Make/teach: create finding aids using free tools

Thanks to everyone for attending.  Special thanks to Eric for making this cool google doc with all the links covered:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QhFsJTzzWOtbAP-xfB-3na3A9Ka7ryUb6f7_MML3hvY/edit?usp=sharing

This session stepped through some of the tools that could be used to make finding aids for free.  We looked at a free text editor.  We looked at a free online xml validator and some desktop applications that do xml validation.  We looked at free templates online that can be tweaked in your text editor.  Someone (sorry I don’t remember your name!) pointed out that the page hosting the templates also has a “request your own form” link.  Let us know if that works outside the state of California if you try it!  We also looked at the EAD Cookbook that has different xslt or stylesheets.  Stylesheets in the cookbook are used to transform xml into html.

Eric’s google doc (link above) will also be the home page for any information posted about a project to use google forms to create VERY BASIC finding aids.  I’ve never done this before, so this will be a learning experience for me as well.  If you didn’t join the session, but want to join the project, add your email to Eric’s google doc.  Phase 1: designing google form. Phase 2: reviewing and testing google form.  Phase 3: I will write some ruby to transform into ead.  Phase 4: review and refine.  Phase 5: go over ruby script so we all know what it does and how to tweak it if you wanted to make small changes to the google form.