Duke Core Metadata Guidelines

Drafted in support of the Strategic Plan Goal 2 initiative

Why metadata?

The primary purpose of descriptive metadata is to assist researchers in the discovery of resources relevant to their research objectives. The library assembles a large number of digital objects in a repository system that researchers can access in a wide variety of scenarios.  Two principles come into play when approaching description for these digital objects: interoperability and specificity.  Interoperability ensures that the end user can search across collections in a unified repository setting.  Specificity, on the other hand, highlights the uniqueness of a collection and its objects.  It is important to keep both principles in mind when analyzing materials for digital collections.

In addition to resource discovery, interoperability, and specificity, metadata allows us to express relationships between digital objects, organize digital collections, and manage the digitization workflow.

The Duke Core

The Perkins Library system employs a core set of metadata elements for all objects in its digital collections repository system.  In many cases, this Duke Core set will be sufficient as-is to describe all of the items in a collection.  In other cases, items may be described using the core set as described below with some refinements.  For some unique digital resources, however, we may use distinct, domain-specific schemas. Since one of our goals for digital collections is to guarantee interoperability, we require that the deviations from the Duke Core schema be crosswalked or transformed semantically to Duke Core.

Creating Metadata at Duke

The Duke Core metadata standard includes guidelines for describing digital collections at the collection, category, and item levels.  Collection-level description is required for all digital collections, but not all collections require category- or item-level description.  For example, very large collections generally benefit from being broken into categories based on subject, material type/format, or other characteristics, but this may not be necessary for small collections.  Decisions about the level and type of description for a digital collection should be made in conjunction with the Metadata Librarians and the Metadata Advisory Group, who will discuss options with and make recommendations to the project proposer.  Among the questions to be considered when developing a metadata plan for a digital collection are:

• Who is the potential audience for the collection and how will they use it?
• How can the items in the collection be logically grouped?
• What are the workflow, time, and resources needed and available to provide metadata for the digital collection? 

While the initial inclination may be to provide item-level metadata for every item in every digital collection, this is not always desirable or feasible.  Good metadata at the category level can often provide the same quality of access to a digital collection with much less expenditure of resources than item-level description.

“Found metadata” should be used whenever possible.  Collections are rarely digitized with no existing metadata whatsoever.  Found metadata may include slide labels, logbooks, MARC records, notes jotted on the back of photographs, or other similar forms.  It is usually easier to massage existing metadata than to create new metadata from scratch.  The Metadata Librarians and Metadata Advisory Group can advise collection sponsors on the best way to use, reshape, or supplement existing metadata.

A three-pass approach should be used for digital collections:

1^st pass: Selection, Identification, & Work Plan

Phase of analysis before digitization and description.  Identify items in the system; perform analysis on structures to establish item-level records and item parts.  Assign identifier, working title, sufficient identifying metadata to assist with digitization and to set up description.  Create a work plan for the project that describes how the work will be done, identifies who will do it, and estimates the time required to do the work.

2^nd pass A: Description

Metadata providers take over and describe materials following guidelines set out by the Metadata Advisory Group.

2^nd pass B: Digitization

The Digital Production Center produces technical metadata to accompany digital objects.

3^rd pass: Quality Control

Review for quality and accuracy.

Metadata Element Sets

The three element sets (collection-level, category-level, and item-level) of Duke Core are presented below.  Within each element set, required elements are presented first and are then followed by non-required elements in alphabetical order.

Collection-Level Metadata Element Set

*Required element

Collection-level metadata provides information about a collection’s existence and availability to interested users.  It describes the subject, context, and nature of the materials reflected in the unit being digitized.   This information can be used for the indexing, discovery, management, and identification of the digital resource. 

 

 

Description: Name or label given to the collection by the sponsor.

Guidelines:

• The Collection Title should uniquely identify the collection as a whole; it should give the user some indication of the subject or nature of the collection.
• Creative titles (such as Ad*Access, Emergence of Advertising in America, etc.) are encouraged.  They can be more appealing to a broad audience and can help to increase interest in the collection.
• When an entire physical collection is digitized, consider using the DACS-based title of the collection, such as Hugh Mangum Photographs, circa 1890-1922. These titles typically contain the creator name followed by type of material and the inclusive dates of the collection. See DACS rule 2.3 Title Element, pp. 17-23.
• If dates are used in the Collection Title, use standardized forms (yyyy-yyyy) at this level. See DACS rule 2.4.16, p. 28. 

