University of Michigan / University Library / Visual Resources Online Project Metadata Element Sets for Image Description

Metadata Element Sets for Image Description

Images within the Visual Resources Online Project are descibed at two levels of granularity, the collection level and the item level. The collection level record appears in the Library catalog and uses standard MARC tagging. The item level record, itself, has three components: the
Work information, the Source Document information, and the Digital Document information.

The Collection Level Record

The following are the minimum elements a Project record should have. Any valid MARC field may be added should the cataloger feel it is appropriate, but these are the elements which will be used in cross collection searching and display.

The Item Level Record

This record is used in the local database of the contributing organization and its contents are used to build and display the Visual Resorces Online access system information. Not all records will have a full complement of elements. Elements marked with a ¤ sign are compulsory, the rest are optional. It has Four components:

Record metadata

These fields include a unique ID for the record, the date the record was created, last data the record was modified, and the name of the cataloger.

Work Information

These fields describe the work being depicted in a visual document. This definition conforms to the VRA use of the term.
  • Creator
  • ¤Work title
  • View or detail information
  • Creation date of thing being depicted
  • Dimensions of thing being depicted
  • Notes
  • Topic/Subjects
  • Current owner/Provenance
  • Related work/Relationship Type

    Source Document Information

    These fields describe the document that has been digitized to create the image file being described.

    Digital Document Information


    Comments

    The Collection Level Record

    The Item Level Record

    Work Information

    VRA definition of work: "A Work is an object, i.e., any physical entity that exists or has existed at some time in the past or an ephemeral event (happening, performance art) that may be captured in physical form as a visual document of the original work. Examples include works of art, architecture, and artifacts or structures from material, popular, and folk culture. The Work Description Categories are intended for description of the original object, work, or event that is depicted in the visual document (e.g., photograph, slide, digital image) of that object, work, or event. The term "work" is used throughout to refer to the object or event described."
  • Creator (maps to MARC 100, DC Creator) requires authority work in NACO
  • Image title (maps to MARC 245, DC Title): Refers to title of depicted work, i.e. the Parthenon, Elmo's Turkey Trot (1996) finish line
  • View or detail information (maps to 245 delimiter b, DC Description) terms like "West elevation", "detail" controleed term list to be adopted from LCTGM or created
  • Creation date of thing being depicted (maps to MARC 500 note, DC Date (qualified) or DC Description)
  • Dimensions of thing being depicted (maps to MARC 500 note, DC Description)
  • Notes (maps to MARC 500 note, DC Description)
  • Topic/Subjects (maps to MARC 6xx fields, DC Subject)
  • Current owner/Provenance (maps to MARC 561, DC Description?)
  • Related work/Relationship Type (maps to MARC 77x, DC Relation (qualified with relation type))

    Source Document Information

    Digital Document Information


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    This is an internal document of the Visual Resources Online Project. Mail comments to VIPTeam@umich.edu

    The URL for this page is - http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaheim/vro-mdelements.html
    Last Updated 11/19/99

    University of Michigan - University Library