National Academy of Sciences

Historians, genealogists, literary critics and others have long made use of the interconnected nature of archival materials in their research. New standards in archival description provide an opportunity to more easily reveal and better leverage this interconnectivity. In Simmons College’s Early Career Development Project, Katherine Wisser explores this potentially transformative new capability by studying manuscript finding aids that have been constructed using one new descriptive standard, “Encoded Archival Context – Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families (EAC-CPF).” As a form of controlled vocabulary for the names of creators or subjects of archival materials, EAC-CPF carries the promise of linking the holdings of archives together, making it easier for researchers to see connections in the past. Using social network analysis, this project seeks to explore these connections among some American literary figures as revealed by the new standard. The project will result in recommendations for best practices in archival description.