Required: yes

Repeatable: no, but element Collection.Short.Title may be used as a shortened form of long titles

Crosswalks:      MARC               245

                        EAD                 <archdesc><did><unittitle>

                        VRA Core          <vra: title>

Examples:

Historic American Sheet Music

The Urban Landscape Digital Image Access Project

Medicine and Madison Avenue

Construction of Duke University, 1924-1932

 

 

Definition:  This element provides brief biographical or historical information about the creator of the collection and information about the nature of the materials so that users can judge the collection’s potential relevance.

Guidelines:  

• The biographical/administrative history should provide relevant information about corporate bodies, families or persons who are identified using the Creator Element.  The history should be no longer than 2-3 sentences.
• A few sentences describing the scope and content of the materials may include information about any or all of the following:
  • the function(s), activity(ies), transaction(s), and process(es) that generated the materials being described;
  • the documentary form(s) or intellectual characteristics of the records being described (e.g., minutes, diaries, reports, watercolors, documentaries);
  • the content dates, that is, the time period(s) covered by the intellectual content or subject of the unit being described;
  • geographic area(s) and places to which the records pertain;
  • subject matter to which the records pertain, such as topics, events, people, and organizations; and
  • any other information that assists the user in evaluating the relevance of the materials.
• If the digital collection consists of materials from more than one organic collection, then the abstract should include a statement which acknowledges those collections.
• Additionally, information about why the material was digitized and/or acknowledgment of funding sources can be supplied in the abstract, if applicable.

Crosswalks:      MARC 5XX

                        EAD <abstract>                                    

Required:  Yes

Repeatable:  No

Examples:

William Gedney Photographs and Writings

From the mid 1950s through the early 1980s, William Gedney (1932-1989) photographed throughout the United States, in India, and in Europe. From the commerce of the street outside his Brooklyn apartment to the daily chores of unemployed coal miners, from the indolent lifestyle of hippies in Haight-Ashbury to the sacred rituals of Hindu worshippers, Gedney was able to record the lives of others with remarkable clarity and poignancy. These photographs, along with his notebooks and writings, illuminate the rare vision of an intensely private man who, as a writer and photographer, was able to reveal the lives of others with striking sensitivity. Included here are selections from Gedney's finished prints, work prints, contact sheets, notes, notebooks, handmade photographic books, book dummies, and correspondence.  The material ranges in date from the 1950s-1989.

James Cannon III worked as an educator and administrator at Trinity College and Duke University from 1919 to 1960, serving as Dean of the Divinity School from 1951 to 1958. The Canon papers contain correspondence, manuscript drafts of sermons and publications, course materials, subject files, clippings, photographs, ephemera, and scrapbooks relating to the life and work of James Cannon III. Major subjects include biblical literature and the Bible as literature, religious education, missionary training, history of religion, Christianity, Buddhism, comparative religion, and the Cannon family, especially James Cannon, Jr. and James Cannon IV. The material ranges in date from 1912-1974.

 

The University Task Force on Child Care was appointed by President Keith Brodie in 1988 and chaired by Dr. Paula Burger, Vice Provost for Academic Services. It was dissolved in 1990.  The collection includes minutes, correspondence, reports, audiocassettes, and printed material documenting the creation and organization of the task force and its study of child care issues at Duke University. It ranges in date from 1985-1990.

 

 

Description: A single-sentence condensation of the Collection Abstract, written in a standard format.  The Collection Capsule may be displayed on web pages in conjunction with the Collection Short Title and Collection Icon to provide information about the content of a collection.

Guidelines:

• Include the following information in a single sentence: type of materials; intellectual content of the collection; approximate number of items in the collection; source of materials; approximate date range of materials.
• The Collection Capsule should give the user an idea of the content of a collection so he or she can decide whether to explore it further.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      N/A

Examples:

Images of over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.

75 photos, letters, and scrapbooks related to the construction of the Duke campus, dated 1924-1932.

 

 

Description: An image used to brand objects as part of a collection.  The Collection Icon stands in as visual shorthand for that collection. 

