The MASTER Document Type Definition
Lou Burnard
January 2001
MASTER: The DTD Overview
* Objectives
* Structure
http://www.hcu.ox.ac.uk/TEI/Master/Reference/
Objectives
The DTD must support different kinds of
applications:
* standalone database of records (finding aid)
* discursive text collecting many records (catalogue raisonné)
* metadata component within a digital surrogate (electronic edition)
Finding Aid
* subset of tags needed, with tighter constraints
* conversion of legacy data is (probably) easy
* xml data management problems
* associated data problem
...
...
Catalogue Raisonné
Using the TEI means that a msDescription
can appear anywhere a p paragraph can
The Arnamaegnan Institute and its records
Probably the finest collection of ......
For example:
...
In the following manuscript....
...
Using the TEI also means that we don't have to re-invent
all the paraphernalia of the traditional book.
Digital edition
* metadata in the header
* transcription in the body, with links to
* images in the back
Using the TEI means we can integrate all of these in a single
well-understood XML framework
A digital edition of AM 1234 Fol.
....
...
...
The TEI already provides
* basic document structure components (div, head, p, etc.
* rich collection of phrase-level elements (hi, foreign, etc.
* mechanisms for cross-referencing, multimedia, hypertext, analysis...
See further http://www.tei-c.org
So, what goes into a MS Description?
We separate, and tag differently, aspects concerned
with...
* identification
* intellectual content
* physical description
* history and curation
* ... and other manuscript descriptions
Identification (1)
The msIdentifier
Traditional three part specification:
* place (country, region, settlement)
* repository (institution, repository)
* identifier (collection, idno)
plus alternative names tagged with altName
France
Troyes
Bibliothèque Municipale
50
Medium 27178
Identification (2)
The msHeading
Short, optional, summary, possibly containing some
key fields
* just text
* author and respStmts
* title
* origDate and origPlace
* textLang
* note
13e s.
Paris
Latin, avec annotations françaises.
Biblia (AT Reg par1-Par2), cum gloss.
Intellectual Content
* May simply use paragraphs of text...
* ... or a hierarchically organized tree of msItem elements
* which may optionally be prefixed by a summary element
An extraordinary charivari of heroic deeds and
improving tales, including an early version of
Guy of Warwick and several hymns.
An extraordinary charivari of heroic deeds,
improving tales, and hymns
The msItem element
Manuscripts
contain identifiable items, usually physically tied to a locus.
Note that a msItem is not the same as a bibliographic item.
* locus, if present, must be given first
* then a mixture of any number of the following:
* author, respStmt
* title, rubric, summary,
incipit, explicit, colophon, q
* textLang, decoNote, bibl, listBibl, note
* ... or nested msItems
Physical Description
An artifical (but helpful) grouping of many distinct items.
You can simply supply paragraphs of prose, covering such topics as
* form, support, extent
* collation, layout, msWriting, musicNotation
* decoration, bindingDesc, foliation
* additions, condition
Or, group your discussion within specific elements
Similarly, within the specific elements, you can supply paragraphs of prose, or further specific elements.
History
* origin: where it all began
* provenance: everything in between
* acquisition: how you acquired it
origin is datable element and thus has
attributes notBefore and notAfter
Additional information
* adminInfo : administrative information
* surrogates : information about other surrogates eg pictures
* accMat : accompanying material
* listBibl : bibliographic annotations
Administrative information
* record history
* availability
* custodial history
* miscellaneous remarks
And finally
A msDescription can contain a nested msDescription, called a msPart
Further reading...
* The reference manual is at http://www.hcu.ox.ac.uk/TEI/Master/Reference/
* Example records are at http://www.hcu.ox.ac.uk/TEI/Master/Examples/