OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Constructing Better Metadata, Building Intercultural Understanding: Arabic Cataloging and the WDL Metadata Process Erin Hawkins Metadata Specialist World Digital Library [email protected] World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES ? World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES With metadata: Structured data, useful object Metadata is structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use or manage an information resource. Cartographer Etcher Scale Locations shown Author Title Year of publication Place of publication Language Topics/subjects covered OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Without metadata: What is it? Unless you read the language of the resource, you can’t identify the author or subject. Unless the information is written on the work, you can’t identify the author, publisher, or date. Map 17th Century Arabian Peninsula ?????? Book 20th Century ?????? World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Without metadata: Why is it important? Even knowing the language and having bibliographic information about the item, you may not be able to tell why that item was important to a particular culture. Famous map maker’s first image of Arabian Peninsula. From the collection of an important scientist. The annotations show us about her thought process when she designed experiments. OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Without metadata: How can I find it? Metadata provides access points to discover during search, whether in a structured search of controlled vocabulary or free text search. With nothing to say about an item, it is unlikely to be discovered, associated with a similar item, or used in research. Map 17th Century Arabian Peninsula ?????? Book 20th Century ?????? OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Metadata drives: • Description • Organization • Discovery World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Metadata is simply data about data Cataloging is an art and a science: there is room for disagreement (but be sure of what the item is!) OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org More information and structured data: metadata, authorities, classification Culture, language, personal experience World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Global diversity in writing systems WDL Languages World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES The reality in a multilingual project: transliteration can compromise uniformity and accessibility but is necessary for display, search, and overall understanding. World Digital Library www.wdl.org Transliteration (Romanization) in libraries has traditionally been dependent on two things 1. Style guidelines 2. Technology MARC extensions to accommodate nonRoman scripts in 1980s. Unicode as international standard in 1993 allowed for incorporation of script in authority records. Still not as widely adopted as it should be. OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Script and transliteration: working together viaf.org World Digital Library www.wdl.org Arabic and Islamic content and Western cataloging OSI | WEB SERVICES OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Christian materials Islam, Babism & Bahai Faith (297) World Digital Library www.wdl.org WDL Metadata Element Set • Dublin Core variant • Metadata accepted in WDL spreadsheet, MARC, xml file • Dublin Core, MODS, MARC, most common submissions OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Title • Title of resource, two versions – Title in original language: Transcribe title from item, if written or printed title exists. Use original language and script, no transliteration. – WDL title (English): translation of original, the way a work is most commonly known, or a descriptive title if there is no original title. If you provide a descriptive title, indicate this (we may not be able to tell it is descriptive rather than original). – Provide title language either as written in MARC Language list or as a MARC Language code: www.loc.gov/marc/languages/language_name.html – Mapping: MARC field 245; Dublin Core Title, MODS Title Info (subelement Title) OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Title in original language: صبح االعشى في صناعة اإلنشاء Title: Dawn for the Blind in the Craft of Composition Original title language: ara [Arabic] World Digital Library www.wdl.org Title in original language: The most lamentable Romaine tragedie of Titus Andronicus As it was plaide by the right honourable the Earle of Darbie, Earle of Pembrooke, and Earle of Sussex their seruants Title: Titus Andronicus Original title language: eng [English] OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Title in original language: [none] Title: Manuscript on the Care of Horses Original title language: zxx [No linguistic value] World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Language • Language(s) included in the resource – Provide language either as written in MARC Language list or as a MARC Language code: http://www.loc.gov/marc/languages/language_name.html – If the item has no language (a photograph or drawing), use “zxx” or “No linguistic content” – Be as specific as possible. Don’t use “English” if it’s really “English, Middle (1100-1500)” or “German” if it is really “Swiss German.” – Mapping: MARC field 546 or 041; Dublin Core Language; MODS Language OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Title