Guidelines:

• Image should provide a compelling visual representation of the collection while rendering well at small sizes.  Will appear at both 60x60 pixels and 30x30.
• Collection sponsor should identify the image to be used for the icon, but will not be responsible for resizing the image to icon sizes.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      N/A      

Examples: 

See images available at:

            http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/imgs/adaccessthumb.jpg

            http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/imgs/hmp-thumb.jpg

                       

 

Description: Information on copyright or restrictions-related conditions regarding use of the collection.

Guidelines:

• Record any information regarding use of the collection based on copyright restrictions, statutory/regulatory requirements, and/or donor-imposed restrictions.  The statement may be detailed to the extent that such information is known, or it may be succinct, simply alerting users to the general potential of such restrictions.
• Consult with the Scholarly Communications to develop appropriate copyright statements for the collection web site.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      MARC               540      

                        EAD                 <userestrict>                             

Examples:

The materials in this collection are made available for use in research, teaching and private study. Texts and images from this collection may not be used for any commercial purpose without prior permission from Duke University.

 

All copyrights that exist in this material have not been transferred to Duke University. When use is made of these texts and images, it is the responsibility of the user to obtain additional permissions as necessary and to observe the stated access policy, the laws of copyright and the educational fair use guidelines.

 

The materials in this collection are made available for use in research, teaching and private study. Texts and images from this collection may not be used for any commercial purpose without prior permission from Duke University.  Although these texts and images are made publicly accessible for the limited uses described above, they are not all in the public domain. Where copyright persists in this material, that right is owned either by Duke University or by the creators of the object or their descendents. When use is made of these texts and images, it is the responsibility of the user to secure any necessary permissions and to observe the stated access policy, the laws of copyright and the educational fair use guidelines.

 

Description: The name of the organization or administrative body that provides oversight of the collection.

Guidelines:

• The form of the name does not need to come from any particular authority file, but provide a clear and complete name (e.g., Duke University Archives, not UA).
• If more than one collection owner exists, determine if one will serve as the primary contact for the digital collection. Otherwise, use the next higher level of hierarchy as the Owner Name. For example, a collection consisting of material from both Duke University Archives and the Archive for Human Rights would use Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library as the Owner Name (unless one of the owners will serve as the primary contact for the collection).

Required: yes

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      MARC               710, 791           

                        EAD                 <publisher>

Examples:

Duke University Archives

Public Documents and Maps

 

Description: The phone number of the organization or administrative body that provides oversight of the collection.

Guidelines:

• Give the phone number, including area code, in this form: XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      N/A

Examples:

919-660-5822

 

 

Description: The URL of the organization or administrative body that provides oversight of the collection.

Guidelines:

• Use the URL for the organization’s home page.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      N/A

Examples:

http://library.duke.edu/uarchives/

http://docs.lib.duke.edu/

 

Description: A shortened version of the collection title used for display purposes to prevent formatting problems.

Guidelines:

• The Collection Short Title should be based on the Collection Title, and should be recognizable as a version of the same Collection Title.
• Omit sub-titles, lengthy descriptive sections, and/or date ranges.

Required: no, use only when the collection title will cause complications in display

Repeatable: no

Crosswalks:      MARC               246

                        EAD                 <unittitle>

                        VRA Core          <vra: title>

Examples:

Collection Title:              The Urban Landscape Digital Image Access Project

Collection Short Title:     The Urban Landscape

Category-Level Metadata Element Set

*Required element

Category-level metadata can be used to provide structure and organization to a collection that facilitates browsing. Categories can make a large digital collection more manageable and navigable for end users. Additional description and access rights can be applied to categories of materials. Each item in a collection can belong to more than one category.

 

 

Description: Name or label given to the category. Usually the Category Title relates to common attributes of the digital objects, such as subject, format, provenance, or special copyright restrictions.

Guidelines:

• The Category Title should uniquely identify the category; it should give the user some indication of the subject or nature of the materials within it.
• Category titles should help the user make sense of the collection and find material more easily. Breaking a large collection into several categories based on format or subject can enhance usability.
• If dates are used in the Category Title, use standardized forms (yyyy-yyyy) at this level. See DACS rule 2.4.16, p. 28.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no; each category should have only one Category Title

Examples:

Composers, 1962-1968

Scrapbooks

Kentucky, 1964 and 1971

 

 

Definition:  This element provides brief information about the category and the nature of the materials so users can judge the category’s potential relevance.

