Reminder: Last Call: EAD 4 Draft Final Call for Comments

Just a reminder that the Technical Subcommittee on Encoded Archival Standards (TS-EAS) is currently accepting public comments on the final draft of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) 4.0. Please note that there are some updated links below for accessing the draft and related documentation.

The draft includes newly proposed changes based on suggestions and comments received from the community (https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/FeedbackReceived_1stCallForComments_EAD4.0.pdf) during the first call for comments, which ran between April and July 2024. The subcommittee would like to thank those who contributed to the review with their comments and invites all EAD users around the world to have another look at the proposed EAD 4.0 draft 0.2 with a focus on these additional changes. The deadline for comments in this round is Friday, 16 May 2025:

• Editorial on suggested changes in EAD 4.0 draft 0.2 (in comparison to EAD 4.0 draft 0.1 as published in April 2024)
• EAD Schema 4.0 draft 0.2 -- https:/github.com/SAA-SDT/eas-schemas/releases/tag/v0.2.0-alpha (xsd, rng, nvdl, schematron)
• EAD 4.0 Tag Library draft 0.2 -- https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/EAD4-Draft0.2-TL-eng.pdf
• Example files in EAD 4.0 draft 0.2 -- (focus on additional changes)

More information and materials can be found on our website.

To give comments on the proposed changes, please contribute directly in GitHub or via the TS-EAS webform (https://www2.archivists.org/standards/TS-EAS-report-an-issue).

For more information on how to do this, see the "How to Submit a Bug Report or Feature Request for EAD and EAC-CPF tutorial" (https://github.com/SAA-SDT/TS-EAS-subteam-notes/wiki/Submitting-an-Issue-or-Feature-Request. Alternatively, you can also send an email to ts-eas@archivists.org with a brief description and the rationale for the proposed change.

To ensure that the revision process is as open as possible, all comments must be attributable to named individuals and affiliated organizations where appropriate. Anonymous responses will not be considered. All change proposals will be made publicly available via GitHub (https://github.com/SAA-SDT/eas-schemas/issues). E-mail addresses are requested so that we may contact respondents for clarification. We will only use your e-mail addresses in the specific context of the EAD revision and the feedback you have provided.

TS-EAS will review any feedback received throughout April to July aiming at a submission of the new version of EAD to the Society of American Archivists' Standards Committee in autumn this year.

Kerstin Arnold (Archives Portal Europe Foundation), EAD Team lead of TS-EAS
Karin Bredenberg (Kommunalförbundet Sydarkivera)
Mary Samouelian (Harvard Business School)