The TEI header

The TEI header is a vital part of any text we prepare. It is a record of the print source for the electronic text, of the work we have done on the electronic text, of where the electronic text was created, and it provides various date and keyword fields for our search tools. A copy of a template header, as well as headers from actual e-texts will be available in LETRS.

The version of the TEI header that we use consists of four major sections:

<TEIheader>

• <fileDesc>...</fileDesc>
• <encodingDesc>...</encodingDesc>
• <profileDesc>...</profileDesc>
• <revisionDesc>...</revisionDesc>

1. The File Description -- <fileDesc> -- contains a full bibliographical description of the computer file -- title, author, creator of electronic version, publisher of electronic version, the size of completed file, in KB -- along with information about the printed source from which the electronic text was derived (contained within the <sourceDesc>).

2. The Encoding Description -- <encodingDesc> --allows for detailed description of whether (or how) spelling was normalized during transcription, how the encoder resolved ambiguities in the source, what levels of encoding or analysis were applied, and so on.

3. The Text Profile Description -- <profileDesc> -- provides a detailed description of non-bibliographic aspects of the text, specifically the languages used.

4. The Revision History Description -- <revisionDesc>: allows present and future encoders to provide a history of changes made during the development of the electronic text.

Sample TEI Header

The Tags Exclusive to the Header

The global attributes are as follows:

• n=
• id=
• rend=
• lang=

<teiHeader> : supplies the descriptive and declarative information making up an "electronic title page" prefixed to every TEI-conformant text. May contain: encodingDesc fileDesc profileDesc revisionDesc Attributes: global plus the following:

• type= : specifies the kind of document to which the header is attached.
• creator= : identifies the creator of the teiHeader, using the name or initials of the person or institution responsible.
• status= : indicates whether the header is new or has been substantially revised. Legal values are: "new" or "update".
• date.created= : indicates when the first version of the header was created.
• date.updated= : indicates when the current version of the header was created.

<fileDesc> :

contains a full bibliographic description of an electronic file including statements of responsibility and a full bibliographic description for the source or sources from which the electronic text was derived.

May contain: <editionStmt> <extent> <notesStmt> <publicationStmt> <seriesStmt> <sourceDesc> <titleStmt>

Attributes: global

<titleStmt>

May contain: <title> <author> <editor> <sponsor> <funder> <principal> <respStmt>

Attributes: global

<editionStmt>:

groups information relating to one edition of a text.

May contain: <edition> <respStmt> <p>

Attributes: global

<edition>:

describes the particularities of one edition of a text.

May occur within: <bibl> <editionStmt>

May contain: #PCDATA (free text) <abbr> <add> <address> <anchor> <code> <corr> <date> <del> <emph> <foreign> <formula> <gap> <gi> <gloss> <hi> <ident> <kw> <mentioned> <name> <num> <orig> <ptr> <ref> <reg> <rs> <s> <seg> <sic> <soCalled> <term> <time> <title> <xptr> <xref>

Attributes: global

Example:
<edition>First edition <date>Oct 1990</date>
</edition>

<extent>:

describes the approximate size of the electronic text as stored on some carrier medium, specified in any convenient units.

May occur within: <bibl> <biblFull> <fileDesc>

May contain: #PCDATA (free text) <abbr> <add> <address> <anchor> <code> <corr> <date> <del> <emph> <foreign> <formula> <gap> <gi> <gloss> <hi> <ident> <kw> <mentioned> <name> <num> <orig> <ptr> <ref> <reg> <rs> <s> <seg> <sic> <soCalled> <term> <time> <title> <xptr> <xref>

Attributes: global

Example:
<extent>Filesize uncompressed: 35435 bytes. </extent>

<publicationStmt>:

groups information concerning the publication or distribution of an electronic or other text.

May occur within: <biblFull> <fileDesc>

May contain: <address> <authority> <availability> <date> <distributor> <idno> <p> <publisher> <pubPlace>

Attributes: global

Example:
<PUBLICATIONSTMT>
<PUBLISHER>Library Electronic Text Resource Service
(LETRS),
Indiana University</PUBLISHER>
<DATE>September 18, 1995</DATE>
<AVAILABILITY><P>© 1995, The Trustees of Indiana University.
Indiana University makes a claim of copyright only to original contributions made by the
Victorian Women Writers Project participants and other members of the university
community. Indiana University makes no claim of copyright to the original text. Permission
is granted todownload, transmit or otherwise reproduce, distribute or display the contributions to this work claimed by Indiana University for non‐profit educational
purposes, provided that this header is included in its entirety. For inquiries about commercial uses, please contact:
<ADDRESS>
<ADDRLINE>Library Electronic Text Resource Service</ADDRLINE>
<ADDRLINE>Main Library</ADDRLINE>
<ADDRLINE>Indiana University</ADDRLINE>
<ADDRLINE>Bloomington, IN 47405</ADDRLINE>
<ADDRLINE>United States of America</ADDRLINE>
<ADDRLINE>Email: LETRS@indiana.edu</ADDRLINE></ADDRESS>
</P></AVAILABILITY>
</PUBLICATIONSTMT>

<distributor>:

supplies the name of a person or other agency responsible for the distribution of a text.

