Created by Annabel Pinkney, Gabriela Zoller, Cathleen Lu, and Nicole Joniec
Introduction
This document provides specific guidelines for metadata creation in the Digital Collections repository. The guidelines cover field definitions as well as content and style specifications for the metadata properties. Minimum required fields, controlled authorities, and input examples for common cases and known exceptions are included.
Digitized materials that require description within the Digital Collections come from four sources within the Institute: The Othmer Library, Center for Oral History, the Eddleman Institute (Museum), and Archives. Therefore, metadata fields were selected for their broad application to a variety of physical formats and informational content.
The metadata profile outlined below loosely complies with the Dublin Core metadata schema, though several other namespaces have been referenced for administrative data. Metadata in the Digital Collections repository is preserved as a JSON relational database and is not preserved as discreet work-level documents (e.g., as a validated XML document). The fields below have been inspired by the definition and ranges of the referenced namespaces, but no formal validation or linkage is established within the repository.
Metadata in the Digital Collections repository database is, however, processed using the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) and harvested as validated DPLA MAP XML documents by the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) on a quarterly basis.
Technical Note:
The Digital Collections repository application was built in Rails using the in-house developed toolkit, Kithe. Kithe comes out of experience in the Samvera community of open-source library-archives-museums digital collections and preservation work but is not a Samvera project. Kithe operates on a Postgres database, an open-source and widely used relational database management system. Information and documentation regarding the codebase and development of the application is stored in the Institute’s GitHub repository.
Namespaces Referenced
Namespaces are prefixes to metadata properties that indicate the scheme from which it is being used. Namespaces prevent confusion about properties that may be used in more than one schema. The Science History Institute Metadata Guidelines references properties using the following namespaces:
DCMI Metadata Terms:
http://dublincore.org/specifications/dublin-core/dcmi-terms/2020-01-20/
Europeana Data Model:
https://pro.europeana.eu/files/Europeana_Professional/Share_your_data/Technical_requirements/EDM_Documentation/EDM_Definition_v5.2.8_102017.pdf
CIDOC-CRM:
http://cidoc-crm.org/versions/cidoc_crm_v7.1.1.html
BibFrame:
https://id.loc.gov/ontologies/bibframe-category.html
Content Standards
Institute Digital Collections metadata is primarily based on the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI)’s element, qualifier, and term sets.
Other standards referenced include:
• Collaborative Digitization Program (CDP) Dublin Core Metadata Best Practices, Version 2.1
• Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS), 2nd Edition
• Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Graphics)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
• Society of American Archivists (SAA) Oral History Cataloging Manual
• Tech 3293 (EBUCore), Version 1.7
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ISO 8601
General Input Guidelines
The below list is a starting set of fields meant to be applicable across collection types. Customized fields for more specific collection and project needs can be added.
Capitalization
Use title case (ex: “The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog”) for formal and published titles and sentence case (ex: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”) for constructed and supplied titles. See Title for more specific examples. Enter acronyms in capital letters. The first letter of each field entry should be capitalized (ex: “Paint on metal”).
Punctuation
Avoid ending punctuation unless it is part of the content of the resource or in fields where full sentences are used (Description, Admin Notes).
Spelling
When transcribing a title or other information from a work, record inaccuracies or misspellings as they appear on the material, followed by the correction in brackets.
Abbreviations
In general, abbreviations for common grammatical Latin phrases (ex: et al., etc.), name prefixes and suffixes (ex: Dr., Jr.), units of measurement, and information recorded as is from an item are fine. Otherwise, avoid abbreviations if they could make the record unclear.
Character Encoding
Use Unicode encoding to input nonstandard characters and diacritics to ensure that the database will display and retrieve text correctly. A Unicode character table can be found here: http://www.utf8-chartable.de/.
Other, etc.
For all other general usage guidelines not addressed in this section, refer to the CHF Style Manual. Use double spacing between paragraphs.
Title
Element dcterms:title
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/title
Definition The name of the work.
Required Yes
Repeatable No (Use Additional Title field when necessary)
Content Rules
Use a given title if available, otherwise, construct a brief descriptive title that uniquely identifies the work.
