10. Adding Descriptive Metadata

Overview

In DRS 2 descriptive metadata can be added to an object. It is stored in the object descriptor file. There are three ways to add descriptive metadata:

  1. Have Batch Builder import descriptive metadata from an existing HOLLIS record.
  2. Enter descriptive metadata in the Batch Builder GUI.
  3. Import descriptive metadata from a MODS file.

Importing metadata from a HOLLIS Record

Batch Builder provides three ways of importing descriptive metadata from an existing HOLLIS record:

  1. Specify Aleph or Alma ID in a mapping file (see Section 6: Using External Mapping Files for more information)
  2. Specify Aleph or Alma ID on command line (see Creating Batches Using Command Line Interface for more information)
  3. Enter Aleph or Alma ID in Batch Builder GUI (either in object template metadata or in object metadata). This option is described below.

To enter Aleph or Alma ID in Batch Builder GUI:

  1. Obtain the Aleph or Alma  ID of the record
  2. In BB select the object template or the object in the Project Panel on the left
    (Optional shortcut) Note that if you are selecting an object, you can right click on the object and choose "Set Aleph/Alma ID" from the right click context menu. A data entry box will pop up where you can enter the Aleph or Alma ID (this doesn't work if you are selecting object template). You can then skip steps 3 and 4 below.



  3. Switch to Optional tab in the Content Panel on the right
  4. Enter the Aleph or Alma ID into the field "Aleph/Alma ID for MODS import."



Note that Aleph/Alma ID is not repeatable. Save the project before processing the batch (so that the new information is written into the BB2 configuration file).

Once the batch is processed the descriptive metadata for the object will end up in the MODS section of the object descriptor. Make sure that no other methods of entering descriptive metadata are used at the same time (e.g.: there is no MODS file as well or there is no descriptive metadata also entered in the Object Metadata fields in the BB GUI) or you will receive an error while processing a batch.

Entering Descriptive Metadata in the Batch Builder GUI

You can enter descriptive metadata directly in the BB GUI in the Object Metadata section in the Content panel. 

In Batch Builder select the object in the Project Panel on the left; switch to Optional tab in the Content Panel on the right, and enter the descriptive metadata into the fields in the Object Metadata section. The descriptive metadata is expected in MODS 3.5 format and the fields in the GUI follow MODS 3.5. MODS 3.4 and earlier versions of MODS 3.x are also accepted.

To look up MODS 3.5 fields definitions see: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/mods-outline-3-5.html

Importing Descriptive Metadata from a MODS File

Rules for importing a MODS file

Descriptive metadata for an object can be imported from a locally supplied MODS file. BB expects the MODS to be valid MODS 3.5 XML or earlier. Note that MODS 3.6 is not yet supported. There should be one MODS XML file per object being described. Descriptions of multiple objects cannot be supplied in the same MODS file. Each MODS file can contain only one set of descriptive metadata for an object – e.g.: a collection-level record and an object-level record cannot be part of the same MODS file for the same object.|

File Name: {obj_name}_mods.xml – where {obj_name} is OSN.
Format: Valid MODS version 3.5 XML file. Note that MODS 3.6 is not yet supported by DRS.
Placement:

For use while automatically creating a batch place the file in {project_dir}/_aux/template/ directory.

Note that the file placed into {project_dir}/_aux/template/ directory will be moved to the corresponding _aux directory for the object (_aux/{batch_name}/{object_name}) after the object batch is built. The MODS file will be accessed by BB during batch processing (when batch.xml and object descriptor is created).

For use during with manually creating a batch place the file in {project_dir}/_aux/{batch_name}/{object_name}/ directory

The MODS file will be accessed by BB during batch processing (when batch.xml and object descriptor is created).

Examples of valid MODS 3.x XML file

http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/mods-guidance.html

Procedure for importing a MODS file

Extracting MODS from HOLLIS, VIA or OASIS using LibraryCloud and/or PRESTO

If there is cataloging for an object in VIA or OASIS ot HOLLIS you can use LibraryCloud or PRESTO to extract a MODS version of the record. Since metadata extracted with LibraryCloud and PRESTO conforms to MODS version 3.5, the MODS file will be accepted as-is by the DRS2 batch loader without additional changes.

  1. Identify the ID of the record you want to extract.
  2. Construct a LibraryCloud or PRESTO request url for the record:
  3. Paste the request url into a browser. The MODS XML file for the record will display. If you don't see the XML, view source.
  4. Use the browser's "Save As" option to save the xml file to a local directory.
  5. Before using the file in Batch Builder, you must rename it to "{obj_name}_mods.xml" – where {obj_name} is the object's owner supplied name (OSN).

Note about PRESTO API for VIA: A PRESTO request for VIA will return the record with all components (e.g., a work plus all surrogates). Typically, what you need for object-level description in DRS2 is an individual surrogate description. Before inserting a VIA MODS file into your batch, you may need to edit the file to remove surrogate descriptions that do not apply to the object you are depositing. If you want MODS for a particular component in VIA, use the LibraryCloud API instead.

Full details about using PRESTO are available in the PRESTO Data Lookup User Guide (http://hul.harvard.edu/ois/systems/webservices/lookup-userguide/).