May occur within: <publicationStmt>

May contain: #PCDATA (free text) <abbr> <add> <address> <anchor> <code> <corr> <date> <del> <emph> <foreign> <formula> <gap> <gi> <gloss> <hi> <ident> <kw> <mentioned> <name> <num> <orig> <ptr> <ref> <reg> <rs> <s> <seg> <sic> <soCalled> <term> <time> <title> <xptr> <xref>

Attributes: global.

<availability>:

supplies information about the availability of a text, for example any restrictions on its use or distribution, its copyright status, etc.

May occur within: <publicationStmt>

May contain: <p>

Attributes: global plus the following:

• status=: supplies a code (free, unknown, or restricted) identifying the current availability of the text.
• free=:the text is freely available.
• unknown=: the status of the text is unknown.
• restricted=:the text is not freely available.

Example:
<availability status=restricted>
<p>Available for academic research purposes only. </p>
<availability status=free>
<availability status=restricted>
<p>Available under licence from the publishers.

<seriesStmt>:

groups information about the series, if any, to which a publication belongs.

May occur within: <biblFull> <fileDesc>

May contain: <idno> <p> <respStmt> <title>

Attributes: global

Example:
<seriesStmt>
<title>Victorian Women Writers Project: an Electronic Collection</title>
<respStmt><name>Perry Willett, </name>
<resp>General Editor</resp></respStmt></seriesStmt>

<notesStmt>:

collects together any notes providing information about a text additional to that recorded in other parts of the bibliographic description.

May occur within: <biblFull> <fileDesc>

May contain: <note>

Attributes: global

<sourceDesc>:

supplies a bibliographic description of the copy text(s) from which an electronic text was derived or generated.

May occur within: <biblFull> <fileDesc>

May contain: <bibl> <biblFull> <p>

Attributes: global plus the following:

• default=: values YES | NO

<encodingDesc>:

documents the relationship between an electronic text and the source or sources from which it was derived.

May contain: <projectDesc> <samplingDecl> <editorialDecl> <tagsDecl> <refsDecl> <classDecl> <p>

Attributes: global

<projectDesc>

May contain: <p>

Attributes: global plus the following:

• default= : values: YES | NO

<editorialDesc>

May contain: <p>

Attributes: global plus the following:

• default=: YES | NO

<tagsDecl>

May contain: <rendition> <tagUsage>

Attributes: global

<tagsUsage>:

Lists the tags used throughout the document, and the number of times they occur.

May contain: #PCDATA (free text) <ident> <code> <kw> <abbr> <address> <date> <name> <num> <rs> <time> <add> <corr> <del> <gap> <orig> <reg> <sic> <unclear> <emph> <foreign> <gloss> <hi> <mentioned> <soCalled> <term> <title> <ptr> <ref> <xptr> <xref> <anchor> <s> <seg> <gi> <formula> <eg> <bibl> <biblFull> <cit> <q> <label> <list> <listBibl> <note> <figure> <stage> <table> <text>

Attributes:global plus the following:

• gi=
• occurs=
• ident=
• render=

<rendition>:

supplies information about the intended rendition of one or more elements.

May contain: #PCDATA (free text) <ident> <code> <kw> <abbr> <address> <date> <name> <num> <rs> <time> <add> <corr> <del> <gap> <orig> <reg> <sic> <unclear> <emph> <foreign> <gloss> <hi> <mentioned> <soCalled> <term> <title> <ptr> <ref> <xptr> <xref> <anchor> <s> <seg> <gi> <formula> <eg> <bibl> <biblFull> <cit> <q> <label> <list> <listBibl> <note> <figure> <stage> <table> <text>

Attributes: global

<profileDesc>:

provides a detailed description of non-bibliographic aspects of a text, specifically the languages and sublanguages used, the situation in which it was produced, the participants and their setting.

May occur within: <teiHeader>

May contain: <creation> <langUsage> <textClass>

Attributes: global

<langUsage>:

describes the languages, sublanguages, registers, dialects etc. represented within a text. May contain either a simple prose description, or more formally one or more <language> elements

May occur within: <profileDesc>

May contain: <language> <p>

Attributes: global

<language>:

identifies the language being described in the writing system declaration.

May occur within: <langUsage>

May contain: #PCDATA (free text)

Attributes: global plus the following:

• iso639= : gives the standard language code from ISO 639.
• value=: any two- or three-letter code included included in ISO 639; if the language is not included in the list in ISO 639, the value should be given as the empty string.

Example:
<language iso639=GRC>Classical Greek</language>

<revisionDesc>:

summarizes the revision history for a file. Record changes with most recent changes at the top of the list.

May occur within: <teiHeader>

May contain: <change> <list>

Attributes: global

Example:
<revisionDesc>
<change><date>1995-06-30</date>
<respStmt><name>Felix Jung</name>
<resp>editor</resp></respStmt>
<item>finished data entry, basic encoding and proofing</item></change></revisionDesc>

<change> :

summarizes a particular change or correction made to a particular version of an electronic text which is shared between several researchers.

May occur within: <revisionDesc>

May contain: <date> <item> <respStmt>

Attributes: global

<respStmt> :

supplies a statement of responsibility for someone responsible for the intellectual content of a text, edition, recording, or series, where the specialized elements for authors, editors, etc. do not suffice or do not apply.

May occur within: <bibl> <change> <editionStmt> <series> <seriesStmt> <titleStmt>

May contain: <name> <resp>

Attributes: global

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