Adventures of an Accidental Metadata Cataloger LIS Section, MASAL 2014 Michael E. Unsworth Michigan State University Libraries
Janet A. Ginsburg Chicago Tribune Collection
SUPERIOR IMAGE QUALITY ProQuest Historical Newspapers Ginsburg
FORGOTTEN GEMS
Advertisements
SUBJECT SEARCHES
PROCESSING STAGES
EARLY CATALOGING CAREER
METADATA FIELDS Title: Creator: Contributor: Publication Date: Description: Genre: Advertisements, Drawings, Editorial advertisements, etc. Geographical area: Type: still image, text Printing Technique: black & white, sepia, color, etc. Subjects: LC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials Temporal Date: Size: Source: Issue Date, Section, Page Number Color codes: Undergraduates Grad Students Cataloger UG & GS GS & Cat
DESCRIPTION: Not exact transcription of caption
Internet Assist
LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT SYSTEM No cross references No Boolean searching No phrase searching No Advanced searching, example: Color ads showing 1920s airplanes Editorial cartoons from the 1930s that have dogs in them
REFLECTIONS ON TRADITIONAL LIBRARY & METADATA CATALOGING The definition “data about data” is not helpful At basic level, no difference. Skills and mindset are the same. Consistency is the key Metadata schemes are varied and can be as simple or complex as the builders want. Traditional library cataloging has over a century of complexity
Future of Cataloging Tradeoffs on level of granularity will constantly be made For the product to be valuable, investments in technology and staff knowledge have to be made. If not: Garbage In Garbage Out
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