Image Properties on a Mac

For those of you on a Mac like me, I followed Stephanie's guidelines for the Creator Element and found myself stumped. I realized she was most likely using a PC and that was why I was unable to find the "properties" of the image under the File tab.

For those of you on a Mac, this is what I did to find the imbedded metadata for my images:

1. Double click on the image file from Adam's email.

2. Command-I will open up the embedded metadata.

3. From here, click on TIFF and you will see "Artist". I am assuming that this is the same as "Author" but I am waiting on confirmation from Stephanie.

I hope this helps!

CREATOR Element Question

My question is for Stephanie and her Creator Element:

I'm on a Mac so finding the properties of the image in order to determine the Creator was a bit challenging, but I did some investigating and figured it out with no problems (I will address this in another blog post for anyone else using a Mac).

My question is this: "Author" is not listed within the metadata of the image but "Artist" is. Should I be using this person for the Creator Element?

My Comments on Slistopher's comment...

Reading through some blog posts, Slistopher's comment on Latasha's post "Thoughts on becoming a librarian..." stuck out: "I don’t think I will work in a library either. I came to SLIS primarily for training in archival studies, which, while related to library studies, is really a separate field. I’ve always approached archives from a historical perspective (my background–I’m biased), but I think I’ve gotten a lot out of my more library-focused classes. I still don’t know with any certainty where I think archival studies as a discipline belongs (LIS programs? History programs? By itself?), but I think I will benefit a lot from the library skills I’ve gotten at SLIS."

I wish there was a specialized program that combined History/Museum Studies/Archives/LIS. I took the only museum studies course offered at UA (in 2004) and loved it! I had a tough time deciding between a Museum Studies program and SLIS, and we all know what I ending up choosing. 

I will also say this, as much as I have loved my time in SLIS, I think it is crazy that I have not had the chance to take an archival studies course until my last semester (June 2015). There just doesn't seem to be much of an offering for those interested. Or maybe my problem is I literally want to take ALL OF THE CLASSES and don't have the time in the semesters to do so...

The Need for Control

"The need for control" as Latasha put it so perfectly in tonight's chat box.

I never thought about metadata schema creation or even librarianship in general as "the need for control" for but that is exactly what it is! These various metadata schemas that my colleagues are presenting on tonight all derived from the need for control. Controlled vocabulary, controlled data entry, controlled description, etc...

I will re-load the dishwasher "in the right way" after my husband has loaded it - "We always put the plates THIS way. Oh, and the forks always go HERE". Some call it controlling, I call it organized.

Funny thing is, I have always thought I was laid back. 

Digital Repository Screencase is LIVE

I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend! I have uploaded my screencast for Publishers' Bindings Online to YouTube. You can find it here.

I will also be emailing everyone my handout and a link to the video as well as posting it in the Blackboard discussion. Covering all my bases :)

I really enjoyed this project, not only learning more about my own repository but everyone else's. There are so many awesome digital repositories out there and seeing the wide variety of subject matter was fascinating! Now my wheels are turning and I have a running list of ideas I would LOVE to see come to fruition regarding digital repositories. Hopefully, I will be able to be a part of some of these opportunities. :)

Abstract Element is the new Opponent Element

I have got the email last night from Dr. MacCall that the Opponent Element, now labeled as the Abstract Element is now ready for indexing! The guidelines have been updated in the wiki and I have populated the Simple Vocabulary plugin in Omeka. You should be getting an email from Dr. MacCall shortly OR he will make note of this in the wiki. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Oh and Tonya, I pronounce it "Oh-meck-a". Not sure if it is correct though. :)

Controlled Vocabulary and Content Standards Resources!

Christy's post "When Three Worlds Collide" inspired me to write this post. I understand her excitement when you stumble on something that brings it all together!

While working on my digital repository presentation, I was addressing the topic of content standards for my particular repository. Dealing with decorative book bindings from the 19th century, it is a combination of many of interests: graphic design, history, archives and art.

I discovered Getty Vocabularies provided by the Getty Research Institution after Dr. MacCall pointed me in their direction. I thought I would share a couple of resources for those of you interested in art/museum, special collections, archives librarianship. Cool stuff!

Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online (AAT): 
From Getty: "Catherine wheel or rose window? ATT is a structured vocabulary, including terms, descriptions, and theory informations for generic architecture, conservation, archaeology and other cultural heritage."

The Union List of Artist Names (ULAN):
From Getty: "Titian or Tiziano Vecellio? ULAN is a structured vocabulary, including names, biographies, related people, and other information about artists, architects, firms, studios, museums, patrons, sitters and other people involved in the creation and study of art and architecture."

The Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA):
From Getty: "Mona Lisa or La Gioconda? CONA includes titles, attributions, depicted subjects, and other information about the works of art and architecture as derived from scholarly literature, museum collections, special collections, archives, libraries and indexing projects."