Design and Construction of Audion Amplifying Transformers, Radio and Audio Types
Figure 402. Jersey. Figure 403. Ayrshire. Figure 404. Bison
Foreign Language Titles: Use the title in the language of the original material if it can be entered in the Latin script. If an English translation is available, provide it in the following Additional Title field.Tratado Instructivo, y Práctico Sobre el Arte de la Tintura
Testamentum Theorica
Duplicate Titles: Use dates to make the item title more unique.Letter from Max Bredig to Georg Bredig, May 1938
Letter from Max Bredig to Georg Bredig, April 1936
Oral History Interviews: Format Oral History titles according to the following formula:
Oral history interview with [interviewee name]Oral history interview with Peter Baumann
Illegible Titles: Use brackets and a question mark around indecipherable word(s).Letter from [Sandreth?] to James Curtis Booth
Racist Terms in Given Titles: Title on a case-by-case basis. Preserve but contextualize creator-sourced original description when racism is an important context by addressing the title language in the Description field. OR Replace the offensive term with a bracketed alternative that uniquely identifies the work without using harmful terminology, place original title in the Description. See Appendix A for more information.A Religious Dramatic Representation of the Power of the [Hindu] Goddess of Smallpox
Correspondence: Format correspondence titles according to the following formula:
[Letter/telegram/postcard/etc.] from [author] to [addressee]Memo from John Bishop to Arnold O. Beckman
Letter from Dr. Charles M. Wetherill to James Curtis Booth, December 13, 1863
Partially Digitized Items: Use the work’s full, given title. Describe digitization extent in the Description field.
Additional Title
Element Name dcterms:title
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/title
Definition An alternate name for the work.
Required Yes, if applicable and known
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Use for additional or varying form of the title if it contributes to further identification of the work.
Record subtitles and English translations of the titles here.
Examples
Empfehlenswerte Technische Werk aus dem Verlage von Julius Springer
Recommended Technical Works from the Publishers of Julius Springer
Neoprene A Remarkable Engineering Material
A Short History of Neoprene, A Chemical Triumph
The Constants of Nature
Parts I, II, and III
External Identifier
Element dcterms:identifier
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/identifier
Definition A reference to the physical work, consisting of a character or number string that identifies the resource.
Required Yes, mandatory to save record
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Library Materials:
Sierra Bibliographic Number
Sierra Item Number when there is more than one copy. Must have Bib number too.
Archival Materials:Sierra Bibliographic Item Number
Accession Number
ArchiveSpace Reference Number
Museum Materials:PastPerfect Object ID
Accession Number
Oral History Interviews:Sierra Bibliographic Number
Oral History Interview Number
The external ID does not necessarily have to be unique, but it should point to a source record. Bib Numbers will automatically generate a link to the library catalog (OPAC).
Examples
Bib Number: b10337957
Item Number: i11201022
Object ID: FA 2000.001.284
Accession Number: 2008.043
ArchivesSpace Ref Number: aspace_0396a206bcecfe8a2a70b7f59e7af082
Oral History Interview Number: 0556
Creator
Element dc11:creator
URI http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator
Definition Any individual, group, or organization responsible for the work, either primarily or auxiliary, if relevant.
Required Yes, if applicable
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Input the agent’s name from a controlled vocabulary when possible. This field currently auto-suggests FAST headings (from Library of Congress Authorities). If a FAST heading does not exist for the person or entity associated with the work, search the Library of Congress Name Authority File.
If an agent’s name does not have a controlled heading, format the name as:
[Last name], [First Name] [Initial]., [Dates]
Follow this formula to record creator names exactly as they are identified in the work, even if the name is ambiguous or brief, such as “Mr. B,” “A. E. V.,” or “The Author of the Pale Rose.”
Or enter the organization or group’s official title.
For more detailed guidance on creating name headings, see P:\Othmer Library\Cataloging\Creating Name Headings.docx. If you have created a new name heading, please at it to the list for NACO authority creation at P:\Othmer Library\Cataloging\Name Authorities to be established.xlsx
Denote specific roles (such as Artist, Author, Interviewee, Manufacturer, etc.) when possible; otherwise, Creator and Contributor can be used as default Maker roles.
