Information on the Source's Depository (//fileDesc/sourceDesc/msDesc)

The direct originals for the works in the DTA are, as a rule, image files (facsimiles) created on the basis of physical copies of the editions of the works. The location and composition of the physical copies as well as the location of the associated image files are specified in the Manuscript Description (<msDesc>) of the Source Description.

First of all, the guide print (i. e. the printed original, which the edition mainly follows) is described in more detail. Occasionally, e. g. in the case of missing pages in the guide print, a further copy of the source edition must be used for the transcription of individual pages. In this case, the <msDesc> element is used multiple times to describe all text originals.

The <msIdentifier> element contains a unambiguous specification of the copy on which the DTA edition is based. The location is described within <msIdentifier> by specifying the owning library/institution/person (<repository>) and the corresponding identification number(s) (<idno>).

For the information on the identification numbers within <msIdentifier> there is exactly one attribute-free <idno> element. In it, all identification numbers to a document are subsumed in the form of single typed <idno> elements. The @type attribute can have the following values:

  • "shelfmark": shelfmark of the physical text source;
  • "URLCatalogue": URL of the catalogue entry in which the underlying copy is listed;
  • "URLImages": URL of the underlying image files of the text digitization;
  • "URN": URN of the underlying image files of the text digitization.
Attention: Persistent identifiers (PIDs) should be used as source identification addresses to ensure that the source is accessible in the long term via the specified address.

Furthermore, the Manuscript Description contains information about the predominant font in the respective volume (<physDesc>/<typeDesc>).

Via a @xml:id and a @corresp attribute, each Manuscript Description is unambiguously linked to an <availability> element within the Publication Statements of the File Description, which specifies the license of the image files on which the DTA text edition is based and which accompany it in the context of the web publication. If no license of the image files is known, this will be noted accordingly in the <licence> element within the <availability> element (see chapter License Details). The connection to a <msDesc> is nevertheless established. 

<msDesc xml:id="[ID]" corresp="[ID of the corresponding license]"> <!-- repeated use if necessary -->
  <msIdentifier>
  <repository>[owning library/institution/person]</repository>
    <idno>
    <idno type="shelfmark">[shelfmark]</idno>
    <idno type="URLCatalogue">[URL of the catalogue entry]</idno>
    <idno type="URLImages">[URL of the image files]</idno>
    <idno type="URN">[URN of the image files]</idno>
    </idno>
  </msIdentifier>
  <physDesc>
    <typeDesc>
    <p>[predominant font, e. g. 'Fraktur']</p>
    </typeDesc> 
  </physDesc>
</msDesc>