Digital Repository Presentation

I have been working on my Digital Repository Presentation this weekend. I always begin these types of projects by creating a "script" type essay covering the points I need to hit on according to the assignment specs. So far, I have had a lot of fun investigation my repository and have had only one or two questions that I address directly to Dr. MacCall.

Now I have a couple more questions that I thought I would ask my classmates. For those of you working on a digital repository, how have you tackled #6 (Have the metadata records been harvested into federated search tools...) and #7 (What software is used to house the metadata records...)?

Lucky, I discovered a grant narrative and project manual that accompanied my repository which has provided a wealth of informative information but I am having trouble determining how/if the metadata has been harvested. A quick search on DPLA showed nothing in regards to my repository.

Also, I was able to find how my repository handled the storage of the digitized images but nothing about the actual metadata. It seems like it is being stored on the servers from both institutions responsible for the project. I have also found that they utilized program such as Microsoft Access and Excel for entering in metadata records...

So, how are y'all handling this in your prep for your presentation? Any advice is appreciated.

Opponent Element Final Draft

Here it is! My final draft of my Element Guidelines for the "Opponent" Element:

Label – Abstract

Element Description – The name of the opposing team playing opposite of The University of Alabama Crimson Tide depicted in the image.

Required – Yes

Repeatable – No

Guidelines for Creation of Content – Each opponent should be listed as follows: 

Official School Name--Official Team Name

Please choose one of the opponents from the 1975 and 2009 season from the dropdown list    provided by the Simple Vocabulary plugin. If you have any questions, contact Katie.

Examples:

Auburn University--Auburn Tigers
Pennsylvania State University--Penn State Nittany Lions

_________________________________________________________________________________

A list if the opponents will appear in the Simple Vocal plugin as follows:

1. Auburn University--Auburn Tigers
2. University of Texas--Texas Longhorns
3. Clemson University--Clemson Tigers
4. Mississippi - waiting on confirmation on Ole Miss vs Miss State Debate
5. University of Missouri--Missouri Tigers
6. Pennsylvania State University--Penn State Nittany Lions
7. University of Southern Mississippi--Southern Miss Golden Eagles
8. University of Tennessee--Tennessee Volunteers
9. Texas Christian University--TCU Horned Frogs
10. University of Washington--Washington Huskies

Mississippi State vs Ole Miss

Colleagues! I am working on finishing up my Element Guidelines and gathering all of the opponents into a nice pretty package for the Simple Vocab plugin on Omeka and I need some help!

Adam was kind enough to send me a list of who got what images. From this I can see the total amount opponents we are dealing with but I am struggling with a few of the images who's file name includes "Mississippi". Is this Mississippi State or Ole Miss? We played ALL THREE Mississippi schools in 1975 and I have already ruled out that it is not Southern Miss. I was not assigned any of the Mississippi images so for those of you who were-would you be so kind as to enlighten me?

Thank you!

Response to SLIStopher: Public Perception of the MLIS

I felt the same way Chris did after reading Deb Hunt's statements about not letting on that she has her MLIS in her blog post "The role of digital librarians in Digital Asset Management". I don't understand the stigma attached to the MLIS. Chris asked some really great questions to all of us and I decided to put in my two cents...

1. Do you find that you have to explain what it is that you do to people outside of the profession (or within the profession)? How do you explain what you do? 

Since I am not technically in the profession yet, I will just elaborate on what goes down when someone asks what I WANT to do in the profession. Nikki's commented that "its all in the context" and this is true. It really depends on who I am dealing with on how in depth I get with my explanation.  It usually comes out something like "Connecting people to information and resources of all kinds that are accessible, organized and relevant for their particular needs."

2. Do you think people have an understanding of the roles that librarians (and libraries) fill within society?

I find that the ones who WANT to understand, do. Others could care less and they are usually the first ones to complain about their taxes going to fund the public library or the first ones to ask "Wait, you need a Masters for that?!". It is up to us as newly minted (or soon to be minted MILS graduates) and everyone else in the profession to keep profession relevant!

3. What were your expectations of an MLIS degree program before you began graduate school? Has your experience matched your initial expectations (in terms of curriculum, areas of study, jobs open to you, etc.)?

I have mixed feelings. I hate admitting it so close to graduating but I feel like while UA's MLIS program is wonderful in so many ways, I think there is a bit of a disconnect with certain groups of students. I will put it this way:

You have the students who are fresh out of college and who jump right into graduate school full time. They have the time and energy to devote 100% to school, have opportunities to travel abroad, take internships and graduate assistantship and student jobs working in or with libraries, thus gaining experience. 

Then you have those who are working in libraries or already have library experience and want to advance their career. They are getting all the library experience that they need.

Then there are the School Media students who are working towards adding a MLIS to their already impressive teaching resume and possibly an additional Masters degree.

Then there are students like me. I have spent only a few years here and there working as a student or volunteering in libraries but now I hold a full time job OUTSIDE of libraries. I don't have enough time to fit in an internship and keep my full-time job while attending classes and going to part-time is really not an option. I kind of feel like I am doing all of this alone with not a ton of guidance...

On a positive note,  I came home from orientation in 2013 and told my husband that "I found my people".  I am constantly amazed that although we all have have different specialties and interests, we all have a genuine passion and excitement for the profession as a whole.  

I am just beginning the job search and am really thinking out of the box. Like I said before: "I possess a particular set of skills" (thank you Liam Neeson) and hopefully someone will see my newly developed skills and past experience in museums and art galleries and think I am the perfect fit for the job!

4. Have you ever been hesitant to tell anyone that you are pursuing an MLIS degree? Has anyone ever questioned your decision to do so? What was your response?

Hell no. Come August I will have earned this degree and will shout it from the roof tops. I don't question why someone earned their MBA, MFA or MSW... why should they question me?

5. To you, what is the value of an MLIS degree?

It shows that I took the time and put in the effort to learn everything I could about something I was passionate about. It is about continuously learning and developing my personal knowledge base so that I can do the best that I can at a job I will love. Damen commented that no, it doesn't take a MLIS to learn a process but it does take an MLIS to UNDERSTAND the process and I couldn't agree more.

Element Overview in Tonight's Class

The individual element overview was so helpful in tonight's class! While my element is relatively simple compared to some of the others it was nice to get feedback and be able to give input where other's are struggling.

I was personally struggling on how the opponent element should be defined and the vocabulary I should use.  Damen's use of the Simple Vocab plugin (along with Dr. MacCall's explanation) helped me out tremendously. I think I was overthinking it when it came to controlled vocabulary and was about to just simply make a PDF document attached to the wiki listing every single NCAA football team and their associated schools...whew.

I have been fighting the idea that that we are creating these guidelines for ONLY the images we are indexing. I keep wanting to think "big picture" - as in "well not every image in the Paul R. Bryant Museum digital repository will have players and opponents". For this, I blame LS560 - Digital Libraries where we were indexing all sorts or images from the Paul R. Bryant Museum, not a structured set like we are now.

Thankfully, we ARE just dealing with the images for this project and I can think small (for now). Adam was a gem and sent me a master list of all the images that everyone will be working with. I will now be able to load my controlled vocabulary for opponents into the Simple Vocal plug-in (a la Damen's style) so that you all will be able to choose! 

Clarity is such a wonderful thing!

Questions about Opponent Element

I have been searching with no avail to find a listing of all the NCAA registered (?) colleges and the name of their team to help with the opponent element. Does anyone know of such a resource that will give me both the name of the school AND the team name that is legit?

I ask because I have decided to have the Opponent Element repeatable where the indexer will list not only the name of the school but also the team name so that a user can search by both.

I thought about just using the LOC Subject Authority Headings? 

Examples:

The University of Alabama

Crimson Tide

Louisiana State University (OR would this simply just be LSU?)

LSU Tigers

University of Mississippi

Ole Miss Rebels-- (or would this now be Black Bears?!)

Help! What do y'all think?

When the metadata is basically wrapped up in a pretty pink silk package...

I have been thinking a lot about metadata and it's importance in today's digital world, especially for documenting and digitizing collections in cultural heritage institutions. It is no secret that archives, museums and special collections are my jam and I scour the internet for new and interesting collections that are being discovered in an old filing cabinets, someone's attic or an abandoned building.

Digitization of these collections allows open accessibly to these often fragile, one of a kind lots in a way that simply sticking them behind a display case or shoving them in the stacks doesn't. Once they are available on the web, these collections can be shared and used for a whole host of other purposes (think research, education, story-telling etc…). The problem is, often times these found, donated or purchased collections have no background information accompanying them. So what these cultural heritage repositories end up with is a bunch of stuff with no context. How is an indexer responsible for digitizing and creating the metadata supposed to successfully and efficiently complete their job without all of the information? Not everyone's grandmother wrote on the back of family photo's who was pictured, where the photo was taken or what event was taking place….

Enter the main point of my post today: I stumbled upon a metadata librarian's dream collection, complete with a fully documented account of the who, what, when, where, why of said collection:

Chronicles of an Affair with his Secretary, Found in an Abandoned Suitcase

If the name of the article alone didn't entice you enough to click on it, go ahead and check it out. I'll wait…

This collection is voyeuristic look into a steamy affair that took place in the 1960's and 70's between businessman, Günter K. and his secretary. It is completely preserved and includes over 100+ photos, hotel receipts, notes and letters all miticulously documented and dated, thanks to Günter and his strange obbsession. The metadata is basically wrapped up in a pretty pink silk package ready to be indexed!

While this collection is on display in an NYC art gallery, I don't think it will take long for someone to swipe this up and digitize it.