Organizing Your Own Collections
Metadata Guidelines for Digital Collections at Wesleyan
Introduction
The use of metadata in describing digital files is crucial to their long-term usefulness and preservation. Good metadata (i.e., descriptive fields that are thoughtfully and consistently applied) increase current and future usefulness of digital files by:
- Improving description of items
- Improving reliable searching and retrieval of items within a collection
- Enabling compatibility with other collections (allowing cross-database searching)
- Making maintenance and potential migration of data easier over time
When planning a collection of digital objects, be sure to consider the scope of the project, the intended use(s) of the digital objects, and the intended audience(s) (both current and future) for the collection, before deciding on a metadata structure. The library suggests a minimum list of categories of information (fields) that you should use to describe the content of your resources and the nature of the digital files themselves. The guidelines that follow outline the types of descriptive information that we recommend you collect and give you some basics for structuring that data. We suggest that you contact Sally Grucan (x3845, sgrucan@wesleyan.edu) or Rebecca McCallum (x3839, rmccallum@wesleyan.edu) in the library’s Cataloging Department for assistance in setting up a metadata structure for your project.
There is important descriptive information to be gathered both about the intellectual content of the resource and about the digital object. These elements are outlined below. Some fields are required, some strongly recommended, and others are optional. In many cases, the names for the fields are given in their most generic form, and you may want to make them more specific to match the context of your collection.
In addition to defining which fields to use in describing your digital objects, you will also want to create input guidelines for most fields in order to ensure that data is entered consistently, which aids in retrieval and proper indexing.
Describing the Intellectual Content
Mandatory elements: Examples
Title |
Formal name given to the work or content, or a brief descriptive phrase for untitled content. |
Olin Library in the snow Dhandhanggula Letter from John Cage to the Village Voice Interview of Eubie Blake by Bill Barron |
Date (of the original) |
Date or date range when the original content was created or published. |
1972 2000-04-28 2007? 2002-2004 |
Creator (if there is one) |
The person or group primarily responsible for creating the work or content. |
Blake, Eubie Cage, John Wesleyan University Department of Art History |
Type (of the original) |
The general category of the nature of the content being described (image, audio, text, etc.) |
Still image Audio Text Moving image |
Recommended element: Examples
Description |
Descriptive text, notes, remarks, or comments about the content. |
Front view of Olin Library, Wesleyan University, after a January snowstorm. Concert of Gamelan and other music in Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University, April 28, 2000. Letter from John Cage to the Village Voice, January 1966, regarding an article Cage had read. Interview of Eubie Blake by Bill Barron, February 1972, in Eubie Blake’s home. |
Optional elements: Examples
Subject / Keywords |
Keywords or phrases that describe the topic of the content. |
Libraries Gamelan music Jazz musicians Blake, Eubie |
Language |
Language of the content |
English Javanese Spanish |
Contributor(s) |
A person or group who contributed to the content |
Bacon, Henry, architect Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble Barron, Bill, interviewer |
Format (of the original) |
The physical nature or medium of the object (photograph, letter, cassette recording, etc.). Can also include dimensions or extent of the original. |
Photograph 4 x 6 inches Cassette tape 57 minutes Letter 3 pages |
Relationships |
Used to relate two metadata records together (items in a set, issues of a newspaper, etc.) |
IsPartOf Vertical Files, Special Collections & Archives IsPartOf the Wesleyan Millennium Orchestra Collection References Village Voice |
Date coverage |
The date or date range represented in the content, i.e., the temporal subject. |
2009 1789-1862 1940s |
Place coverage |
The geographical location(s) represented by the content, i.e., the geographic subject. |
Middletown, Connecticut Java, Indonesia New England |
Describing the Digital Resource
Mandatory elements: Examples
Identifier |
A name or code for each digital file that is unique within your project. |
arvf_08_252_03 http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/maw_mil/3 wm5763923 |
Date (of the digital) |
The date the digital file was created or was entered into the database. |
2012 2011 2008 |
Rights |
Information about copyright and related intellectual property rights. |
“The image can be used in classrooms and other educational institutions free of charge under the fair use doctrine. All other uses are governed by copyright laws and have certain restrictions. Permission for use is required from the copyright owner. Please contact Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, for more information.” “Copyright is owned by Wesleyan University, World Music Archives, and is available for use by the public. Preferred citation is Harijito, I.M., “Dhandhanggula.” The Wesleyan Millennium Orchestra (2000). http:// |
Optional elements: Examples
Publisher (of the digital) |
The entity responsible for making the digital file available. |
Wesleyan University, Office of Communications Wesleyan University, World Music Archives Wesleyan University, Special Collections & Archives |
Format (of the digital) |
The kind of digital file (pdf, jpg, tiff, etc.). |
jpg wav
|