We are @AdrianPlau @nic_o_la @mistry18691987 and we've been working on TEI manuscript descriptions @WellcomeLibrary through our period of building closure following Covid-19. In this paper, we will tell you about how we’re working and our challenges. #DOsTC2020 [THREAD]

. @WellcomeLibrary previously maintained TEI repositories of Indic manuscripts ( http://bit.ly/30NDRMx ) & contributed to the Arabic union catalogue Fihrist ( http://bit.ly/3hCubud ) but was looking to expand its TEI use to encompass more diverse manuscript collections. #DOsTC2020

. @WellcomeLibrary holds manuscripts in a variety of scripts & languages but this information is often only found in print catalogues ( http://bit.ly/30SC09k ). TEI is versatile and lets us record this metadata in ways that are responsive to unique manuscript cultures. #DOsTC2020

For instance, our Malay records ( http://bit.ly/37AMcEE ) draw on three different catalogues and handlists, gathering all the available information in a single set of records and utilising the digitised images of the manuscripts for added verification. #DOsTC2020

Following the temporary building closure, we’ve found TEI to be exceptionally useful in a work-from-home situation. A newly formed TEI team with members from different departments has worked virtually, coordinating through Microsoft Teams, Planner and Github. #DOsTC2020

TEI, traditionally used in research contexts, is now being used by information professionals to enrich finding aids here. Training has been provided by @AdrianPlau through online tutorials, weekly team sessions, and one-to-one catch-ups as needed. #DOsTC2020

Building on the msDesc schema ( http://bit.ly/2AC2ktD ) we use local templates ( http://bit.ly/2AK0E12 ) & step-by-step manual. When not contributing to union catalogues like Fihrist, we don’t use authority records. And for the encoding, we primarily work in OxygenXML #DOsTC2020

Cataloguing for archivists and librarians, usually involves working from physical items from the collection but one of the benefits of TEI is that it’s possible to catalogue from home using digital records and scans of legacy paper catalogues. #DOsTC2020

While TEI gives us a range of new ways to describe resources it can initially be overwhelming, especially if you’re used to different encoding (MARC) & cataloguing standards (AACR2/RDA) to provide a framework for bibliographic records, says librarian @nic_o_la #DOsTC2020

It’s essentially been a gear-shift from creating interoperable, but often limited, catalogue records @nic_o_la continues, to creating metadata for unique material (both content and carrier) with greater potential to improve access and discoverability for the end user. #DOsTC2020

. @AdrianPlau highlights how TEI copes with a variety of scripts and languages, often in the same manuscript, as well expressing the structures of distinct items within a manuscript, making it highly responsive to global manuscript cultures. #DOsTC2020

It’s also been tricky to visualise how our TEI records will finally look to a researcher on http://wellcomecollection.org , says archivist @mistry18691987, impacting on how detailed we think our tagging should be. But until then, we’re creating as many TEI records as we can. #DOsTC2020

We've worked on a variety of smaller collections. We hold 24 Batak items, incl. 11 pustahas or manuscripts written on tree bark leaves bound in wooden covers tied shut with rattan bands.This image (possibly!) shows an opening of MS Batak 66486 ( http://bit.ly/3eccjnU ) #DOsTC2020

Other Batak items ( http://bit.ly/2ANulOP ) include bamboo rods, strips of paper wound round sticks & bone objects, containing a handbook for the use of gunpowder and guns, works on divination, medical texts for the treatment of a range of ailments & protective magic. #DOsTC2020

We've now started work on our Hebrew manuscripts, working from a 1982 catalogue and a project-specific, rather than a generic, template [ http://bit.ly/3fzqNyl ]. Defined instructions & values makes this template easier to use for new TEI starters & aids consistency #DOsTC2020

The Hebrew collections contain biblical and medical texts and miscellaneous other items, like marriage contracts, and handbooks for blessings. They are in Yiddish and Hebrew, with some containing elements of Arabic, Italian, and Persian. #DOsTC2020

In summary, TEI has proven to be a robust aid for collaborative and virtual teamwork. This valuable piece of work will not only make more unique and distinctive material discoverable to our researchers... #DOsTC2020

But it has given staff the confidence to connect with a part of the collection they might otherwise might not have had the opportunity to get familiar with. We look forward to seeing where TEI will take us in the future. Thanks to @JHMorris89 and the @DigiOrientalist #DOsTC2020