This presentation was one of two presentations in the session, "XML and the Encoded Archival Description: Providing Access to Collections", at the Oregon Library Association 2004 Annual Conference. The session included a general overview of XML: potential applications, flexibility in the manipulation of various metadata records, and crosswalks between different metadata schemes. Encoded Archival Description (EAD) was used to illustrate the application of XML. EAD is a data structure standard for preserving the hierarchy and designating the content of descriptive guides (or finding aids) to archival collections. XML provides the ability (through a crosswalk between EAD and MARC) to create collection-level records in the online catalog with links leading out to the full EAD finding aids.