Connecting the Dots is a collaboration between Harvard and Yale Universities to demonstrate the benefits of using Encoded Archival Context Corporate bodies, Persons, and Families (EAC-CPF) to describe creators of manuscript collections and encode meaningful semantic links between those creators themselves and the primary sources that document their lives and work. The project focuses on lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) and his circle of fellow writers, artists, political thinkers and friends, as well as collectors thereof. EAC-CPF records created describe Johnson and members of his circle, document and make navigable their relationships, and provide links to the rich Johnsonian archival resources held by the Beinecke and Houghton Libraries.

Project Team: 

Ellen Doon
Head of Manuscript Unit
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University

Krista Ferrante
Project Archivist
Houghton Library

Brooke McManus
Archives Assistant
Harvard Art Museums

Susan Pyzynski
Associate Librarian for Technical Services
Houghton Library

Michael Rush
EAD/Accessioning Archivist
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University

Melanie Wisner
Accessioning Archivist
Houghton Library

Mary Yearl
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University