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Metadata for Digital Projects

Metadata for Digital Projects. South Central Regional Library Council March 25, 2010. Workshop Topics. Definitions of Metadata Types of Metadata Purposes of Metadata Metadata Schemes Dublin Core Standardization of content Controlled vocabularies/thesauri, authority files

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Metadata for Digital Projects

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  1. Metadata for Digital Projects South Central Regional Library Council March 25, 2010

  2. Workshop Topics • Definitions of Metadata • Types of Metadata • Purposes of Metadata • Metadata Schemes • Dublin Core • Standardization of content • Controlled vocabularies/thesauri, authority files • Content standards • Metadata for Tools of History • Quality Control

  3. What is Metadata? • Simple definition: “data about data” or “information about information” • Many more definitions exist…

  4. Metadata Definitions • “Metadata is structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource.” (NISO, Understanding Metadata, 2004) • “The sum total of what one can say about any information object at any level of aggregation.” (Murtha Baca, Introduction to Metadata, Getty Research Institute) • “Structured information used to find, access, use and manage information resources primarily in a digital environment.” (International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science, 2003)

  5. One more definition • Structured data that describes a resource, identifies relationships among resources, supports the discovery, management and effective use of Web resources, exists in many environments. • (Sherry Vellucci, UCSD Metadata Services Talk, 2006: http://tpot.ucsd.edu/Cataloging/VellucciPresentation.ppt#295,18,What Is Metadata?)

  6. Metadata serves many purposes Search, browse, discover, access, describe, identify, use, manage, share • Metadata allows you to: • describe, locate, manage, and preserve your digital items • Metadata allows users to: • discover, access, identify, understand, and use your digital items • Metadata allows machines to: • process, share, and manipulate your digital items

  7. Types of Metadata • Descriptive • Factual information – who, what, when, where • Analytical information – what is it about (subject analysis) • Increases access by providing searchable terms • Structural • Information that identifies the structure of complex objects (e.g. books) • File formats • Administrative • Rights, permissions, restrictions • Identifiers • Provenance information • Preservation/Technical information about the digital file itself, including how it was created

  8. Metadata Schemes • The “alphabet soup” of metadata: • AACR2/MARC • TEI • EAD • VRA Core • CDWA • METS • MODS • PREMIS • MIX • DC (Dublin Core – Tools of History Metadata Style Guide based on DC) There are many more, but you get the idea!

  9. Dublin Core

  10. Dublin Core Background • Developed in 1995 • International, cross-disciplinary collaboration • Primarily descriptive metadata • Simple and flexible • 15 Core elements • All elements are optional (none are mandatory), all are repeatable

  11. Simple Dublin Core Elements

  12. Simple Dublin Core Elements • Title – A name given to the resource. • Creator – An entity primarily responsible for making the resource. • Subject – The topic of the resource. • Description – An account of the resource. • Publisher – An entity responsible for making the resource available.

  13. Simple Dublin Core Elements • Contributor – An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource. • Date – A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource. • Type – The nature or genre of the resource. • Format – The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource. • Identifier – An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.

  14. Simple Dublin Core Elements • Source – The resource from which the described resource is derived. • Language – A language of the resource. • Relation – A related resource. • Coverage – The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant. • Rights – Information about rights held in and over the resource.

  15. Qualified Dublin Core • DCMI developed qualifiers to refine the use/meaning of the simple DC fields – make terms more specific. • CONTENTdm supports Qualified Dublin Core. • Examples: • Qualifiers for Date: • Date-Created, Date-Issued • Qualifiers for Relation (sometimes used in pairs): • Relation-References, Relation-Is Referenced By • Relation-Is Part Of, Relation-Has Part

  16. Controlling the data • No rules for formatting content within the fields inherent to Dublin Core. • Data should be formatted consistently so that records are interoperable with records from other collections. • The who, what, when, and where should be standardized: • Controlled vocabularies, thesauri • Authority Files • Encoding schemes (e.g. for languages and dates) • Data content standards • AACR2, ISBD, DACS, CCO

  17. Controlling Names • Personal, Corporate, Geographic Names • Examples: • Library of Congress Name Authority File • Union List of Artist Names (The Getty) • Thesaurus of Geographic Names (The Getty) • Provide preferred format of name. • Typically have cross-references.

