• Acquisions • Outreach, Promo<on
• Accessioning • Reappraisal
• Arrangement • Conduc<ng surveys
• Preserva<on
• Security
• Descrip:on

6. Archival Descrip<on is…
• The bridge between preserving records and making them
available.
• Opportunity for archivist to record what is known about the
collec<on and its arrangement in a way that will facilitate
access by researchers and users.
• OFFICIAL DEFINITION: Process of analyzing, organizing, and
recording details about the formal elements of a record or
collec<on of records, such as creator, <tle, dates, extent, and
contents, to facilitate the work's iden<fica<on, management,
and understanding. The product of the process.

7. Material differences between libraries and archives
Category Libraries Archives
Nature Published, discrete items, Unpublished, groups of related
independent significance, items, significance from
Available elsewhere rela<onship to other items, unique
Creator Many different individuals or Parent organiza<on or ins<tu<on
organiza<ons
Method of crea<on Separate, independent ac<ons Organic – normal course of
business
Method of receipt Selected as single items, decisions Appraised in aggregate
revocable Decisions irrevocable
Arrangement Predetermined subject Provenance and original order
classifica<on
Descrip<on Level Individual items Aggregate (record group or series)
Descrip<ve Media Built into the published item (<tle Must be prepared by the archivist
page, table of contents, index) Guides and inventories, online
systems

8. The KEY difference:
• A collec:on or
• fonds
• with provenance.

9. Archives, DACS and EAD
A Basic Primer

10. Archives, DACS and EAD
A Basic Primer

11. A MULTI‐LEVEL, HIERARCHICAL
DESCRIPTIVE MODEL

12. Online Finding Aids,
DACS and EAD

13. Access to the archives Reflects the hierarchical structure
Online Finding Aids

14. A forma`ed finding aid

15. Crosswalk for DACS‐EAD‐MARC

18. DACS is the
data content
standard for
archives. Think
AACR2.
Describing Archives,
a Content Standard

19. EAD is the data
structure
standard for
archives. Think
MARC21.
Encoded Archival
Descrip<on

20. EAD Tags and Marc
Encoding Analogs
<repository label="Repository:" encodinganalog="852$a">
<corpname>Archives of American Art, Smithsonian
Institution</corpname>
</repository>
<origination label="Creator:">
<persname encodinganalog="100">Romare Bearden</
persname>
</origination>
<unittitle label="Title:" encodinganalog="245$a">Romare
Bearden papers</unittitle>
<unitdate label="Dates:">1937-1982</unitdate>
<physdesc label="Quantity:" encodinganalog="300$a">2
linear feet</physdesc>

21. EAD code from Archon

22. MARC dynamic output example
from Archon

23. DACS and its antecedents
DACS was published by the Society
of American Archivists in 2004
DACS is a revision of Steve Hensen’s /
SAA’s manual, Archives, Personal
Papers, and Manuscripts (1989),
which was created to adapt Chapter
4 of the 2nd ed. of Anglo‐American
Cataloging Rules (AACR2) to the
needs of the archival community.
DACS is a statement of principles.
Levels of descrip:on are in
statements.

24. Minimum DACS
Requirements
• Title (MARC 245)
• Date (MARC 245 |f) 260 |c for some
formats
• Extent (MARC 300)
• Name of Creator(s) (MARC 1XX, 7XX)
Iden:fying Creators
• Scope and Content (MARC 520)
• Condi:ons Governing Access (MARC
506)Reference code (MARC 040)Loca:on of
repository (MARC 852)

25. • ISAD(G) –
Interna<onal Standard for Archival Descrip<on
h`p://www.ica.org/sites/default/.pdf

26. DACS Elements
• IDENTITY ELEMENTS (chapter 2)
• Reference code
• Name and Loca<on of Repository
• Title
• Date
• Extent
• Name of Creators
• Administra<ve / Biographical history
• CONTENT AND STRUCTURE ELEMENTS (chapter 3)
• Scope and content
• System of arrangement
• CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE ELEMENTS (chapter 4)
• Condi<ons governing access
• Physical access
• Technical Access
• Condi<ons Governing Reproduc<on and Use
• Languages and Scripts of the Material
• Finding Aids

27. DACS Elements
• ACQUISITION AND APPRAISAL ELEMENTS (chapter 5)
Condi<ons governing Custodial history
• Immediate Source of Acquisi<on
• Appraisal, Destruc<on, and Scheduling Informa<on
• Accruals
• RELATED MATERIAS ELEMENTS (ch 6)
• Existence and loca<on of originals
• Existence and loca<on of copies
• Related archival materials
• Publica<on note
• NOTES ELEMENT (chapter 7)
• Note not defined by other elements
• DESCRIPTION CONTROL ELEMENT
• Sources used, rules or conven<ons, name of the person who prepared or
revised, date created or revised

28. New School Archives ‐ Accessible