If the creator is unknown, leave the creator field blank. If the creator is signed anonymous, enter “Anonymous” into the field.
Input Creators in order from the most to least contributing to the work (i.e., main creator before additional creators). Fields will appear in the order they are input in the metadata form.
Avoid typos, extra spaces, and inconsistencies. These create new local headings.
All creator names should be repeated as subject headings.
Date
Element Name dcterms:date
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/date
Definition Date(s) of creation or publication.
Required Yes
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Enter precise dates in the Start field following W3C International Standards.
Three levels of granularity can be used for precise dates:
year (YYYY)
year-month (YYYY-MM)
year-month-day (YYYY- MM-DD)
For date ranges or uncertainties, accepted formats are:
YYYY-YYYY
before YYYY
after YYYY
circa YYYY
YYY0 decade
YY00 century
undated (Note: Undated should only be used if no other date is available or can be inferred)
For inferring the date of an undated item, use clues in the item itself or contextual items to infer a decade or century. If even those fail you, consider:
using life dates of the creator as start and end date and enter as YYYY-YYYY. If the creator is still living, use: after [birth year].
Using the accession date or current date, and enter as: before YYYY
W3C International Standards correspond to the Gregorian calendar. For dates expressed in alternative formats or systems, record the original value as is in “Note”, which will display in parentheses after the W3C date.
If multiple dates are associated with a work, use the note field to clarify what each date represents.
Examples
1776-07-04
circa 1920
1860s (decade) [input as 1860 decade]
1600s (century) [use for 17th century – input as 1600 century]
1496 (MCDXCVI)
Place
Element dcterms:spatial
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/spatial
Definition Location of origin for the work.
Required Yes, if known.
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Insert geographic regions including neighborhoods, cities, states, or countries. This field currently auto-suggests FAST headings. If a FAST heading does not exist for the place associated with the work, search Library of Congress Authorities for an appropriate heading.
Specify the type of place (Creation, Interview, Manufacture, or Publication) in the dropdown. Places that are depicted or referenced in a work are topical and should be cataloged as Subjects.
Exceptions include Oral History interviews that take place at an organizational entity such as a university. In these cases, Oral History records may include the entity named in the Place field followed by the geographic region:
Place of interview: Rockefeller University
New York (State)--New York
If the place is unknown, use a broad estimate of the location, such as the country or state name of creation for works in which the city of orginin is unknown, or leave the field blank if this is not possible.
Use the modern name for the geographic region as is found in controlled headings. Add information regarding historic place names or place name changes in the work’s description.
Location Specifications & Guidelines
Place of manufacture
The place of manufacture (e.g., printing, duplicating, casting, etc.) of a resource in a published form
Place of publication
The place where a resource is published
Place of interview
A place where an event such as a conference or a concert took place
Place of creation
The place of production (e.g., inscription, fabrication, construction, etc.) of a resource in an unpublished form
Format
Element dc11:type
URI http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/type
Definition Format in which the work is expressed.
Required Yes
Repeatable No
Content Rules
Select the content type(s) that best reflects the original work and not the digital resource.
Terms for this field are from the DCMI Type Vocabulary.
Image A visual representation other than text.
Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession.
Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance.
Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard.
Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Examples
Photograph: Image
Bibliographic resource without illustrations: Text.
Bibliographic material with a substantial number of engravings or other graphics: Text and Image.
Scientific instruments: Physical Object
Photograph of a scientific instrument: Image
Genre
Element Name edm:hasType
URI http://www.europeana.eu/schemas/edm/hasType
Definition Concept describing the nature of the work, covering aspects such as content, form, function, physical character, style, or technique.
Required Yes
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Input the genre term(s) which best describes what the work is, not what it is about. In general, use broad values, accompanied by more specific values as necessary. Specific values, such as Engraving, Glassware, or Slides must be accompanied by their corresponding general term such as Prints, Artifacts, or Photographs respectively.
If the desired term is not available, contact the Digital Collections Librarian. When requesting a new genre, the following considerations must be met:
The term must be broadly applicable to the collections (upwards of 10 records minimum)
Term must be taken from a controlled vocabulary. FAST genre terms are preferred. If a FAST genre term is not available, terms may be used from FAST topics or AAT.
