You can attach supplemental PDF files to your EAD collection guides, in cases where you have longer collection inventories and other descriptive information that is not encoded in EAD. It's easy!

For an example of what this looks like, check out the "Additional Collection Guides" links at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt9s2042mx/admin/#otherfindaid

The steps include:

Step 1: Prepare Supplemental PDF Files

When preparing supplemental PDF files, please ensure that they are web-accessible. They will also be full-text searchable within the OAC—meaning they will appear in OAC search results when users hit on any words within. 

Not sure about your PDF? Open it in a PDF reader. If you can copy and paste text to another document, or conduct a search using CTRL + F, it should be searchable in the OAC.

In order to ensure users have some context for the PDF, we suggest adding some preliminary information on the first page of the PDF. For example:

  • Collection title associated with the inventory/box list/container list/etc.
  • Collection number
  • Name of your repository
  • Contact information for your repository, for reference questions

Save the PDF file, and note the exact filename (e.g., "ms104.pdf") -- you will need this for the next step.

Step 2: Prepare or Update the EAD File

Update the EAD finding aid (that is associated with the PDF files) to include the outbound links to the PDF files. There are several options for doing so, depending on the tool you are using to prepare your EAD files.

Option A: The following EAD encoding "template" can be used to build the link from the EAD file to supplemental PDFs, using the <otherfindaid> tag (within the top-level <archdesc> section) and a nested <extref> tag. Within the <extref> HREF attribute: add a forward slash, followed by the exact name of the PDF file with the .pdf extension (e.g., "/ms104.pdf"). Note the specific use of the <extref> ROLE attribute, which must be set to "http://oac.cdlib.org/arcrole/supplemental". Within the <extref> tag itself, provide a descriptive title for the supplemental PDF file (e.g., "Business correspondence inventory").

<otherfindaid>
<head>Additional collection guides</head>
<list>
<item>
<extref href="/filename.pdf" role="http://oac.cdlib.org/arcrole/supplemental">Descriptive title for the PDF file</extref>
</item>

[Note: For any additional PDFs, use additional <item> tags, with nested <extref> tags within.]

</list>
</otherfindaid>

Option B: For schema-based finding aids, Xlink-specific attribute values need to be pre-pended with "xlink" to reference the Xlink namespace:

<extref xlink:href="/filename.pdf" xlink:role="http://oac.cdlib.org/arcrole/supplemental">Descriptive title for PDF file</extref>

Option C: For ArchivesSpace finding aids, you can snip these into your Notes fields (at the collection or any component level).

To add the finding aid at the collection level: 1) Open your ASpace resource record, and go into "Edit" mode; 2) Go to your "Notes" section, and add a note, following these instructions:

  • Note type: "Other finding aids"
  • Persistent ID: (leave blank)
  • Label: Additional collection guides
  • Type: (leave as is)
  • Content:
<list>
<item>
<extref href="/filename.pdf" role="http://oac.cdlib.org/arcrole/supplemental">Descriptive title for the PDF file</extref>
</item>

[Note: For any additional PDFs, use additional <item> tags, with nested <extref> tags within.]

</list>

To add the finding aid at another component level (or in another note type): choose any "note type" as desired. You may optionally include the link within a sentence, for example,

All items from this series are available in this <extref xlink:href="/filename.pdf" xlink:role="http://oac.cdlib.org/arcrole/supplemental">Descriptive title for PDF file</extref> document.

Option D: For Archivists' Toolkit finding aids, use"ns2":

<extref ns2:href="/filename.pdf" ns2:role="http://oac.cdlib.org/arcrole/supplemental">Descriptive title for PDF file</extref>

Step 3: Submit the EAD and Supplemental PDF Files (upload to the OAC server)

  1. Upload the EAD file and follow the steps to publish the EAD file (that is associated with the PDF files), following these instructions.
    • Note: You will need to do this before uploading the PDF files, because this action will create a new, specific directory for the supplemental PDF file upload.
  2. Upload the PDF files from your workstation to your PDF Production Directory on our server (here are instructionsto create a connection to our server to upload files).
    • The PDF files should be uploaded to the specific directory named after the EAD file, with which the PDF file(s) should be associated.
    • Do not upload non-PDF file formats into the directory, or alter the directory (e.g., change the directory name, add subdirectories).
  3. Re-publish the EAD file (that is associated with the PDF files), again following these instructions.

Note on Published Supplemental PDF Files

The finding aid as well as the supplemental PDF file(s) will be available the next day, typically by the next morning. Note that larger supplemental PDF files (~100+ pages) may take longer to process, and may take through the next afternoon for all pages to generate.