Guidelines:  

• The Category Abstract should include information about the creators, formats, subjects, or date ranges pertinent to the category.
• Limit the Category Abstract to 2-3 sentences.  If more information is needed or desired, use the Essay Link element to link to that material.                  
  

Required:  No

Repeatable:  No

Examples:

Administrative Records, 1925-1930

Administrative records pertaining to Duke Construction. Series includes payroll records and invoices for dormitory items and lumber.

 

Television (1939 - 1957)

Advertisements featuring television sets, as well as a few other miscellaneous electronics, are included in this category. An interesting feature of many of these ads is their promotion of individual television programs.

 

 

Definition: What the content of the category is about or what it is, expressed by topical, personal, corporate, or geographic terms for significant people, places, organizations, events, and topics reflected.

Guidelines:

• Category Subject terms must apply to every item in the category. All items assigned to the category will inherit the category’s subject terms. If subject terms apply only to particular digital objects, these should be applied only at the item level.

• Controlled vocabulary is recommended.
• Subject lists for every project should be reviewed by the Metadata Advisory Group to ensure terms are used consistently across collections.
• Identify the source of the controlled vocabulary, whether working from the complete source or a subset.  Use the "xsi:type" coding, for example xsi:type="LCSH"
• If a less controlled or locally controlled approach is desired, use the term "local" as the source of the vocabulary (xsi:type="local").
• Whether the vocabulary is local or from an established list, economy in use of the subject element is recommended.  Its purpose is not to describe a resource in detail, but to enable browsing similar to "more like this" in Amazon.com.   Usually, one to four subjects should be sufficient, with five or more used only in rare cases.
• The choice of broad versus specific terminology should reflect the scope of the resource.  For example, local history of Hillsborough should have the heading Hillsborough (N.C.)--History. rather than Orange County (NC.)--History, North Carolina--History or Southern States--History. The latter headings are appropriate for resources with a wider scope.
• When using a controlled vocabulary which includes subdivisions, such as LCSH, use subdivisions only when they are necessary to capture the precise subject.  For example, use United States---History--Civil War, 1861-1865, but try to avoid long strings such as United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations--Submarine.   Look for shorter ways to express the same idea, for example Submarine warfare--Confederate States of America or H.L. Hunley (Submarine).
• In case of doubt about what subject terms to use, or whether to use any at all, remember that a subject approach is also possible through keyword searching of other elements, such as title and description.  Use of the subject element is optional.

Required:  no, unless category subjects need to be applied to item-level records

Repeatable:  yes

Examples:

Business records

Duke University -- Aerial views

Beauty and Hygiene -- Shaving Supplies

 

 

Description: Information on copyright or restrictions-related conditions regarding use of the material in the category.

Guidelines:

• Record any information regarding use of the category based on copyright restrictions, statutory/regulatory requirements, and/or donor-imposed restrictions.  The statement may be detailed to the extent that such information is known, or it may be succinct, simply alerting users to the possibility of such restrictions.
• Consult with the Scholarly Communications Officer to develop appropriate copyright statements for the category web site.

Required: only when specific categories have special rights conditions

Repeatable: no, each category can only have one rights statement

Examples:

Most of the photographs in this category were taken by Dixon or other photographers working for the Durham Herald and are copyrighted by the Durham Herald-Sun newspaper. They are presented here for the purposes of scholarly research and study. Permission for further use and reproduction of these photographs must be obtained from the Herald-Sun.

 

 

Definition:  The Essay Link element provides a connection to further information about the category that may be too lengthy for the Category Abstract element.

Guidelines:  

• Enter a URL for a CMS page containing the longer description or historical note related to the category or its contents.
• Use when the Category Abstract element will not accommodate the description.

Required:  No

Repeatable:  No

Examples:

Category Title: Beauty and Hygiene

Category Abstract: This category includes products (such as cosmetics, soaps, and shaving supplies) that were targeted for personal hygiene and enhancing one's attractiveness.

Essay Link: http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/cosmetics.html

 

 

Definition:  The larger category to which a subcategory belongs.   

Guidelines:  

• Categories in a digital collection may be further arranged into subcategories to enhance browsing.  However, no more than two levels of hierarchy are allowed.
• Use the Parent Category element to link a subcategory up to the category to which it belongs.  It is not necessary to link from the parent category down to its subcategories.                 
  

