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Archival Description
Archives and manuscript collections exist throughout the Library of Congress, encompassing a wide variety of material types and subjects. Archival description encompasses the dual processes of cataloging and production of finding aids.
Archival Finding Aids
Archival repositories such as the Library of Congress routinely create detailed inventories, registers, indexes, and guides to describe their collections of primary source materials. These finding aids provide a comprehensive overview of a collection's scope and contents. They define the conditions under which a collection may be accessed or copied, explain its provenance, and contain histories of individuals and organizations connected with the collection.
Descriptions of Library of Congress archival collections can also be searched in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.
Many Library of Congress archival collections are described by print finding aids available only in individual reading rooms.
Encoded Archival Description (EAD)
The Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is an international standard for encoding
archival finding aids. The Library
of Congress maintains this standard in partnership with the Society
of American Archivists. 
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)
A free-of-charge cooperative cataloging program operated by the Library of Congress, the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) creates online records in OCLC WorldCat on behalf of eligible archival repositories throughout the United States and its territories. The program's mission is further realized by the provision of free searching, via NUCMC gateways, of archival and manuscript cataloging.
Last Updated: 08/11/2009