Tap into Bath: Thinking
globally before acting
locally
Ann Chapman
Collection Description Focus
UKOLN is supported by:
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Overview
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Collection Description
Tap into Bath
Database structure and interfaces
Data collection
Where are we now?
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Collection Description
• Metadata schema for consistent
descriptions across domains
• Relational database to hold data
• Data entry interface
• Public search interface
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
What is collection-level description?
• CLD schema = sets of data elements about:
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The collection
Agents connected with the collection
Location of the collection
Associated resources
Relationships of the above entities
• Implementations
– Usually hold descriptions in a relational database
– Have a specific focus
– May extend or limit the metadata elements used
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Why collection description?
• Enable collection provider to
– disclose information about collections to users
• Enable user to
– discover/locate collections
– select collections to explore/search on basis of summary
description
– compare collections as broadly similar objects (even
where items are heterogeneous)
– understand conditions of access and use
– interpret collections
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Collection of
physical
objects
Collection of
books
CLDs provide highlevel “map” of
landscape for user,
researcher, visitor….
Collection of
digital
items
Collection of
metadata
records
Database of
CLDs
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Tap into Bath
• Joint project
– Collection Description Focus (expertise and advise)
– University of Bath Library (hosting database,)
– Collections held in the Bath area (information)
• Aims
– Introduce concept of collection description to information
professionals in the Bath area
– Produce a comprehensive resource for the Bath area
– Pilot project for local collection description databases
– Record the project in a case study paper
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Tap into Bath
• Archives, Libraries, Museums and Art
galleries
• Where - in the City of Bath
• In both private and public ownership
• ‘One stop shop’ for students, schools,
tourists, researchers, professionals
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
What’s in the collections?
• There are collections of:
– natural objects: fossils, mineral samples…
– created objects: artefacts, documents, records..
– digital resources: documents, images,
multimedia objects, data, software…
– digital surrogates of physical objects:
documents, images…
– metadata: TiB collection-level descriptions (!)…
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
The focus of TiB collections
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By location – all in Bath
By type/form of item
By topic
By provenance or source/ownership of item
Size doesn’t matter
– University library – 440,000 volumes
– Harborow collection – 5 single gloves
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Principles
• Use open source software
• Use standards where possible, e.g.
– RSLP Collection Description Schema
– Library of Congress Subject Headings
• Design for accessibility
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Database and interface design
• MySQL database
• Unix server
• Public search interface producing XHTML
or HTML pages
• Open source programming (CGI, PHP,
Perl)
• Isobel Stark and Ian Bolton
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Database challenges
• Finding a host server
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Locating a suitable server
Will they charge for hosting?
Is there any guarantee on length of hosting?
Have they configured the server in a standard
way?
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Data collection
• Version 1 from public websites (Katie Rickard)
• Sent to collections for comment – revised and
queries followed up (Katie Rickard & Alison Baud)
• Final editing (incl. LCSH terms) (Ann Chapman)
• Data entry (Katie Rickard, Alison Baud, Isobel
Stark)
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Data challenges - 1
• When is a sub-collection record needed?
• Concepts – finding LCSH terms
• Times – centuries and periods
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Data challenges - 2
• Access conditions – large amounts of data
– Split into standard sub-headings
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opening hours
admission charges or not
accessibility
other features – guided tours, packs for schools
– Omitted
• actual admission charges
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Data challenges - 3
• Making field labels user friendly, e.g.
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Object = Star item
Physical characteristics = Materials held
Accumulation date range = When collected
Contents date range = Age of materials
Sub-collection = Contains
Super-collection = Part of
Accrual status = Collecting policy
Access control = Who can use it?
Access conditions = Access information
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
In Bath you can find
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Death mask of Isaac Pitman
Conestoga wagon
Casali ceiling paintings
1914 Horstmann Coupe car
Duplicate coronation gloves
Tompion clock
Field notebooks on Meadow Brown
butterfly
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Where are we now?
• Finalising the interface software
• Data collection
– Some collection records not yet finalised
– Some possible additional collections identified
• Data entry – a few collections not yet on
• Public launch – autumn 2004
• Write up as CD Focus Case Study
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk
Collection Description Focus
Visit our website at:
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd-focus/
CD Focus
Ann Chapman
University of Bath
Alison Baud
Isobel Stark
www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.bath.ac.uk