What makes a good finding aid?

What makes a good finding aid?

Well-designed finding aids have a clear and pleasing visual appearance, with elements that make it easy to navigate and search. Use of appropriate tools is critical, for poor layout and confusing design will detract from a finding aid’s effectiveness.

In which environment is a finding aid used?

A finding aid, in the context of archival science, is an organization tool, a document containing detailed, indexed, and processed metadata and other information about a specific collection of records within an archive.

What is EAD finding aids?

What is EAD? LC finding aids are XML documents created using the Encoded Archival Description (EAD), an international standard maintained by the Library of Congress in partnership with the Society of American Archivists .

What is a finding guide?

Archival materials are described in documents called finding aids or collection guides. These are detailed guides to the contents and arrangement of collections.

How do I format a aid?

The format of a finding aid reflects the hierarchy present in the collection’s intellectual arrangement, and often the physical arrangement as well….Finding Aid Elements

1. Title Page.
2. Collection Overview.
3. Administrative Information.
4. Biographical/Historical Note (DACS 2.7 & 10)

How do you write a scope and content note?

Scope and Content Note should contain information about: who created the archival materials, who the archival materials are about, (i.e., to what person or organization they relate,) who contributed to the production or authorship of the archival materials and what their relationship is to the activities documented; …

How do you read a find aid?

The finding aid includes a narrative overview of the collection, with a listing of materials by box, folder, or item. It is expected to assist the researcher in determining whether or not the collection meets his or her research needs.

What are some of the ways that you can get ready to research in the archives?

The basic steps in the archival research process are the following:

• Develop your research question.
• Define your research needs.
• Conduct background research.
• Think about the kinds of sources you hope to find.
• Search for and identify collections and repositories.
• Read archival finding aids and collection guides.

What is a finding aid in an archive?

Finding aids are tools that help a user find information in a specific record group, collection, or series of archival materials. Examples of finding aids include published and unpublished inventories, container and folder lists, card catalogs, calendars, indexes, registers, and institutional guides.

How do you use archive grid?

Go to the ArchiveGrid homepage. You will first notice the map. You can use this map to find archives that are located in the area where your ancestors lived. Move around the map and explore the red pins in your area of research or click on the state you are researhing in the drop down below the map.

How do you cite an archive finding aid?

Citing an archival finding aid as its own document Follow the same conventions with the four elements of author(s), title, year, and source in whatever format required by your citation style.

What are finding aids?

Finding aids can take many forms and range in detail from a brief summary of a collection to an itemized list of its contents, to a card catalog, but most finding aids will fall somewhere in between. The level of detail and description depend on the resources of the repository and the collection itself. Not all finding aids are online.

What are the different types of collection search aids?

Finding aids Individual collection examples Type of collection Many collections in a single search system Navigation of images Descriptive standards Subject authority files Encoding schemes Catalogs Integrated — pictures with other media American Antiquarian Society, Online Catalog.

How do you write a finding aid for an archive?

[Title Page: The beginning of the finding aid includes the name of the archival repository, the title of the archival collection, finding aid creation information, and a date range for the materials in the archive. “Bulk dates” refers to the date range where most of the materials in the collection originate.]

What is a finding aid note?

Finding aids may be accessioned records. Helps users locate finding aids to the record group, collection, or archival materials and identifies the kind of finding aids available. This element is independent, but Finding Aid Note and Finding Aid Source are dependent on it.