EAD Basics 5:

Having covered <eadheader> in my last post, I'll continue with <frontmatter>, which bundles together preface text found before the actual Archival Description (which is in the <archdesc> tag). The tags it contains tend to matters providing information about the creation, use, or publication of the aid itself,  rather than anything to do with the contents thereof.

It can contain two subsequent tags:

<div> - optional, contains text divisions

<titlepage> - Optional, contains what it sounds like it contains.

Here is an example of the <frontmatter> tag in use:

<frontmatter>
        <titlepage>
            <titleproper>Register of the Gibbons (Stuart C.) Papers,
                <date>1955-1964</date>
            </titleproper>
            <num>Collection number: Ms28</num>
            <publisher>San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum
                <lb/>
                <extptr actuate="onload" show="embed entityref="sjmlogo">
                <lb/>
            Lodi, California</publisher>
            &tp-cstoh;
            <list type="deflist">
                <defitem>
                    <label>Processed by: </label>
                    <item>Don Walker</item>
                </defitem>
                <defitem>
                    <label>Date Completed: </label>
                    <item>1997</item>
                </defitem>
                <defitem>
                    <label>Encoded by: </label>
                    <item>Don Walker</item>
                </defitem>
            </list>
            <p>&copy; 2000 San Joaquin County Historical Society &amp; Museum. All rights reserved.</p>
        </titlepage>
    </frontmatter>