Full details about using LibraryCloud are available in the LibraryCloud APIs documentation.

Creating MODS from scratch using a template

It is easiest to create a MODS file from scratch by starting with a valid MODS template and inserting your descriptions. You can use a MODS full record example from the Library of Congress MODS web site: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/mods-guidance.html.

  1. Create a text file called "{obj_name}_mods.xml" – where {obj_name} is the object's owner supplied name (OSN).
  2. Select a sample MODS record on the LC site: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-userguide-examples.html.
  3. Copy the entire LC MODS record and paste into your local MODS file.
  4. Add descriptions to the template as needed. Remove elements that are not needed.
  5. Save the file.

Adding a MODS file to the batch

  1. If using the manual object workflow:
    1. Create the batch with objects (Step 5 in the batch procedure). This will generate batch directory structure on disk.
    2. Copy the MODS file into the object directory inside the BB project's auxiliary (_aux) path:
      {project_dir}/_aux/{batch_name}/{object_name}/
      If you have MODS files for multiple objects in a batch, do the same for each.
    3. Continue with your batch procedure.

  2. If using the automatic object workflow:
    1. Add directories to the template and copy content files into those directories (Steps 4-5 in the batch procedure).
    2. Place the MODS file into the template directory in the BB project's auxiliary (_aux) path:
      {project_dir}/_aux/template/
      If you have MODS files for multiple objects in a batch, place all of them in the template directory.
    3. Continue with your batch procedure.

  3. When BB processes the batch, an INFO message displays in the message panel when the MODS file is discovered, e.g.:  INFO – Imported XML from object-skating_mods.xml

Adding Related Links and Harvard Metadata Links

In the Batch Builder GUI

Related Links are any actionable URIs along with a description of how the link is related to the object. Aside from a valid URI and a description there are no controlled values for Related Links.

Harvard Metadata Links are hot links that connect to related information in Harvard discovery systems. Expected values for Harvard Metadata Links: system name (controlled list) ,system identifier, and label. Note: for OASIS use either the findingaid id (e.g.: hou02239) or the
full OASIS URI (e.g.: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:hou02239 ); for HOLLIS use Aleph or Alma ID (e.g. 12345 or 90086637850203941)

To add related links or Harvard Metadata links in BB:

  • Select the object in the Project Panel on the left
  • Switch to Optional tab in the Content Panel on the right. You can add these two types of links directly in the Batch Builder GUI in the Object Metadata section:
    • Related Links:
      1. Enter the description for the link in the ‘Relationship’ field and the URI in the URI field.
      2. Hit enter
      3. Add additional related links if necessary.
    • Harvard Metadata Links:
      1. Choose the type of Harvard metadata from the ‘Type’ dropdown
      2. Enter an identifier in the Identifier field
      3. Enter descriptive text into the ‘Display Label’ field.
      4. Hit enter
      5. Add additional Harvard Metadata Links if necessary

On Command Line

See: https://harvardwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/x/imKVAg

In External Mapping File

See: https://harvardwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/x/02KVAg

Adding Image Captions to Still Images and PDS Documents

A caption is a string of descriptive information that you can append to the deliverable versions of still images, including page images delivered as part of a PDS object. Image captions are generated on the fly and appear together with the image in the browser. You can use the default caption format or create your own custom caption.

Note these caption features:

  • Captions can be applied to JPEG and JPEG2000 based still images.
  • Captions will not be applied to images with a width of 300 pixels or less.
  • The length of the entire caption (all components, including the Harvard University prefix) must not exceed 500 characters.

Below is a sample still image with default caption:

Format of the DRS2 caption

A default still image caption consists of: 

Harvard University, [unit name], [object owner supplied name]. 
e.g., Harvard University, Baker Library, Harvard Business School, W80671_1.

You can customize either of these fields by changing the Caption unit name or the Caption description on the Admin Metadata screen of the object.

Note about PDS captions. PDS objects have captions that appear just below each page image in the document and also on each page of the PDF created by the PDS "Print" feature. The default PDF caption format differs from the default still image caption described above. The PDF caption format is:

Harvard University – [unit name] / [METS label of the PDS object]. 
e.g., Harvard University –Collection Development Department, Widener Library, HCL / The Radcliffe magazine. Cambridge, Mass : Radcliffe College, 1899-.

The METS label is descriptive text that also displays in the top frame of the PDS user interface. In the absence of a METS label, MODS title will be used (if present in object metadata). Like the still image caption, the [unit name] can be customized by changing the Caption unit name field in Web Admin. Since the [METS label] is used as caption description, you can customize the METS label on the object's Descriptive metadata tab or you can add text to the Caption description field.

Adding captions in Batch Builder

If you want to set default captions on for all your objects, you can do that in the object template before creating a new batch. This way, the caption setting will be automatically inherited by all batches generated from template. In the object template Optional metadata tab scroll down until you see the captions section:

Set Caption Behavior to On. Leave Unit Name and Description blank for default captions. For customized captions add your own text to Unit Name or/and Desription. You can also set captions for each individual object in existing batch: click on the Optional panel for the object, scroll down to caption section and then switch Caption Behavior to on. Fill out Unit Name or/and Caption Description if you want custom captions - otherwise leave them blank.


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