Required:  Yes, when applicable

Repeatable:  No

Examples:

Transportation (1938 - 1957)

[Parent Category of Airlines: 1951]

 

Photographs

[Parent Category of Kentucky, 1964 and 1971]

 

Item-Level Metadata Element Set

*Required element

 

Description: Name or label given to the resource by the creator or publisher; may also be identifying phrase or name of the resource supplied by the cataloger. Title can be used for captions, advertising headlines, or other distinguishing information.

Guidelines:

• If the resource has a title or caption supplied by the creator, transcribe the title.
• If there is no title available or if the formal title is misleading or inadequate, create a brief title that uniquely identifies the material. If the formal title is not chosen as the Title, it can be entered as a Title.Alternative.
• The role attribute can be used to identify the source of the title, if desired. For example, the slogan on an advertisement could be captured like this: <title role=“headline”>Just Do It</title>. Be sure to document the role attribute values for each project to ensure consistency across collections.
• Omit initial articles from the title.
• Do not enclose supplied titles in square brackets.

Required: yes

Repeatable: no, but refinement Title.Alternative may be used to record other title information, such as a caption title, former title, spine title, artist's title, object name, translation of title, or other variations of the title. Apply the same guidelines for both Title and Title.Alternative.

Crosswalks:      MARC               245

                        EAD                 <unittitle>

                        VRA Core          <vra: title>

Examples:

North wall of columns of Temple of Bacchus

What is Riot Grrrl?

Tonight! No large pores need mar loveliness

Duke Men’s Basketball vs. South Carolina

Two women at Norton State Hospital, Kansas

Diary entries for March 27-April 2, 1925, from the diary of B. M. Hall, concerning the layout of Duke University

 

 

Definition:  A term drawn from a controlled vocabulary that describes the genre or nature of the resource.  At least one term should be drawn from a vocabulary supplied by the Library; additional terms may be drawn from vocabularies specific to the domain from which the materials are drawn.

Guidelines: 

• Employ a term from a controlled vocabulary.  Consult examples in this document and in other Duke Libraries digitization projects to re-use terms and preserve interoperability.
• Attempt to provide both broad and specific genre terms for the resource.  The Library-supplied terms should assist with broad terms, while specific terms may be drawn from domain-specific vocabularies.
• Use at least one broad Type term; supplement with more specific terms as needed. These terms should be drawn from Type authority list maintained by the Metadata Advisory Group. [link to list]

Required:  yes

Repeatable:  yes

Crosswalks:      MARC   655 (MARC)

                        EAD     <genreform>

                        VRA Core: <vra: worktype> in <vra: work> or <vra: collection>

Examples:

Broad terms: 

Sheet music

Advertising

Photographs

 

Examples of more specific terms for photographs:  Documentary photographs, Portraits.

 

Definition:  URL required to access the resource in its digital format.

Guidelines: 

• For a digital resource, use the URL of the item where it can be accessed by researchers.  Typically this value will be system-assigned.
• In cases where a digital object has more than one surrogate (such as different views or sizes of the same object), use the URL to the “default view” (object + metadata).
• See: “IdentifyingTheResource” in the Digital Library Federation’s “Best Practices for OAI Data Provider Implementations and Shareable Metadata” [http://webservices.itcs.umich.edu/mediawiki/oaibp/index.php/IdentifyingTheResource]

Required: yes

Repeatable: no, provide only one “actionable identifier” or URL pointing to the digital object.

Crosswalks:      MARC: 856

                        EAD: <dao>

Examples:

DC.Identifier= http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/gedney.KY0178/

 

 

Definition: Entity or entities primarily responsible for creating the intellectual content of the resource, including individuals, families, and corporate bodies.  Examples include authors of written documents, artists, illustrators, photographers, collectors, organizations, etc.

