The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) has announced free spring training opportunities on encoding finding aids to enhance the collection access efforts of historical and genealogical societies, archives, museums, libraries, colleges, local governments and other institutions who hold Texas’ archival collections.
Introduction to TARO: Encoding and Submitting Finding Aids is a workshop designed to serve anyone learning how to encode archival finding aids using the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) standard in XML, but focuses on the local guidelines and participation logistics for the state consortium for finding aids, Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO).
Through these workshops, archivists will learn the hands-on basic skills needed to participate in the TARO finding aid platform, www.txarchives.org. Trainers will offer day-long workshops in Beaumont and Tyler. Registration is free but limited to 15 participants at each site.
Locations and dates:
- February 26, 2024 | Lamar University, Beaumont | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- March 4, 2024 | UT Tyler, Tyler | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
For contact information and to register visit: bit.ly/TAROworkshops24.
Morning sessions will provide basic information on EAD and the standards used with it, as well as background on TARO. Afternoon sessions will include hands-on time using an XML editor (or alternatively, using ArchivesSpace) to build a valid EAD XML finding aid file and uploading it to TARO.
In 2020-2021, TARO underwent significant changes and upgrades, which this workshop will address, so it will be useful even to those who are familiar with the previous version of TARO. This includes required tags and attributes, suggested subject browsing terms and a new way of uploading and managing files. Participants will learn how XML tags work, what the EAD tags are, how to validate an XML file, how to use the TARO Best Practices Guidelines and how to upload files to TARO. Detailed handouts and sample files will allow participants to continue their practice after the workshop. Trainers Robert Weaver, Amy Bowman and Amanda Focke will lead these hands-on workshops.
THRAB programming is made possible by funds from the National Historical Records and Publications Commission (NHPRC).
