What is ISAD(G) And EAD? And even if we don't repeats these in MIDAS II, there should probably be some sort of thing pointing towards these other sources of info (maybe there already, been a while since I looked)

best wishes

Nick Boldrini
SMR Computing Officer
Heritage Unit
North Yorkshire County Council
Direct Dial (01609) 532331
http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/environment/heritage.shtm#Archaeology

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>>> [log in to unmask] 09/09/2003 10:05:55 >>>
Dear all

I agree with Ed's points below about ISAD(G) and EAD and also the ADS
Guides to Good Practice.

I always saw MIDAS as a guide to 'what we record' not how we look after
the artefacts of the recording process. Or maybe we should start
thinking along those lines and retrain as archaeolovists!

Phil



-----Original Message-----
From: Lee, Edmund [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 09 September 2003 09:32
To: [log in to unmask] 
Subject: [FISH] {SPAM?} RE: [FISH] MIDAS 2 - tweaking or overhaul?


Hello Neil,

Thanks for your comments. You wrote...
> I don't think MIDAS should be expanded much at all.  Right now it is 
> nicely focussed and is relevant to HER work.

Certainly that would make things a lot simpler for FISH! but I think
there is a need for HER work to develop (for example the need to record
historic landscapes as well as monuments) that is not currently well
covered by MIDAS. Anyone else got any thoughts on this.

> Admittedly, it needs a section on digital imagery, but I don't think 
> it should try to be all things to all Records centres.

What would be the issues here? File formats, optimum file sizes or
resolutions? Is MIDAS the place for that sort of thing, or should this
belong in other heritage sector sources of advice (e.g. the ADS Guides
to Good Practice series)?

> Right now, a significant issue for most HERs is how to store, index 
> and hold the metadata for historic mapping, plans, Tithe maps, slides,

> prints and aerial photographs, ranging in size from A0 to A6 or so.  
> Some practical guidance on this would most useful.

I agree. More on the use of metadata for archive items (of all sorts)
would be a good thing. So far the idea would be to divide up some of the
units of information (e.g. to separate archive Format from Archive Type
- they are currently lumped together). The rather unlovely
'Bibliography, Documentary Archive and Objects' information scheme will
also be retitled 'Resources' to reflect the wider range.

That said I don't think it should be the role of MIDAS to duplicate the
standards covered more appropriately by e.g. ISADG or Encoded Archival
Description. But perhaps we need enough detail so that HERs and similar
bodies could make use of (and provide) data on theor specialist archive
holdings to archival record holders.

Edmund Lee
English Heritage Data Standards Unit



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