Structuring biographical data in EAD with the Nomen DTD

Abstract

Biographical data, including authorized name information, adds depth, richness and retrievability to bibliographic records and archival finding aids. The use of encoded archival description (EAD) has enabled the description of archival collections in fine detail. EAD allows for biographical information to be coded directly into finding aids in several ways. However the process is time consuming and may result in duplication of effort and inconsistency. This article presents the Nomen XML DTD for biographical data, and puts forth the idea that its use could simplify and enhance the encoding of biographical data in EAD. The Nomen DTD provides a record structure for encoding the authorized name, variant names and biographical details of a person or a group being associated with informational items as subjects or creators. The structure of the Nomen DTD is described in relation to the MARC21 name authority format followed by a discussion of how it may be used as a means to create an authority file for EAD biographical data encoding and linking.

Citation

Calvo, A.M. (2001), "Structuring biographical data in EAD with the Nomen DTD", OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 187-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/10650750110409380