New Genres and genre vocabulary sources should be documented in the Digital Collections wiki and this document.
Genre Terms
Advertisements
Artifacts
Business correspondence
Catalogs
Charts, diagrams, etc.
Chemistry sets
Clothing and dress
Drawings
Electronics
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Engravings
Ephemera
Etchings
Figurines
Glassware
Handbooks and manuals
Illustrated works
Implements utensils etc.
Lithographs
Manuscripts
Maps
Medical instruments and apparatus
Minutes (Records)
Molecular models
Money
Negatives (Photographs)
Oral histories
Paintings
Pamphlets
Personal correspondence
Pesticides
Photographs
Photomechanical prints
Plastics
Portraits
Postage stamps Postcards
Press releases
Prints
Publications
Rare Books
Records (Documents)
Sample books
Scientific apparatus and instruments
Slides
Specimens
Stereographs
Textile Fabrics
Vessels (containers)
Woodcuts
Medium
Element dcterms:medium
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/medium
Definition The materials or physical carrier of the work.
Required Yes, for museum objects
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
This field is under review by museum staff for its purpose and function within the digital collections for description of museum materials. The field is currently viewable by staff only.
Input materials used in or part of the physical work using terms found in the Getty’s Art & Architecture Thesaurus.
Input terms in the order of which the substance is most to least prevalent in the object being described.
Use primarily for works with a format of “Physical Object,” (i.e., primarily museum works). Bibliographic works and archival works consisting of printed text on paper do not need to use this field. Bibliographic works with unique components such as parchment, metal fasteners, or dye samples may include this field.
Examples
Audiocassettes
Celluloid
Dye
Nylon
Extent
Element Name dcterms:extent
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/extent
Definition The size or duration of the original work.
Required No, but recommended
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Input numerical values up to two decimal places. If the value is less than one, precede the decimal point with a zero.
Specify dimensional sides as W (width) x H (height) or L (length) x D (depth) or Circ. (circumference) for rounded 3D objects.
Use metric units of measurement when applicable and lowercase letters for units of measurement.
For bibliographic items, specify the number of pages in the physical work, regardless of how many digitized pages are included in the record, as # pages and the height of the book as # cm H
For Oral Histories, include the number of transcript pages as # pages and the total audio running time in hours, minutes, and seconds as HH:MM:SS and as # hours # minutes # seconds
For archival works with several items included in one digital record, specify the item belonging to each measurement using parenthesis after the measurement in all lowercase. Also specify the number of items included.
2 items
23 cm W x 10 cm H (envelope)
20 cm W x 25 cm H (letter)
For works with multiple similarly sized items, input the largest item dimensions, followed by (and smaller)
Example
Archival Document: 18 cm W x 32 cm H
Cylindrical Physical Object: 80 cm L x 22 cm Circ.
Book: 116 pages
23 cm H
Oral History: 60 pages
1 hour, 49 minutes, 23 seconds
01:49:23
Language
Element Name dc11:language
URI http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/language
Definition The language of the intellectual content of the work.
Required Yes, if applicable
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Input the language(s) of the work being described, even if it is a translation or if the original is in a different language.
Leave blank for photographs for any works without a lingual or textual element.
This field will autocomplete languages from a local vocabulary (see below). If the desired language is not available, chose a term from ISO-639 language codes.
Terms:
Afrikaans
Arabic
Bulgarian
Catalan
Chinese
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Esperanto
Estonian
Finnish
French
Galician
German
German, Middle High
Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Greek, Modern (1453-)
Hebrew
Hungarian
Icelandic
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Latin
Latvian
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Romani
Romanian
Russian
Serbian
Slovak
Slovenian
Spanish
Swazi
Swedish
Tahitian
Tereno
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Yiddish
Description
Element Name dcterms:description
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/description
Definition Summary, highlights, or other contextual information about the work.
Required No, but recommended
Repeatable No
Content Rules
Use full sentences for descriptive text. Enter any specialized or additional information not included in other fields and consider using keywords that users may search for. Include a description of the physical qualities of the object when applicable, and an explanation of any graphic qualities in consideration of visually impaired users.