  18. Controlled Vocabularies/Thesauri • Used for subject indexing. • List of authorized terms, cross-references, and scope notes. • Cross-references • Synonym control – see references • Related terms – see also references • Narrower and Broader terms • Examples: • Thesaurus for Graphic Materials • Library of Congress Subject Headings • Sears Subject Headings • Chenhall’s Nomenclature • Art & Architecture Thesaurus

  19. Metadata is not a perfect science • Subjectivity, biases, different views, different content, different formats, different purposes, different audiences = different results. • The simplicity of and lack of rules associated with the Dublin Core is both a blessing and a curse! • The nature of the Dublin Core allows it to be applied in a variety of ways: • DC implementers develop style guides or data dictionaries that impose rules on the creation of the data within the fields (specify use of certain vocabularies and standards)

  20. Let’s examine some records…

  21. Creating Shareable Metadata • Concept of “sharable metadata” comes from OAI-PMH community. • Shareable metadata uses standards and rules similar to those used by others to make records more interoperable. • Think outside of your local box (organization) • Include information that is assumed in local context • Exclude information that only has meaning in local context • Records should be understandable on its own (when separated from the resource). http://webservices.itcs.umich.edu/mediawiki/oaibp/?PublicTOC

  22. Principles of Good Metadata • Good metadata conforms to community standards in a way that is appropriate to the materials in the collection, users of the collection, and current and potential future uses of the collection. • Good metadata supports interoperability. • Good metadata uses authority control and content standards to describe objects and collocate related objects. A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections, NISO http://framework.niso.org/

  23. Principles of Good Metadata, cont… • Good metadata includes a clear statement of the conditions and terms of use for the digital object. • Good metadata supports the long-term curation and preservation of objects in collections. • Good metadata records are objects themselves and therefore should have the qualities of good objects, including authority, authenticity, archivability, persistence, and unique identification.   A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections, NISO http://framework.niso.org/

  24. Metadata as Communication H.P. Grice’s maxims governing communication: • Make your contribution as informative as possible • Do not make your contribution more informative than is required • Do not say what you believe to be false • Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence • Be relevant • Avoid obscurity of expression • Avoid ambiguity • Be brief • Be orderly Structures, standards, and the people who make them meaningful by David Bade http://www.loc.gov/bibliographic-future/meetings/docs/bade-may9-2007.pdf

  25. Tips for Metadata Success

  26. Tips for Metadata Success • What are the mission, goals, and objectives of your project? • Who is your audience? How much information will they need/want? • Think about other potential uses/users. • How much information do you already have? Do you have “legacy” data or are you starting from scratch?

  27. More Tips… • Helpful to have an understanding of entire digital collection before you begin. • Ideally physical items should already be inventoried, cataloged, accessioned, etc. • Do some research. • If you don’t know, don’t guess.

  28. Still More Tips… • Take your time. • Analyze the who, what, when, and where. • What is the significance of the item? • How will users find the item? • How will you manage the item? • What do users need to know to understand and use the item? • How will you bring similar resources together? • And one more tip….

  29. HAVE FUN!!

  30. Metadata for Tools of History

  31. Title • Title should be brief and descriptive. • How much information do you include in the title? Dates, locations? • If an existing label or caption is not descriptive, consider creating your own title. • Remember that the title is searchable. Are there keywords you should use?

  32. Creator • Recommended that you consult name authority files before creating your own heading. • Union List of Artist Names • Library of Congress Name Authority File • If you find a heading for the person in an authority file, enter it exactly how you found it. • Names should be inverted when creating your own heading. Include birth/death dates if known: • Palmentiero, Jennifer B., 1971-

  33. Date.Original • Dates have always been problematic • 3/4/07 - March 4, 2007 vs. April 3, 2007 • 1920 June 30 vs. June 30, 1920 • Best practice is to use the ISO 8601 standard as defined in a profile by the W3C (W3CDTF) – YYYY-MM-DD. • Uncertain dates (circa, approximate, date ranges, unknown dates).

  34. Contributors • Someone who contributes to the intellectual content of the resource. • Illustrators • Photographers of photographs in books, articles, etc. • Filled-in forms (e.g. government forms) • Reproductions • Photographs, postcards of works of art (paintings, sculpture, etc) • Photographs of architecture • Know your audience

  35. Publisher.Original • Use Publisher.Original if the original item was published and if publisher is known. • Newspapers and Clippings • Books • Postcards • Brochures

  36. Description • What terms need to be included to help users find the resource? Think about synonyms for subject terms. • What information do they need to understand the resource? • Identify, interpret, both? • Don’t guess or make assumptions. • How much is too much? • Use a Notes field to provide information that goes beyond describing the resource.

