Metadata in the HDA

To make digital files searchable, metadata (literally data about data) needs to be attached to each file. Simply put, an HDA search for an image of a statue in Turkey will not yield results unless the words "statue" and Turkey" have been associated with the digital file. The addition of metadata to a digital file is, alongside the actual digitization process, the most time consuming part of creating content for the HDA. To facilitate the speedy processing of HDA files, the Hekman Library has created a series of web pages (see HDA and HDAQ) that allows the addition of metadata to be shared between HDA staff and the College or Seminary department responsible for the digital collection.

Standards (International and Local)

Numerous standards exist for describing digital (and physical) images, depending on the type of digital files. The standard most often used by Digital Library initiatives is the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI), which is also used for the HDA. The decision to use an international standard, which admittedly has the potential to not allow precise customization, resolves the risk of isolating or hiding the Digital collection from online users searching for information, and could allow the eventual integration of HDA material into a cooperative system.

As an analogy, the content of WebCat, the Library's Online catalog, is carefully controlled by the Library's technical services department in order to maintain the integrity of the data that is entered and imported into the system. The content of the HDA would theoretically fall under the same careful control, but pragmatically this will not be the case. Since the Hekman Library does not have the budget to hire a full time metadata librarian, Library staff have improvised a web-based data entry system (HDAQ) that can accept data entered from College or Seminary departments. While there are some inherent dangers in allowing non-cataloging personnel enter data, there are various safeguards in place.

Glossary of Terms

 Formal Name Creator Subject Local Notes Publisher Contributor Date of Original Date of Digital Version Original Genre Original Format Digital Format Local Identifier Source Language of Original Language of Digital Related items Coverage Copyright

WebCat Label: Formal Name
Identifier: DC.Title
Definition: A formal name given to the resource.
Comment: Typically, a Title will be a name by which the resource is formally known.
Qualifiers: Use UPPER CASE letters where appropriate; use final punctuation only when not a full stop (.)

Creator

WebCat Label: Creator
Identifier: DC.Creator
Definition: An entity primarily responsible for making the content of the (original) resource.
Comment: Examples of a Creator include a person, an organisation, or a service.
Qualifiers: Last name, first name (or initial), middle name (or initial). Enter only one creator/author; additional creators/authors can be included in "Contributors"

Subject

WebCat Label: Subject
Identifier: DC.Subject
Definition: The topic of the content of the resource.
Comment: Typically, a Subject will be expressed as keywords, key phrases or classification codes that describe a topic of the resource.
Qualifiers: Consult with HDA staff (LCSH, MESH, Sears).

Local Notes

WebCat Label: Local Notes
Identifier: DC.Description
Definition: An account of the content of the resource.
Comment: A free-text account of the content, and may include but is not limited to: an abstract, table of contents, or a reference to a graphical representation of content.
Qualifiers: Use free-text

Publisher

WebCat Label: Publisher
Identifier: DC.Publisher
Definition: An entity responsible for making the resource available
Comment: Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organisation, or a service.
Qualifiers: Place (if applicable), Name

Contributor

WebCat Label: Contributor
Identifier: DC.Contributor
Definition: An entity responsible for making contributions to the content of the resource.
Comment: Examples of a Contributor include a person, an organisation, or a service. These may include editors, additional authors, etc.
Qualifiers: Typically used for additional creators/authors; use a semi-colon (;) to separate multiple entries.

Date of Original

WebCat Label: Date of Original
Identifier: DC.DateOrig
Definition: A date associated with the start of the life cycle of the original (analogue) resource.
Comment: Typically, the Original Date will be associated with the creation or availability of the resource in it’s original (analogue) format.
Qualifiers: defined in a profile of ISO 8601 [W3CDTF] and follows the YYYY-MM-DD format.

Date of Digital Version

WebCat Label: Date when Digitized
Identifier: DC.DateDig
Definition: A date associated with the start of the life cycle of the digitized resource.
Comment: Typically, the Digitized Date will be associated with the creation or availability of the resource in it’s digital format.
Qualifiers: defined in a profile of ISO 8601 [W3CDTF] and follows the YYYY-MM-DD format.

