...
- The focus is to have data in Hydra following the linked data model. This requires RDF modeling of metadata about objects.
- RDF uses a flat model without hierarchy, though cultural heritage data has traditionally been presented with hierarchical structure in MARC, XML, etc.
- Hydra pulls in some functionality from code that is maintained by developers in the wider linked data community. These developers have done additional work with RDF that has now made an ordering hierarchy difficult.
Topic for Discussion: Is there value in the current ordering of multi-valued fields?
The main concern is whether the current fields that allow multiple values have some intellectual value or meaning to their order. If there is an implied hierarchy, does this meaning need to be preserved?
...
- Galvanometer (Museum): The order of entries in the medium field does have meaning. Medium is listed in order of the amount of material used in the object. Pulled from PastPerfect.
- Stamp (Archives): Subjects for the stamp do not have a meaningful order. First entries are from Cat's batch ingest of the OPAC data and then curators add additional data at the bottom.
Review of Metadata Fields and Ordering
Anna proposed a long-term solution of displaying data within multi-valued fields in alphabetical order (alpha-sort).
...
Overall, most people were happy with alpha-sort as a solution. Exceptions to various fields were mentioned as possible, though unlikely, and the general consensus was that rare exceptions might be best handled with information added to the description field to clarify matters. Note: a change to a field must be applied across all collections and cannot just be done for one department, but the change to that field would apply to everyone using that field and could be confusing to users if all other fields have alpha-sort. If curators request ordering for a field it will required changes to the data model and that would have to be considered against other requests for software development that may be of more importance to our collections and users (such as an improved image viewer). The Digital Collections team also plans to do user testing with researchers and the general public to see if the order conveys meaning to them.
Timeline
- The digital collections team will work on the data migration and complete it before the holiday break. We will provide training on the upgraded system once we're back from the holidays in early January.
- The digitization calendar has been completed through December. If you haven't already received a request to fill your queue for December, your next appointment will come in January.
- We will revisit this conversation about alpha-sort in January to make sure that no one has changed their mind or has any additional thoughts.