Assessing Metadata Needs for SUL/AIR Digital Collections: A Guide

1. Administrative
   
   
1. Owner / Source of data
2. Responsible entity housing or managing source collection
3. Legal restrictions on use / dissemination
4. Restrictions on reproduction
5. Original / versions:
   1. how differentiated
   2. location of each
6. Print / electronic finding / accession aids to collection (form of, example given)
7. Physical condition of storage media
8. Actions taken to migrate data to new media or refresh data
9. Need / desire for tracking of collection use
10. Preservation of archival image(s)
    
    
2. Structural / Technical (of files, formats)
   
   
   1. Form of (pre-processed) data, formats (e.g., TIFFs, JPegs, PDFs, BMPs, MP3s), compression / scaling ratios (inc schedule)
   2. Post-processing or conversion completed or planned for data, text (inc schedule)
   3. Hardware, software used to capture, store, manage
   4. Any authentication / security measures necessary e.g., encryption keys, password
   5. Unit / asset description
   6. Relationships between basic units (e.g., thumbnail - full archival image)
   7. Set / aggregate description(s)of basic units, if any
   8. Relationships between sets / aggregates
      
      
3. Descriptive / Discovery created or available for collection
   
   
   1. Originator(s) of data i.e., organization(s), individual(s)
   2. Existing / available catalogs or detailed descriptions (Unicorn, exhibit catalogs)
   3. Specialized indexes
   4. Finding aids
   5. Web sites or other hyperlinked resources
   6. Primary uses envisioned e.g., use of still images in course web sites, lectures, exercises
   7. Knowledge of similar digital collections & who doing, metadata schema or taxonomy using