“Color print advertisement for Dow Aromatics. The advertisement features a mixed imagery illustration of a woman's face, a dancing couple, a hand holding a bar of soap, white roses, a perfume bottle, a beaker and a seated bull smelling a bouquet of flowers (a possible reference to the children's book The Story of Ferdinand, published in 1936). The accompanying text describes Dow Chemical's work in the field of synthetic aromatic chemicals and flavorings. The text also notes that Dow is developing synthetic food flavors to replace materials that are no longer widely available. Notably, the advertisement was produced during World War II and bears the Company's wartime tagline ‘Dow: Chemicals Indispensable to Industry and Victory.’”
When names of individuals are mentioned, include birth/death dates after name when possible. If dates are unknown, write nothing.
“Mary A. Booth, a relative of James Curtis Booth (1810-1888), writes to Booth following a letter from Marcia B. Booth of May 4.”
Indicate the extent of the work that has been digitized.
“Select figures have been digitized from this work.”
“Work has been digitized in its entirety.”
“Digitized content includes…”
Italicize published titles using <i></i> and follow with the date of publication behind when known.
“Text and illustration from page 479 of the volume <i>New Catechism of Electricity</i> (1896) detailing the Morse code alphabet and numerals used to communicate via telegraph.”
Only do not include a description if there is no other verified or known information about the work that is not already conveyed in other metadata fields.
Cite and link to any external sources used to inform the description in the Administrative Note field. Use resources such as Wikipedia freely. Only spend enough time on research to provide enough context to the work as is appropriate.
When materials containing harmful language or depictions are to be described, write in an objective voice and avoid neutral or passive voices; focus on the humanity of the subjects or situation being described; refrain from writing flowery, valorizing descriptions of collection creators; use accurate and strong language where appropriate; consider the needs of the audience, including stakeholder communities not just academic scholars; and be mindful of individual biases.
See Appendix A for more information.
“Booklet corresponding to a radio broadcast program created by the National Paint, Varnish, and Lacquer Association. The booklet describes the origin of paintbrush bristles beginning by explaining how bristles were processed from the coarse hair grown by hogs into paintbrushes in China, then how to properly use and care for a paintbrush. The booklet misidentifies "Chu Chang" as the Chinese phrase for bristles, belittling the Chinese language. A more accurate Chinese translation is 硬毛 (yìngmáo). Contains racially stereotyped imagery and descriptions. Includes small, stylized illustrations throughout and decorated covers.”
Archival works: Describe the work and creator, provide contextual information, then provide information about the collection. Use finding aid descriptions and notes when possible.
“Postcard featuring a hand-drawn illustrated depiction of the descent of French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin (1769-1823) The Official Aeronaut of France, Garnerin staged regular public demonstrations and tests of his designs at Parc Monceau in Paris. This postcard is part of a set originally collected in a scrapbook entitled <i>Album Gravures et Cartes-Postales: Vieux Paris Types Petits Métiers et Cris De La Rue</i> (1909).”
Mass Digitization Descriptive Practices: For works ingested en masse as a part of a large archival collection, a brief sentence describing the work is acceptable.
“James Curtis Booth (1810-1888) declares his intention to resign his position as Assistant State Surveyor to devote his time to chemistry.”
Bibliographic works: Describe the author, publisher (when applicable), context of the book’s creation (when applicable), content of the book, and extent to which the book is digitized.
“Johann Gottlob von Kurr (1798-1870) published <i>Das Mineralreich in Bildern</i> as a professor of mineralogy and botany at the Stuttgart Polytechnic Institute in 1858. Digitized in entirety, this first edition English translation of the German <i>Das Mineralreich in Bildern</i> consists of two sections. The first is an introduction including topics such as the formation of crystals and chemical reactions of crystals. Of particular note is a five-page table of the chemical elements (pp. 7-11), consisting of two parts: I. Metalloids, nonmetallic elements; and II. Metals. The second section is devoted to the description of various mineral groups including precious stones, hornblende and augitic minerals, felspathic minerals, micaceous minerals, zeolitic minerals, calcareous minerals, and various salts and compounds. The final pages of the book contain twenty-four lithograph plates depicting crystalline structures and mineral forms. The plates are hand-colored, using metallic finishes to create a lustrous effect.”