Guidelines:

• Use national standards, such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File or the Getty Research Institute's Union list of artist names, to find the authoritative form.  If an authoritative form of the name does not exist, use the Libraries' public catalog to try to establish names.  When establishing new names, use the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd ed., 2002 Revision as the basis for formulation. 
• If there is more than one creator, use separate Creator elements.
• Use the role attribute to record people or corporate bodies who perform a specialized role in the creation of the intellectual content of the work, such as:

Creator role = “illustrator”

Required: Yes, if known/available

Repeatable: Yes

Crosswalks:      MARC               1XX, 7XX

                        EAD                 <author> in <eadheader>

<name>, <origination> <persname>, <origination>, <famname> in <archdesc>

                        VRA Core          <vra: agent> <display> in <vra: work> or <vra: collection>                                         

Examples:

Few, William Preston, 1867-1940

Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences (Duke University)

Blackwell family

Hicks, Henrietta Virginia

Tomlinson Store (Randolph County, N.C.)

 

<creator role=“composer”>Berlin, Irving, 1888-</creator>

<creator role=“performer”>Carus, Emma</creator>

<creator role=“performer”>Marks, Clarence</creator>

<creator role=“illustrator”>Frew</creator>

 

 

Definition: Creation or modification dates for the original resource; may include span dates for collections of material.

Guidelines:

• If the collection must be searchable by date, normalized forms of date must be used. Normalized dates should follow ISO 8601 (http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime), e.g. YYYY-MM-DD, dropping unneeded time segments from the right end as appropriate.
• Since many schemas that are mapping to this element will include both a start (earliest) and end (latest) date, use a slash to separate these dates in the normal form.

Required:  if applicable

Repeatable:  no

Crosswalks:      MARC               260$c, 245$f, 008/07-14

            EAD:                <unitdate>; <date>

Examples:

 

 

 

Definition: A textual description of the content of the resource, such as an abstract, table of contents, or a free-text account of the object. Use to provide information to supplement the Title, if necessary.

Guidelines:

• Enter descriptive text, remarks, or comments about the object. This information can be taken from the object or provided by the record creator.
• Enter specialized information not included in other elements (e.g., measurements of a depicted object, description, provenance, technique, distinguishing features, inscriptions, condition, history of the work).
• Enter keyword terms not available in the Subject element.
• Separate different elements of the description (i.e, separate paragraphs) using <p> paragraph tags.

Required:  no

Repeatable:  no

Crosswalks:      MARC               520, 505

                        EAD                 <abstract>, <scopecontent>

                        VRA Core          <vra: description> in <vra: work> or <vra: collection>

Examples:

Children with young couple on ferry; pier and water in background.

Photograph of an architectural rendering of the library looking toward the Chapel.

 

Includes list of rental properties for workers with addresses and weekly rent rates. In the letter, Powe offers Lee the rental of a large house near the Erwin Mills offices.

 

Description: Physical description of the original object that has been digitized, such as number of sheets/pages, dimensions of the physical object, etc.

Guidelines:

• Use this element if it is determined that the objects in a digital collection have special physical characteristics that need to be represented in the metadata.  Use on a collection-by-collection basis: if it is determined that a collection should have Extent information, give it for all items in the collection.
  
• Some or all Extent information may be provided by DPC staff.
• Brief Extent information may instead be included in the Description field if it is determined that using the Extent element is unnecessary for a collection.
  

Required: no

Repeatable: no

Examples:
2 sheets ; 10 cm x 8 cm

Double-sided ; 10 cm x 8 cm

4 pages ; 11 cm x 6 cm

 

 

Definition:  A call number or location code required to access the original resource. 

Guidelines: 

• For the physical resource – likely to be the physical object from which a digital surrogate is derived.  Use the value a librarian or library patron would use to retrieve the item from a shelf or other location.  Common values could include box number, folder number, or call number of a book.
• When assigning identifiers to physical resources, qualify Identifier.Callnumber with a standardized label for the kind of container or other locator.  Examples:  Box, Folder, Negative Number.  Best practice is to include a prefix in the value to enhance human readability.  For example, if an item is stored in box number 7, use the full value “Box 7” (as opposed to just “7”).

Required:  if applicable, i.e., if digital resource is a surrogate of an accessible resource in Duke University Libraries.

Repeatable: yes, you may reflect multiple “holdings” or physical items from which a digital item may have been derived. 

