Att katalogisera en specialsamling med hjälp av TEI: En metodprövande studie utförd på Swedenborgsarkivet i Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien

Abstract

In this thesis, the TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) encoding scheme is investigated as a system for storing metadata about manuscript material and 18th century first prints in the Swedenborg Archives at the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. The aim of the study is to test the functionality of TEI as a metadata system in cataloguing a special collection. Some criteria of functionality are formulated, and examples of encoded catalogue entries are described and analysed. It is demonstrated how descriptive metadata have been registered within the TEI header, while structural metadata have been recorded within the text element of the TEI file. On the whole, TEI is considered to be a functional tool that matches the present purposes. Some weaknesses are pointed to, however: For example, the TEI encoding scheme is not perceived to be fully satisfying for presenting descriptive metadata about manuscripts and prints in the same volume, and, moreover, it is not considered fully appropriate for describing abstract logical text structure in relation to the physical structure of the document. Lastly, TEI is compared to two other metadata systems, the AACR2, ch. 4, and AMREMM. A general conclusion is that the TEI offers a set of guidelines that can easily be adapted to specific needs, while a system for cataloguing in a more proper sense must also contain a set of rules concerning what categories of data are to be included, and in what form it is to be done.