Free-Text Collection-Level Subject Metadata in Large-Scale Digital Libraries: A Comparative Content Analysis

Metadata is central for information organization in digital libraries. A growing number of digital libraries worldwide are now generating metadata to describe not only individual objects but entire digital collections as integral wholes. However, collection-level metadata has not yet been empirically evaluated. This paper reports results of the study that used an in-depth comparative content analysis to assess free-text collection-level subject metadata in three large-scale digital cultural heritage aggregations in the United States and Europe. As observed by this study, the emerging best practices include encoding a variety of information about a digital collection in free-text collection-level Description metadata element. This includes both subject-specific (topical, geographic and temporal coverage, and types/genres of objects in a digital collection) and non-subject-specific information: title, size, provenance, collection development, copyright, audience, navigation and functionality, language of items in a digital collection, frequency of additions, institutions that host a digital collection or contribute to it, funding sources, item creators, importance, uniqueness, and comprehensiveness of a digital collection

Skill-Building in Online Metadata Instruction: Quality Evaluation of Student-Created Metadata Records

As metadata quality directly affects access to information, training LIS students to create high-quality metadata is an important task. To provide an effective training, a vision is needed for where best to focus the efforts. That vision should be informed by empirical data on the common quality problems in student-created metadata records in relation to the content and methods of instruction. We attempt to address this need through an overview of the metadata creation skill-building content of the online introductory graduate metadata course, results of the analysis of quality in student-created metadata records, and discussion of how the observed common metadata quality issues might inform curriculum development

Assessing Descriptive Substance in Free-Text Collection-Level Metadata

Collection-level metadata has the potential to provide important information about the features and purpose of individual collections. This paper reports on a content analysis of collection records in an aggregation of cultural heritage collections. The findings show that the free-text Description field often provides more accurate and complete representation of subjects and object types than the specified fields. Properties such as importance, uniqueness, comprehensiveness, provenance, and creator are articulated, as well as other vital contextual information about the intentions of a collector and the value of a collection, as a whole, for scholarly users. The results demonstrate that the semantically rich free-text Description field is essential to understanding the context of collections in large aggregations and can serve as a source of data for enhancing and customizing controlled vocabulariesIMLS NLG Research and Demonstration grant LG-06-07-0020-07published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Exploration of Metadata Change in a Digital Repository

This paper presents preliminary results of the ongoing research project that explores the changes occurring in metadata records over time. We use a large regional distributed digital library that versions its metadata records as a target of our study. The preliminary findings i particular reveal what the most prevalent types of metadata change are, which metadata elements receive the most attention from those editing metadata records, and how the types of metadata change vary across metadata elements, etc.ye

Using metadata record graphs to understand controlled vocabulary and keyword usage for subject representation in the UNT theses and dissertations collection

An important function of metadata for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) is supporting the discovery of related documents through linking of data values in the fields of metadata records. While benefits of the ETD format allow for full-text searching, metadata is still an important and necessary component of the global ETD infrastructure because it is often not possible to share the full documents in aggregations such as the Global ETD Search for the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. The metadata field that has the most potential to assist users in discovery is the subject field used to represent what a resource is about. Over the years there has been much discussion of the value of author-generated keywords versus adding subject terms from controlled vocabularies by information professionals as documents are submitted to the University repository. This research seeks to explore this problem with the help of network analysis method not used for such analyzes before by building and analyzing metadata record graphs for the University of North Texas theses and dissertations. This paper reports on the characteristics of keyword-based and controlled-vocabulary-based metadata record networks and discussions insights that can be gained from this approach to metadata quality analysis. This research seeks to explore this problem with the help of network analysis method not used for such analyzes before by building and analyzing metadata record graphs for the University of North Texas theses and dissertations. This paper reports on the characteristics of keyword-based and controlled-vocabulary-based metadata record networks and discussions insights that can be gained from this approach to metadata quality analysis. This research seeks to explore this problem with the help of network analysis method not used for such analyzes before by building and analyzing metadata record graphs for the University of North Texas theses and dissertations. This paper reports on the characteristics of keyword-based and controlled-vocabulary-based metadata record networks and discussions insights that can be gained from this approach to metadata quality analysis

Transforming the Archival Classroom for a Connected Reality

The Archival / Preservation Education SIG panel engages with interconnected external pressures and curricular goals in the archival classroom. Four moderated presentations focus on innovative classroom pedagogy, including modeling and visualizing collection data, the digital and physical interconnectedness of digitization activities in pre-professional training, and practical experience and deliverables with unique archival collections; presenters bring perspectives from three states and two countries. “Inclusive Collection Visualization and Arrangement” by Sarah Buchanan discusses the data practice of visualization as a creative response to archival arrangement and metrics for aggregating collection attributes. “Paradigm Shift in LIS Education from Digital Revolution to a Cyber-Physical System” by Najim Babalola examines how emerging and immersive information and communication technologies (ICT) such as digitization are changing service deliveries, with a view to preparing prospective professionals in Nigeria with knowledge and critical skills. “Closing Doors Opens Others: Exploring Pedagogical Opportunities through Temporary Custody of Records” by Katherine Wisser, Adam Kriesberg, and Sarah Pratt reviews how faculty, archives staff, and students across levels are processing and learning with the American Textile History Museum records, before eventual transfer to UMass Lowell. “Education to Support Language Data Archives and Preservation: Experiential Learning and Community Collaboration in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Course at University of North Texas” shares lessons learned in teaching a multi-modal, team-based, and experiential course with South Asian language materials and UNT Digital Collections

Collection-Level User Searches in Federated Digital Resource Environment

As part of a federation project providing integrated access to over 160 digital collections, we are studying how collections can best be represented to meet the needs of diverse user communities. This paper reports preliminary transaction log analysis results from that project on subject representation of the digital collections. The findings reveal prevalence of the broadly defined subject search at the collection level, and the lack of semantic similarity between the user queries and the GEM controlled vocabulary terms used for collection description. Based on the actual search data, it is recommended that the 2nd group of entities in the FRBR model be updated to cover ethnic/national groups and classes of persons. The paper proposes definitions of the two major collection-level search types ??? known-item and subject ??? and formulates research questions for further investigation into subject access to federated collections.IMLS LG-02-02-0281published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

User Searches in IMLS DCC Collection Registry: Transaction Log Analysis

A report of user searches in the IMLS Digital Collections and Content collection registry.IMLS National Leadership Grant LG-02-02-0281unpublishednot peer reviewe