Introduction to metadata Describe and tag your collections

What is metadata?

What is metadata? Even you have metadata • • • Full legal name Birth date Tax file number Employee ID Home address Email address

What is metadata? Data about data, tells you • What is it? • Where is it? • What can you do?

What is it? Description helps users • Search • Distinguish • Connect

Where is it? Location helps navigation • To collections • Within items

What can you do? Administration helps management • Access • Copyright • Preservation

Why is metadata important? Collections without metadata are like soup cans without labels

Why is metadata important? Magnify the value of collections • • Visibility Discoverability Management Connections

Keywords are useful, but…

Always think about discovery Be consistent • Standards • Thesauri • Vocabularies • Local practice

Practical guidance Step 1: Make description decisions

Make decisions Discovery & access • In person vs. Online Standards & thesauri • Free text vs. vocabulary

How to describe Level of description • Individual vs. Collection Level of detail • Significance vs. Time

Practical guidance Step 2: Understand the essentials What? Who? Where? When?

What? Think about… • What is the format? • What does it depict? • What is it about? • What is it related to?

Who? Think about… • Who created it? • Who does it depict? • Who is it about? • Who holds the rights? • Who can use it?

Where? Think about… • Where was it created? • Where is it about? • Where did the ‘who’ live or operate?

When? Think about… • When was it created? • When is it about? • When did the ‘who’ live or operate?

Practical guidance Step 3: Record the essentials

Metadata fields • • Title Creator Date Location • • Format Description Subjects Rights

Title – Formal title Use meaningful titles provided by the creator • Caption • Label • Film leader

Title – Devised title Otherwise, devise a brief title that uniquely identifies the material • Include the essentials • Be precise • Be succinct Queensland Ambulance Association officers demonstrate first aid, Brisbane, 1942

Creator Can be • Individuals • Families • Corporate bodies Identify the main creator • Predominately responsible

Creator Most commonly known name • H&M, not Hennes & Mauritz Fullest form of the name • Spell out initials Structured format • Hacker, Henry, 1876 -1973

Date Be consistent! Fullest form possible • 22 May 1961, not ’ 61 • 1901 -1940 Don’t use letters – 1 st, 13 th, etc.

Date – Uncertain If unsure of exact date • 1911? (probable date) • ca. 1915 (approximate date) • ca. 1890 -1900 (approximate range) Where possible, record SOMETHING

Location Always include state or higher jurisdiction • Warwick (Qld. ) vs. Warwick (England) Further differentiate non-unique names • West End (Townsville, Qld. ) • Queen Street (Goodna, Qld. )

Location – Coordinates Use geographic coordinates • Use decimal degrees • Enhance discovery SLQ estate maps Historypin

Description Brief summary of significant details • Be objective – don’t evaluate • Be interesting but concise • Use natural language If the title says it all, don't add a description

Description Describe the essentials • • What is it? Who/what is it about? When/where did it occur? … what can you see? Studio portrait of a teenage girl, 1910 -1920, showing head and shoulders. She wears a large bow in her hair, a flat collar with a lace front and a striped dress.

Format Current format • 1 digital image : JPEG • 1 diary (42 pages) Original format for copies • 1 glass plate negative

Format Size or extent of a collection • 1. 5 linear metres • 10 boxes • 12 audiocassettes • 50 digital photographs • 5 audio files

Subjects Tags to link related content • • Topical Name Place Time period • • Event Genre Form etc.

Subjects Controlled examples • • architectural drawings (visual works) K'Gari / Fraser Island (SE Qld SG 56 -03) stations (properties) Authors, Australian -- 19 th century -- Diaries

Rights Creators own copyright • May set rules for use • Expiration varies by content type Donors may set restrictions Let users know what they can do! • Access and reuse

Practical guidance Example records

Example 1 – MARC

Example 2 – Dublin Core

Example 3 – Vgallery

Example 4 – Historypin

‘Taking tea on the verandah, ca. 1910’

digitalresources@slq. qld. gov. au Contact the Metadata Services team at SLQ with follow-up description questions