Descriptions of the parts inherit information from descriptions of the whole. Agreement on this overall structure enabled Team Pitti to evaluate the encoded elements that had been incorporated in the BFAP model. Generic elements usually are embedded within a descriptive element. The team agreed that when elements have a close analog in the TEI guidelines, the element name and, when appropriate, the element content model should be taken from those guidelines. SGML provides for the association of attributes with encod- ed elements, and Team Pitti concluded that the finding aid DTD should take full advantage of this possibility.
Attributes provide an optional opportunity to make an element more specific.
A small set of basic elements can be expanded through attributes in lieu of creating a large set of specific elements. For example, an attribute associated with the personal name element can specify the role of the person as creator or collector, sender or recipient. By combining descriptive and generic elements with attributes in a simplified document structure, the Bentley group was able to distill from the BFAP model the essential finding aid tag library. An overview of the early results of that drafting process are provided here following the statement of the Ann Arbor Accords. Team Pitti emphasized the importance of documentation, such as a tag library and application guidelines, to make the DTD viable.