<odd> Other Descriptive Data

<odd> is used to encode information about described materials that isn’t easily incorporated to other named elements within <archdesc> and <c>. It may be especially useful to handle leftover descriptive data when converting a print finding aid to EAD markup. It should only be used after consideration of how its use will affect search and display of the information.

The Library of Congress says that <odd> “may be used are when the information does not correspond to another element’s definition; when the information is of such mixed content as to make a single classification difficult; and when shifting the information to permit more specific content designation would be too costly or burdensome for the finding aid encoder. The first situation may occur especially when additional narrative description is required beyond what is included in the <bioghist> and <scopecontent> elements, such as when the finding aid is describing a computer file.”

<odd> is comparable to ISAD(G) data element 3.6.1 and MARC field 500. It may occur within <archdesc>, <archdescgrp>, <c>, <c01> through <c12>, and <descgrp>.

Attributes

  • ALTRENDER – not required. Use if the content of the element should be displayed or printed differently than the rendering established in a style sheet for other occurrences of the element.
  • AUDIENCE – not required. Use to set whether the element’s contents will be visible to external users or to internal ones. Possible values are: “internal” and “external.”
  • ID – not required. Creates an ID for element. Can be used for linking.
  • ENCODINGANALOG – not required. May contain information to map this tag to a particular element in another schema.
  • TYPE – not required. This may provide additional content specification.

Subelements

<odd> may contain additional <odd> elements as well as: <address>, <blockquote>, <chronlist>, <dao>, <daogrp>, <head>, <list>, <note>, <p>, and <table>.

DACS

See DACS Section 7, Notes. Added value. (DACS 2013, pp.77-81)

Examples

 <odd>
	<list type="simple">
		<item>Department of Economic Affairs: Industrial Policy Group: Registered
		Files (1-IG and 2-IG Series)
		<ref actuate="onrequest" target="ew26" show="new">EW 26</ref>
		</item>
		<item>Department of Economic Affairs: Industrial Division and Industrial
		Policy Division: Registered Files (IA Series)
		<ref actuate="onrequest" target="ew27" show="new">EW 27</ref>
		</item>
	</list>
</odd>

EAD tag library entry for <odd>.