Rare Books: Write according to the same guidelines as other bibliographic materials. Rare books will often require more research. Contact the rare book librarian for review after the description is written.
Child works: Describe the content of the work and include a brief description of the parent work.
“Figure 20. Furnace, Round Iron, very useful.
Figure 21. Furnace, Dr. Black's.
Figure 22. Furnace, on Professor Brande's Principle, made to order, price according to size.
Figure 23. Pair of large Pepy's Copper Gas-holders, suitable for lecturer's.
These illustrations are part of Palmer's New Catalogue by Edward Palmer (1803-1872), regarded as the earliest, freely-accessible sales catalog of commercially available chemicals and scientific apparatus. The catalog provides insight into the costs and considerations of equipping laboratories during the early Victorian period. Featuring 292 engraved figures, the catalog is digitized in its entirety.”
Museum Objects: Description can be taken from Past Perfect record entry and adapted to fit Digital Collections Standards.“Teddy Ruxpin is an animatronic children's toy in the form of a talking 'Illiop', a creature that looks like a bear. The bear's mouth and eyes move while "reading" stories played on an audiotape cassette deck built into its back. Conventional Compact Cassettes carry two audio tracks for stereo sound reproduction. Teddy Ruxpin cassettes use the right track for audio and the left track for a control data stream. The data stream controls servomotors that move the eyes and mouth. Digitized content includes the Teddy Ruxpin animatronic bear, two cassette tapes, an instruction manual, a warranty card, and the front and rear covers of three accompanying stories.
Worlds of Wonder, or WoW, was an American toy company founded in 1985 by former Atari sales president Don Kingsborough, and former Atari employee Mark Robert Goldberg. Its founding was inspired by the Teddy Ruxpin prototype that became its launch product.”
Oral Histories: Description should be copied directly from the abstract included in the oral history front matter. Edit to include named individual’s birth/death dates and to italicize any publication titles.
Photographs: Attempt to name all pictured individuals and provide a description of the scene.
“Dyeing technicians in the Customer Service and Quality Control Laboratory at the Althouse Chemical plant in Reading, Pennsylvania. The technicians are seen using skein dyeing equipment, typically employed either to test quality control of plant production lots or treat final research and development samples. The technician at left is Marion Griffith.”
Inscription
Element Name ecrm:E34_Inscription
URI http://erlangen-crm.org/091216/E34.Inscription
Definition Text on a work that is captioned, dedicated, or inscribed.
Required Yes, if applicable
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
Specify inscription location and transcribe the text exactly as is on the work, including capturing misspellings, cross-outs, or other anomalies as they appear.
Use non-bibliographic terms like “front” and “back” instead of “recto” or “verso”
Inscriptions should follow the same guidelines as Transcriptions. See Appendix B for Transcription Guidelines.
Example
(Inside front cover) “To my friend D. Othmer”
(Front bottom left) “John Dalton was here.”
Subject
Element Name dc11:subject
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/subject
Definition Topical terms describing the “aboutness” of the work.
Required Yes, at least one.
Repeatable Yes
Content Rules
This field currently auto-suggests FAST headings (from Library of Congress Authorities). If a FAST heading does not exist for the person or entity associated with the work, search Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Use subjects to answer what, who, when, and where the work is about. Subject headings may include topics, events, geographic locations, people, and organizations/institutions.
Capture the essence or subject of the work. Focus on the “about-ness” of the work rather than the “of-ness.” For example, this work, an aerial photograph of the Dow Chemical Company includes the subject headings:
Industries
Dow Chemical Company
Michigan--Tittabawassee River
Not the subject headings
Aerial photographs
Aerial views
However, when the form of the work is not conveyed sufficiently within the Genre field and if its physical manifestation is of substantial consequence to the informative value of the work, use subjects to indicate what form or genre the work is an instance of.
All listed creator names must be included as a subject heading.
Be forthcoming with terms that highlight the involvement of traditionally underrepresented groups. Use subject headings to highlight any themes of prejudice or othering.
The work Aid to American Scholars: Move to Help Refugees Evokes Plea for the Domestic Product includes subject headings which encompass the anti-immigrant sentiments expressed in the work including Nationalism, Nativism, and Xenophobia.