  37. Subject headings • Some general words about subject headings: • Subjects can be topics or names (personal, corporate, geographic). • Concentrate on item in hand. • Assign terms from controlled vocabularies and thesauri -important for bringing similar items together. • Include form/genre term(s) • Best practice is to identify source of term (LCSH, TGM, ATT, etc.)

  38. Subject headings-Thesaurus for Graphic Materials (TGM) • Developed by the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. • Comes bundled with CONTENTdm. • Also freely available online:http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tgm1/ • Has both topic and form/genre terms. • Good place to start for photos and other images.

  39. Subject headings-Other sources • TGM is not exhaustive. You may find that you need to use other vocabularies: • Library of Congress Subject Headings • SEARS Subject Headings • Art and Architecture Thesaurus (The Getty) – now comes bundled with CONTENTdm • Chenhall’s Nomenclature • Locally created subject terms • Recommended that you use a vocabulary that you are familiar with, have access to, and is appropriate for your collection. • Set-up separate subject fields for different vocabularies (Subject.TGM, Subject.LCSH, Subject.AAT, etc.)

  40. Personal Name • Use this field when a person is the SUBJECT of the resource. • Consult authority file before creating your own heading (LCNAF, ULAN, local authority file) • When you have to create your own heading invert the name and use fullest form: • Palmentiero, Jennifer B., 1971-

  41. Personal Names cont… Choosing among different names (nicknames, married vs. maiden names, multiple marriages, name changes): What about a person who has had multiple names throughout her life and who is not listed in the LOC name authority? For example:     Born: Elnora Stephanie Fothe 1925.     School changed given name to Eleanor, with which she continue throughout her life.     First marriage to a Mr. Otto.     Second marriage to Willard Haynes Patrick.     Third marriage to Reed Dean.     Nicknames: "Crisco Kid", "Ellie", "Ed."     Died: 1997.

  42. DACS for construction of name headings Determine the name by which a person is commonly known from the following sources and in the order of preference given: • the name that appears most frequently in the person’s published works (if any) • the name that appears most frequently in the archival materials being described • the name that appears in reference sources • the latest name DACS, Chapter 12

  43. More from DACS If a person’s name shows a nickname in quotation marks or within parentheses as part of other forename(s), omit the nickname in formulating the heading: Name used: Martin (Bud) Schulman Heading: Schulman, Martin If a married woman’s name shows her own forenames in parentheses as part of her married name, omit the parenthesized elements in formulating the heading: Name used: Mrs. John A. (Edna I.) Spies Heading: Spies, John A., Mrs. DACS, Chapter 12

  44. Corporate Name • Use this field when a corporate entity is the SUBJECT of the resource. • Consult authority file before creating your own heading (LCNAF, ULAN, local authority file). • What is considered a corporate entity? List available here: http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/auth1320.htm

  45. Location • Use when a geographic location is a SUBJECT of the resource. • Avoid using for portraits and other items where the location is not explicitly represented. • Consult a controlled vocabulary (Thesaurus of Geographic Names).

  46. Tools of HistoryTopics • Broad Topic categories for browsing. • Not intended to replace more specific subject headings. • Assign 1-3 as appropriate.

  47. Language • Language of the content of the resource (not the metadata record). • Use a language code for text resources. • Assign three-letter code from ISO 639.2. • Full word for the language may be used in the Description field.

  48. Coverage • Spatial location or temporal (time) period of the content of the resource. • Coverage.Spatial – used mainly with maps to record geographic coordinates. • Coverage.Temporal - may be used if creation date of resource is different than date/time period represented in the content of the resource. • Example: Painting created in 1850 depicting a scene from the American Revolution • Date.Original: 1850 • Coverage.Temporal: 18th Century OR 1775-1783

  49. Format.Original • Use for descriptive purposes – provides users with physical details/description of original resource. • Difficult to standardize in a shared metadata environment • Local practices vary • Use of different vocabularies and standards

  50. Resource Type • DCMI Type Vocabulary used in Tools of History. • Examples from DCMI Type Vocabulary • Image • Still Image • Moving Image • Sound • Text • Physical Object

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