Hi! All,


Just wondering if anyone has thoughts/experience considering how to use EAD
(might be an EAD system) with Museum management software.

My understanding is:
1) From the perspective of Museums, individual items are maintained via the
management software, which in turn are more independent. If in need of
holding an exhibit, the items are organized to server the purpose. In other
words, museums have more concern on individual items.

2) From EAD (archivist's) view, Finding Aids (in EAD format) focus more on
the whole collection and relationship among items (items (e.g. newsletter,
daily, photos) are organized in a hierarchical structure). Individual items
are less value if out of the collection.

Therefore, in order to use EAD with Museum management software, I think that
if EAD software and Museum management software can talk each other, they can
work together.

Down to the detailed implementation, if we have:
1) Records in Museum management software have a field to link to the
external finding aid (EAD). Then museum software can talk with EAD ( Museum
software -----> EAD)
2) Finding aids in EAD software must have each item linking to its entity in
Museum management software. Then EAD ---> Museum software.  However, the EAD
standard only contains <dao> etc fields for digital objects. Can we achieve
the communication from EAD side?

Any different way of thinking? Anything missing above?

Yan
University of Arizona

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