Include both general and specific terms, where applicable.
Scientists
Women Scientists
Do not rely solely on FAST or LCSH when creating subject headings if they are harmful to the people they describe. Use local alternatives to known harmful headings listed in Appendix A.
Provenance
Element Name dcterms:provenance
URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/provenance
Definition: The history of the ownership and transmission of an object, including previous locations of work.
Required Yes, if applicable
Repeatable No
Content Rules
Applies to Museum works, Archival objects, and Rare Books.
Museum: This style pattern was developed by Nicole Cook for the Science History Institute. It is a hybrid of the provenance style guidelines used by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and the Getty Center, Los Angeles:
List provenance information in chronological order from earliest to most recent (present day) with supporting evidence.
When specific years are not known, attempt to establish a likely date range. Use clear terms such as “circa,” “after,” “before,” and/or “prior to” when applicable.
Use clear and specific “common sense” language.
Separate changes or gaps in provenance with a line break. Indicate descent within the same family or institution with a semicolon and no line break.
When a work stays in the same family through descent, or when it remains in the same institution but the institution changes name or location, this is considered an unbroken provenance line.For additional notes on supporting evidence or documentation, place a numbered note in brackets and then add a notes section below the main listings.
Where line breaks occur to signify a change in ownership, insert another space to create defined sections for readability. Show notes from the rest of the information using the word “Notes:” on its own line. This formatting allows for “show notes” feature to work when copying provenance over to the Digital Collections site.When provenance cannot be confirmed, qualify the listing with the terms “possibly” or “probably.”
Represent art dealers and galleries in [brackets]. Represent auction sales, associated sales and additional information about buyers and sellers in (parentheses). Nest parentheses when indicating additional information about buyers and sellers within an auction sale.
Rare Books and Archives: Use a narrative form to include information about donors or auctions when applicable. Follow same general principles as museum objects, listing provenance information in chronological order from earliest to most recent and using line breaks to signify a change in ownership.
Examples
The Alchemist Object ID: FA 2000.001.277:
[possibly Willem Gruyter, Amsterdam (sale, Philippus Schley, Amsterdam, 8 August 1804, lot 82; sale, Philippus Schley, Amsterdam, 23 August 1808, lot 76)]. [1]
Private Collection, Vermont, before 1967 and probably prior to 20th cent. (to Koetser). [2]
[David M. Koetser Galleries, New York, after 1923 and prior to 1965 (to Fisher)].
Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA; Fisher Scientific International Inc., Hampton, NH, acquired by Chester Fisher, prior to 1965 until 2000.
The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2000 (from Fisher Scientific International Inc.).
Notes:
[1] This auction lists lot 82 as a painting by Juncker with a very similar description to the present painting.
[2] An internal note from Chester Fisher described the painting as having been "located by Koetser Galleries in the Vermont home of a U.S.A. Naval Commander, in whose family it had been for several generations." David M. Koetser opened Koetser Galleries in New York shortly after 1923. The New York gallery in closed in 1967, when David M. Koetser moved to Zurich. The painting must have been sold to Chester Fisher before his death in 1965.
The Alchemist Object ID: FA 2000.003.001
John Sheepshanks (1787-1863); by descent to Charles Sheepshanks (probably Charles Edward William Sheepshanks, 1911-1991); (sale, Christie's, London, 27 July 1969, lot. 84 (to Bader)).
Alfred Bader, Milwaukee, 1969-1995 (to Roy Eddleman for Spectrum).
Spectrum Laboratories, California, 1995-2000.
The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2000 (from Spectrum and Roy Eddleman).
Notes for making aqua fortis
<i>A catalogue of the Portsmouth collection of books and papers written by or belonging to Sir Isaac Newton</i>, chemistry parcel 5, item 29 (p. 18).
<i>Catalogue of the Newton papers... sold by auction by Messrs. Sotheby and Co.... On Monday July 13, 1936, and Following Day.</i>, lot 88b (p. 14).
<i>The Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library</i>, vol. 2, p. 658, where the manuscripts is misidentified as belonging to lot 18 in the Sotheby's sale.
Nobel laureates at Indian Institute of Science
This photograph was graciously donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by Raji Heyrovska in 2001.
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