Encoded Archival Context

Encoded Archival Context – Corporate bodies, Persons and Families (EAC-CPF) is an XML standard for encoding information about the creators of archival materials – i.e., a corporate body, person or family -- including their relationships to (a) resources (books, collections, papers, etc.) and (b) other corporate bodies, persons and families. The goal is to provide contextual information regarding the circumstances of record creation and use. EAC-CPF can be used in conjunction with Encoded Archival Description (EAD) for enhancement of EAD's capabilities in encoding finding aids, but can also be used in conjunction with other standards or for standalone authority file encoding.

EAC-CPF is defined in a document type definition as well as in an XML schema and a Relax NG schema. EAC-CPF elements reflect the International Standard Archival Authority Record standard and the General International Standard Archival Description, two standards managed by the International Council on Archives.

EAC-CPF has been and is being tested in various institutions, such as the European Union LEAF project; 'Linking and Exploring Authority Files', funded between 2001 and 2004.{{cite journal |first=Jutta |last=Weber |url=http://eprints.rclis.org/bitstream/10760/4191/1/weber_eng.pdf |title=LEAF. Linking and Exploring Authority Files (www.leaf-eu.org) |publisher=E-LIS. E-prints in Library and Information Science |year=2003 |location=Florence |journal=International Conference Authority Control: Definition and International Experiences |accessdate=2 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307191147/http://eprints.rclis.org/bitstream/10760/4191/1/weber_eng.pdf |archive-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}

The Ad Hoc EAC-CPF Working Group's early drafts were published in 2004.{{cite web |url=http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/eac/ |title=Encoded Archival Context - Beta |date=29 November 2004 |publisher=Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities |accessdate=2 April 2011}} and the working group released a draft for public comment in August 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.library.yale.edu/eac/ |title=<Encoded Archival Context /> |year=2003 |publisher=Yale University Library |accessdate=2 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326171728/http://www.library.yale.edu/eac/ |archivedate=26 March 2011 }} prior to publication of the completed standard in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://eac.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/

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