Crosswalks:      MARC: 05X-09X

                        EAD: <container>, <physloc>

Examples:

Identifier.Callnumber.Box:  Box 7

Identifier.Callnumber.Folder:  Folder 23, Duke's Chapel

Identifier.Callnumber.Box-Folder: Box 22, Folder 147

Identifier.Callnumber.Call Number:  AC75 .M87 2003

Identifier.CallnumberPam:  E Pam 778

 

Description:  This field indicates whether an item that is primarily textual also has one or more illustrations. 

Guidelines: 

• Use this element for items in collections that are primarily text, but some items are text accompanied by illustrations, e.g. sheet music or broadsides with illustrations.  Applicable values are Yes and No.
  
• Use on a collection-by-collection basis, i.e., if it is determined that this element is meaningful for a digital collection, code all items in the collection Yes or No.
  
• Do not use for collections of photographs, moving images, or other digital objects that consist only of images or of images with incidental text.
• Use judgment on whether an item is truly illustrated. Disregard minor "decorations" such as stars or bullets indicating the end of a document or column.
  

Required:

no

Repeatable:

no

 

Description:  The language(s) of the intellectual content of the resource. This is the language(s) in which a text is written or the spoken language(s) of audio or video resources. Still images do not usually have a language unless there is significant text in a caption or in the image itself.

Guidelines: 

• Indicate the language of the object using the three-letter language code from the ISO 639-2 list: http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php.  These are the same language codes used in MARC records.
• Enter only one code in each occurrence of the Language element.  Repeat the element if there is more than one language.
  
• If desired, further information about the nature of the language may be included in the Description element. Example: In Portuguese and English, in parallel columns.

Required:

if applicable

Repeatable:

yes

Examples:

eng

chi

glg

 

Description: Contains a rights management or usage statement, a URL that links to a rights management statement, or a URL that links to a service providing information on rights management for the resource. A rights management statement may contain information concerning accessibility, reproduction of images, copyright holder, restrictions, securing permissions for use of text or images, etc.

Guidelines:

• Rights information for digital collections will usually be assigned at the collection-level, and items will inherit this rights information from the collection-level description. In special cases, the Rights field can also contain item-specific rights information.
• Enter either a textual statement or a URL pointing to a use and access rights statement for digital resources on the Internet.
• The statement can be a general copyright statement for the institution, for the whole collection, or it may be a specific statement for each resource. The statement may be general, providing contact information, or specific, including the name of the copyright holder.
• Make sure that the rights statement corresponds to the digital resource; for example, link to a copyright statement for the digital resource instead of for the original resource.
• When metadata records are exported or made available for harvesting by metadata aggregators, be sure the rights statement is inserted, whether item-specific or collection-level.

Required: yes, if applicable when certain digital objects need item-specific rights statements. Otherwise, most digital objects will inherit rights statements from collection-level metadata.

Repeatable: yes 

Crosswalks:      MARC               506, 540, 561

                        EAD                 <accessrestrict>, <userestrict>

                        VRA Core         

Examples:

This work may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text. See our statement on use and reproduction at http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/copyright.html for more information.

 

Definition: Name of the collection or resource from which the digital object was derived.

Guidelines:

• If the digital object is from a Duke collection, use name of Duke collection as source.  Otherwise, refer to the broader definition of Source in Dublin Core.
• Use separate Source elements to enter multiple sources. Usually there will only be one source from which the present digital resource has been derived.
• If, as in most cases, the Source element describes an originating resource upon which the digital resource is somehow based, then, when possible, also include an href attribute to include a URL to the catalog record or finding aid of the source material.
• The Source element may consist of a combination of descriptive aspects, such as free text combined with an ISBN to describe a book.

Required:  if applicable

Repeatable:  if applicable

Crosswalks:      MARC               786, 534

Examples:

Horace Trumbauer Architectural Drawings

J. Walter Thompson Company Archives

Public Documents and Maps

ISBN: 0970022506

ISBN: 9781591583646

 

 

Definition: What the content of the resource is about or what it is, expressed by topical, personal, corporate, or geographic terms for significant people, places, organizations, events, and topics reflected.