in original language: صبح االعشى في صناعة اإلنشاء Title: Dawn for the Blind in the Craft of Composition Original title language: ara [Arabic] Language: ara [Arabic] World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Title in original language: Мелочная торговля. Продажа ситцу Title: Peddling. Selling Printed Cotton Original title language: rus [Russian] Language: zxx [No linguistic content] World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Description • Summary of content of item – Note features of historical or cultural interest, especially for a user outside of your own culture or country. Why was this item important enough to provide to us? – Mapping: MARC field 520; Dublin Core Description; MODS Abstract or Note World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Contributors • Persons, groups, or institutions associated with the physical or intellectual creation of the historical resource. – Use an authority; very important for disambiguation. VIAF: http://viaf.org/ – Include all contributors, which may include copyist, author, author of commentary, author of gloss, author of marginal notes, illuminator, calligrapher, and more. – Use Relator Terms, either codes or titles, to specify contributors’ roles. MARC Code List for Relators: http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators.html – Scanner or scanning institution is not a contributor. – Mapping: MARC Personal Author field 100, Corporate Body field 110, 111, Added Personal Name field 700; Dublin Core Contributor; MODS Name and Role OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org viaf.org Contributor 1: Qalqashandī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī, 1355 or 1356-1418 Contributor Role 1: aut [Author] ID and permalink World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators.html Contributor 2: Ibrāhīm, Muḥammad ʻAbd al-Rasūl Contributor Role 2: aui [Author of introduction, etc.] OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators.html Relator code Definition of term, if needed World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Publisher • Name of publisher • Place of publication – Not linked field on site, simply informational. – Only applicable for printed or published items, not manuscripts or drawings. – Scanning institution is not the publisher. – Mapping: MARC fiend 260 $b and $a; Dublin Core Publisher (place not included); MODS Origin Info with subelements place and publisher World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Date Created • Dates (Western/Gregorian) of creation, completion, or printing of this physical item. – Could be a single year, month, day, or a range. Be as exact as possible. – Use numerical dates in year/month/day format. Example: 1888/4/1 – Express centuries in numerical dates. Example:19th century: 1801-1900 – If this is a photograph of a physical item, use creation date of the item, not the photograph. – Mapping: MARC field 260 $c or $g; Dublin Core Date (although no indication of what the date means unless you use a subfield); MODS Origin Info with subelement Date Created World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Title in original language: صبح االعشى في صناعة اإلنشاء Title: Dawn for the Blind in the Craft of Composition Original title language: ara [Arabic] Language: ara [Arabic] Contributor 1: Qalqashandī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī, 1355 or 1356-1418 Contributor Role 1: aut [Author] Contributor 2: Ibrāhīm, Muḥammad ʻAbd alRasūl Contributor Role 2: aui [Author of introduction, etc.] Publisher: Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣrīyah and AlMatba’ah al-Amiriyah Place of Publication: Cairo Date created: Around 1913-1922 Date of printing of this set of books. Note that this item is a reprint so creation of this physical item more recent than original date of creation World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Date of cave painting’s creation, not photograph’s creation World Digital Library www.wdl.org Element: Time OSI | WEB SERVICES • Temporal subject of the resource. – May be the same as or different than creation date; same formatting applies. – If work has no specific temporal subject (math, science, language, religious material), we use life dates of author (if known) or date of creation (if known). These items still exist within the context of the time period they were created. Even if they are not “about” a time period, they are “of” the time. – If item is a reprint, use original production dates or author’s life dates, if known. – Mapping: MARC field 045 and 6XX $y; Dublin Core Coverage; MODS Subject with subelement Temporal OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Original title: صبح االعشى في صناعة اإلنشاء Title: Dawn for the Blind in the Craft of Composition Original title language: ara [Arabic] Language: ara [Arabic] Contributor 1: Qalqashandī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī, 1355 or 1356-1418 Contributor Role 1: aut [Author] Contributor 2: Ibrāhīm, Muḥammad ʻAbd alRasūl Contributor Role 2: aui [Author of introduction, etc.] Publisher: Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣrīyah and AlMatba’ah al-Amiriyah Place of Publication: Cairo Date created: Around 1913-1922 Subject date: Around 1355-1418 No temporal subject so used the author’s life dates, during which the original work had to be created. Actual date created unknown. World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES While dealing with events in 1st century AD, this is not a document discussing history, it is a religious document. Used date of creation. World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Date of cave painting’s creation, not photograph’s creation World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Place • The geographic subject of the resource – We use modern place names and a particular geographic hierarchy: region, country, first-level administrative division, and city. – Geonames: http://www.geonames.org/ – If no geographic subject (religious works, science, math, language), use region or country of origin of author/creator or where that person primarily worked. These items still exist in a geographic context, even if they are not “about” a particular place. – MARC field 752; Dublin Core Coverage; MODS Subject with subelement Hierarchical Geographic and each place subelement defined World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES The Natural Arch, Constantine, Algeria 1899 Detroit Photographic Company geonames.org Middle East and North Africa>Algeria>Constantine>Constantine OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org A Sketch of the Islamic Law Ma, Boliang, 1640–1711 Islamic scholar from China geonames.org East Asia>China World Digital Library www.wdl.org Element: Topic OSI | WEB SERVICES • Dewey Decimal Classification: http://bpeck.com/references/DDC/ddc.htm • Site shows two topics to three digits; check site • Dewey is not a perfect system; not all books or items fit neatly into a single number. • Some books or items can legitimately be catalogued in several numbers. • Mapping: MARC field 082; MODS Classification with attributes defined as DDC World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES Element: Additional Subjects • What or who is this item about? • Use terms from controlled vocabularies • How are similar items cataloged? – Search on our site – Check existing books or resources on WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/ – OCLC SearchFast subject heading guide: http://fast.oclc.org/searchfast/ – Library of Congress Authorities, subject headings and names: http://authorities.loc.gov/ – Mapping: MARC field 650, 6XX, 653; Dublin Core Subject MODS Subject with subelements World Digital Library www.wdl.org Element: Type of Item OSI | WEB SERVICES • Please check site for item types – Available under Browse: Type of item – MARC field 008, Dublin Core Format, MODS Form (sub element to Physical Description with defined attribute Form Authority), or Type of Resource World Digital Library www.wdl.org Elements: Notes OSI | WEB SERVICES • Space for any additional information about item – This information may end up in description or being cut, but helpful to have. – Likely will not keep overly-specialized information because it will not make sense or help our diverse users. – Mapping: MARC field 5XX; MODS Note with various attributes defined World Digital Library www.wdl.org Element: Physical Description OSI | WEB SERVICES • The physical description of the resource – We are trying to describe the item to a user who will never touch this item. Cataloging notation that may confuse people will not be included in final record. – Provide dimensions (inches, centimeters, feet, meters), extent (pages, folios), and information about the item (paper, ink, color, condition). – No abbreviations – Mapping: MARC field 5XX; MODS Note with various attributes defined World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES 10 final thoughts: 1. Don’t assume the recipient of the catalog record knows what you know. Our translators and researchers are not catalogers and even abbreviations can be confusing. 2. Always provide as much information as possible. Fill out every field you can. 3. Names: If similar or confusing, provide multiple versions with dates (often only way of differentiating a name). Check VIAF and give ID if possible. 4. Creation dates: Even if it is a broad range, your best guess is better than mine. 5. DDC: Presents challenges for Islamic content. However, we can add additional subjects to showcase more complex aspects of the work. World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES 10 final thoughts, continued: 6. Description: Explain why this item is important to your culture or country as if you were speaking to an outsider. (See: number 2) 7. More background: Any informational links are helpful, including Wikipedia links, links to online encyclopedias, pdfs of academic articles, etc. 8. Translation: Translators can’t skip portions of a description that they don’t understand or are vague. If it can’t be clearly described by the owning institution, a stranger will not be able to make sense of it. 9. Our site (Arabic and English versions) is a good resource for transliterations, translation, metadata, and overall description of items. World Digital Library www.wdl.org OSI | WEB SERVICES 10 final thoughts, continued: 10. All of us at WDL strive to enable our users to more easily discover, use, and appreciate your wonderful contributions. If you have minimal information on an item, please consider sending a different item. Your metadata always matters. Your content is a gift to the world. Make sure you’ve provided enough information to make it worth giving. OSI | WEB SERVICES World Digital Library www.wdl.org Questions? Comments? Erin Hawkins [email protected] www.wdl.org @WDLorg
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