Original Genre

WebCat Label: Original Genre
Identifier: DC.Type
Definition: The nature or genre of the content of the resource, as defined by qualifiers.
Comment: Type includes terms describing general categories, functions,genres, or aggregation levels for content.
Qualifiers: select a value from a controlled vocabulary (for example, the working draft list of Dublin Core Types [DCT1]). To describe the physical or digital manifestationof the resource, use the FORMAT element.

Original Format

WebCat Label: Original Format
Identifier: DC.FormatOrig
Definition: The physical or digital manifestation of the resource.
Comment: Typically, Format may include the media-type or dimensions of the resource in its original form.
Qualifiers: Examples of dimensions include size and duration.

Digital Format

WebCat Label: Digital Format
Identifier: DC.FormatDig
Definition: The physical or digital manifestation of the resource.
Comment: Typically, Format may include the media-type or dimensions of the resource. Format may be used to determine the software, hardware or other equipment needed to display or operate the resource. Examples of dimensions include file size and resolution.
Qualifiers: values from a controlled vocabulary (for example, the list of Internet Media Types [MIME] defining computer media formats).

Local Identifier

WebCat Label: Local Identifier
Identifier: DC.Identifier
Definition: An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.
Comment: Local Identifier from original collection (the of the digital item will be determined by the Library, found in the H.Name and/or H.AltID. If original source is a web page, use formal identification systems such as the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) (including the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)), the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Qualifiers:

Source

WebCat Label: Source
Identifier: DC.Source
Definition: A reference to the original (analogue) resource from which the digitized resource is derived.
Comment: Use Local Identifier if the digitized resource is derived in whole from the original resource. Include a source if the digitized format derives from a part of the original (analogue) resource.
Qualifiers:

Language of Original

WebCat Label: Language of Original
Identifier: DC.LanguageOrig
Definition: A language of the intellectual content of the resource in its original format
Comment: Choose from predefined list of values.
Qualifiers: defined by RFC 1766 [RFC1766] which includes a two-letter Language Code (taken from the ISO 639 standard [ISO639]), followed optionally, by a two-letter Country Code (taken from the ISO 3166 standard [ISO3166]). For example, 'en' for English, 'fr' for French, or 'en-uk' for English used in the United Kingdom.

Language of Digital

WebCat Label: Language of Digital
Identifier: DC.LanguageDig
Definition: A language of the intellectual content of the resource in its digitized format
Comment: Use only if different from Language of Original
Qualifiers: defined by RFC 1766 [RFC1766] which includes a two-letter Language Code (taken from the ISO 639 standard [ISO639]), followed optionally, by a two-letter Country Code (taken from the ISO 3166 standard [ISO3166]). For example, 'en' for English, 'fr' for French, or 'en-uk' for English used in the United Kingdom.

Related items

WebCat Label: Related Items
Identifier: DC.Relation
Definition: A reference to a related resource.
Comment: Recommended best practice is to reference the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a formal identification system.
Qualifiers:

Coverage

WebCat Label: Keywords
Identifier: DC.Coverage
Definition: The extent or scope of the content of the resource.
Comment: Include keywords which might not otherwise be included in the subject headings. Coverage may also include spatial location (a place name or geographic coordinates), temporal period (a period label, date, or date range) or jurisdiction (such as a named administrative entity). Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary (for example, the Thesaurus of Geographic Names [TGN]) and that, where appropriate, named places or time periods be used in preference to numeric identifiers such as sets of coordinates or date ranges.
Qualifiers:

Copyright

WebCat Label: Copyright
Identifier: DC.Rights
Definition: Information about rights held in and over the resource, i.e., Copyright holder.
Comment: Example, “Archives, Calvin College,” Typically, a Rights element will contain a rights management statement for the resource, or reference a service providing such information. Rights information often encompasses Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Copyright, and various Property Rights. If the Rights element is absent, no assumptions can be made about the status of these and other rights with respect to the resource.
Qualifiers: