UKOLN is supported by: Introduction to Collections and Collection-Level Description Bridget Robinson Collection Description Focus A centre of expertise in digital information management

Introduction to Collections & Collection-Level Description Collection Description Focus What is a collection What is collection-level description Why collection-level description Who is using collection-level description

Collection Description Focus Developing consensus –Gathering information –Building a community –Facilitating dialogue –CD Forum Disseminating good practice –Organising events –workshops, briefing days –Giving presentations –Publishing articles and papers –Developing training resources –recommendations, guidelines, Online Tutorial

Collection Description Focus Supporting implementers –point of contact, advice –support for CLD in programmes –Research Support Libraries Programme –JISC programmes for building the IE –JISC Learning & Teaching (5/99) programme –NOF-Digitise –Resource regional cross-domain research projects

What is a collection? Collection –“an aggregation of items” Aggregations of, e.g. –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: catalogue records, item descriptions, collection-level descriptions

What is a collection? Various criteria for aggregation, e.g. –By location –By type/form of item –By provenance of item –By source/ownership of item –By nature of item content Any number of items Permanent, temporary Discrete, distributed Collections created with intent/purpose –“consciously formed” –collection development policies

What is a collection? Museums –collections of physical objects/items –collections of digital objects/items –collections of metadata records describing physical objects describing digital objects Collections are made available to the users through services

User wants to know… –Which collections are relevant to their requirement? subject/coverage of items? type? legal status? conditions of access/use? etc –What services make those collections available? location? access? etc

What is collection description? –Michael Heaney, An Analytical Model of Collections and their Catalogues –Hierarchic info about collection as whole, and about items (and relationships between items and whole) –Analytic info about items in collection –Indexing info derived from items in collection –Unitary info about collection as whole, not about items “collection-level description”

Why collection-level description? –Enable collection provider to disclose information about collections –overview of otherwise uncatalogued items –summary where item-level detail inappropriate/unavailable manage collections –in collaboration with other providers inform strategic planning –e.g. Resource assess priorities for item-level cataloguing –e.g. Full Disclosure

Why collection-level description? –Enable user to discover/locate collections –physical/digital select collections to explore/search on basis of summary description –physical/digital compare collections as broadly similar objects understand conditions of access & use

Why collection-level description? –Enable software agents to select (digital metadata) collections to search on behalf of user –e.g. on basis of profile/preferences perform searches across multiple (digital metadata) collections

Collection of physical objects Collection of metadata records Collection of books Collection of digital items Database of CLDs CLDs provide high-level “map” of landscape for user, researcher, visitor….

CLDs in museums –Focus on description of (unique, physical) object for management more than discovery? –But notion of “collection” is used collection management collection mapping/assessment –Various criteria type/form of item subject ownership/source –Some CLD (maybe not called CLD…!) e.g. guides to holdings, directories

CLDs in museums –Little standardisation? some use of Dublin Core MES (CIMI testbed) some use of Encoded Archival Description DTD (NHM) some use of RSLP CD schema –Crossroads (West Mids) –Find It In London –Regional collection mapping exercises West Midlands, South-West Region growing interest in –sharing data within profession –using data to support disclosure as well as management –Resource Framework for Collections Management

CLDs in Museums Cornucopia –the online database of museum, library and archival collections. –Based on systems architecture used for Crossroads project –Collection-level descriptions based on RSLP schema –due to be launched soon –

AIM25 Archives Hub Cecilia Collections Navigator – NHM Cornucopia Crossroads Who’s using Collection Description?

Who’s using Collection Description? EnrichUK.net: ITAM: MIMAS Collection Description Reveal The Science & Culture website SCONE