Guidelines:

• Controlled vocabulary is recommended, even on a project/collection basis.
• Project sponsors are encouraged to develop lists that are subsets of established thesauri such as LCSH.   Having a short list available for copy-and-paste or through a drop-down menu will allow subject terms to be applied quickly and easily to item-level metadata without extensive staff training.  Using subsets of LCSH, etc. will save time that might be spent creating lists from scratch and will result in more consistent vocabulary across projects.
• Subject lists for every project should be reviewed by the Metadata Advisory Group to ensure terms are used consistently across collections.
• Identify the source of the controlled vocabulary, whether working from the complete source or a subset.  Use the "xsi:type" coding, for example xsi:type="LCSH"
• If a less controlled or locally controlled approach is desired, use the term "local" as the source of the vocabulary (xsi:type="local").
• Whether the vocabulary is local or from an established list, economy in use of the subject element is recommended.  Its purpose is not to describe a resource in detail, but to enable browsing similar to "more like this" in Amazon.com.  Usually, one to four subjects should be sufficient, with five or more used only in rare cases.
• The choice of broad versus specific terminology should reflect the scope of the resource.  For example, local history of Hillsborough should have the heading Hillsborough (N.C.)--History. rather than Orange County (NC.)--History, North Carolina--History or Southern States--History. The latter headings are appropriate for resources with a wider scope.
• When using a controlled vocabulary which includes subdivisions, such as LCSH, use subdivisions only when they are necessary to capture the precise subject.  For example, use United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865, but try to avoid long strings such as United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations--Submarine.   Look for shorter ways to express the same idea, for example Submarine warfare--Confederate States of America or H.L. Hunley (Submarine).
• In case of doubt about what subject terms to use, or whether to use any at all, remember that a subject approach is also possible through keyword searching of other elements, such as title and description.  Use of the subject element is optional.

Crosswalks:      MARC               6XX

EAD                 <subject>, <corpname>, <famname>, <genreform>, <geogname>, <persname>, <title>

VRA Core          <vra: stylePeriod>, <vra :location type="creation">,

<vra: subject><term>

Required:  no

Repeatable:  yes

Examples:

Title: Certificate authorizing acquisition of new adult bicycles

Description: Three part certificate for distribution, inventory and acquisition of new adult bicycles. Part A is the approval form and inventory control. Part B authorizes acquisition of new stock. Part C is the receipt for the consumer. Parts are ink color coded.

Subject:

Rationing -- United States -- History -- 20th century   xsi:type="LCSH"

Bicycles  xsi:type="LCSH"

 

Title:  Some illustrations of the importance of Duke University to the city of Durham

Description:  Speech given on September 29, 1930, by Duke University President William Preston Few to the [Durham] Rotary Club, titled "Some illustrations of the importance of Duke University to the City of Durham." These illustrations include the medical facilities, the international diversity of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the College for Women.

Subject:

Duke University -- History   xsi:type="LCSH"

Durham (N.C.) -- History      xsi:type="LCSH"

 

A project involving documents and pictures from Civil War battles could use a list of the LC subject headings for the battles and campaigns, beginning:

            Aiken, Battle of, Aiken, S.C., 1865 

            Allatoona Pass, Battle of, Ga., 1864 

            Antietam, Battle of, Md., 1862  

            Appomattox Campaign, 1865  

            Asheville, Battle of, Asheville, N.C., 1865  

            Atlanta Campaign, 1864  

            Ball's Bluff, Battle of, Va., 1861  

            Beaver Dam Creek, Battle of, Va., 1862  

            Belmont, Battle of, Belmont, Mo., 1861 

 

Description: Additional name or label given to the resource by the creator or publisher. Title can be used for captions, advertising headlines, or other distinguishing information, such as caption title, former title, spine title, artist's title, object name, translation of title, or other variations of the title.

Guidelines:

• If the formal title is not chosen as the Title, it can be entered as a Title.Alternative.
• The role attribute can be used to identify the source of the alternative title, if desired. For example, the refrain on a piece of sheet music could be captured like this: <title.alternative role=“refrain”>When I walked home from school with you, Bessie</title>. Be sure to document the role attribute values for each project to ensure consistency across collections.
• Omit initial articles from the title.
• Do not enclose supplied titles in square brackets.

Required: no

Repeatable: yes 

Crosswalks:      MARC               246

                        EAD                 <unittitle>

                        VRA Core          <vra: title>

Examples:

Tientsin What You Doing

<title>Alexander's ragtime band</title>

<title.alternative role= “firstline”>Oh, ma honey, oh, ma honey</title>

<title.alternative role= “refrain”>Come on and hear, come on and hear, Alexander's ragtime band</title>