Case History: Library of Congress Audio-Visual Prototyping Project

1. Case History:Library of Congress Audio-Visual Prototyping Project METS Opening Day October 27, 2003 Carl Fleischhauer Office of Strategic Initiatives Library of Congress cfle@loc.gov

2. The AV Project • Preservation, sense one: reformatting into digital-file form • Preservation, sense two: sustaining digital objects • Participation by Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division (M/B/RS) and the American Folklife Center

3. Reformatting Documentation • About the source • original disc or tape being reformatted • <amdSec><sourceMD><AMD audio ext schema> • About the process • how the copy file was made, what devices/tools • <amdSec><digiProvMD><PMD process ext schema> • About the outcome • characteristics and features of the copy file • <amdSec><techMD><AMD audio ext schema>

4. Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) PRESERVATION PLANNING P R O D U C E R S C O N S U M E R S DATA MANAGEMENT INGEST ACCESS ARCHIVAL STORAGE ADMINISTRATION SIPs (Submission Information Packages) will be produced by the AV preservation activity, ready to submit to LC’s future digital repository.

6. AV Project Web Site Home Page http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mopic/avprot/

7. AV Project Extension Schema Page http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mopic/avprot/metsmenu2.html

8. AV Project Initial Data Capture System MS-Access Database - Collation Input Screen

9. Top level: work Second level: sound recordings Third level: disc sides Fourth level: cuts

10. Workflow Sidebar Recorded Sound Processing Section Content selected for reformatting 1. Initial creation or copying-in of metadata

11. Workflow Sidebar Scanning activity Recorded Sound Processing Section Content selected for reformatting LC Recording Lab or offsite contractor 1. Initial creation or copying-in of metadata 2. Creation of second layer of metadata

12. Workflow Sidebar 3. Return loop to processing, edit and possible addition of third layer of metadata Scanning activity Recorded Sound Processing Section Content selected for reformatting LC Recording Lab or offsite contractor 1. Initial creation or copying-in of metadata 2. Creation of second layer of metadata

13. The AV METS System Today

14. OUTCOME ONE: A VIRTUAL DIGITAL OBJECT (SIP) Logical storage structure based in a UNIX filesystem master -- family of logical directories where the master files are stored (there is a parallel set of “service” directories) afc -- “owner” is the American Folklife Center afc1941001 -- group or aggregate of items, often from an actual collection sr05 -- item directory (at the level of the digital object, counterpart to a bib record or “line” in a finding aid) sr05am.wav -- the master file for side A of this disc sr05am.wav -- the master file for side B of this disc Index of master/afc/afc1941001/sr05

15. OUTCOME ONE: VIRTUAL DIGITAL OBJECT The fileGrp segment of a METS instance “binds” the object Includes logical pathnames for files, future switch to persistent names possible.

16. OUTCOME 2: PRESENTATION OF OBJECT Presentation in Browser

17. Zoom on Image in Presentation

18. Interim username/password access management

19. In the Presentation: Metadata Map for the Dedicated

20. sourceMD data from the Metadata Map Extension schema content displayed as name-value pairs

21. Generator takes data from the database and makes METS XML

22. Snapshot of the database back end

23. Selection from the database diagram: tables for METS id, agent information, and structMap data

24. Selection from the database diagram: tables for extension schema data for image source, video source, and audio source

25. Selection from the database diagram: tables for digiProv (“digitization process”) information

26. Builder: the data-entry front end to the database

27. Builder: template making tool

28. Builder: tool to shape a structMap using indent, outdent, up, and down. May be used in both template and individual object modes.

29. “Cut wizard” – a twenty more like this one tool

30. Part of MODS descriptive data for a recorded interview with a former enslaved person.

31. File Association Tool

32. Tool to append a MODS record

33. Two samples from the MODS entry and editing tool. + repeats the section x and – delete sections or subsections

34. Selection from the online data dictionary

35. Some METS objects, by title

36. Administration Tool Menu

37. Blue terms are used to select separate data entry screens Example of data entry screen

38. Some Shortcomings • Cumbersome data entry – many screens, many actions • Bugs – hard to get them all fixed now that the contractor is gone • Best if users understand METS and the structMap – barrier to entry for new team members • Does not include tools for bulk compilation from pre-existing data

40. Distributed Data Entry • Hoped-for future • Each teams enters its own data in less cumbersome “local” tools • Tool for descriptive data, especially copying in and out of the ILS • Tool for data about the source item and certain technical aspects, copied in and out of MAVIS • Tool for digiProv data, “the engineers’ form” • Tool or a MAVIS extension to encode the structMap

41. Supporting Tools • To support the hoped-for future • Centralized tool to gather and compile the various XML data units into a METS instance • Facility to manage the METS XML documents

42. Fiddling our way to the future? Listen for hints in Corey Keith’s talk tomorrow . . . . That’s all in this talk today. Thank you!