CollectionBuilder-CSV Metadata

CollectionBuilder-CSV starts from the same basic metadata template of other CB templates, but adds a few technical fields to increase the flexibility of the template.

To get started, copy the Google Sheets metadata template below (make sure you’re logged in to Google Drive, then open the template and click the File menu and select “Make a Copy”).

CollectionBuilder-CSV Metadata Template

This template is a starting point–fill in only what is relevant for your content and feel free to add more columns! If transforming existing metadata, you do not need to exactly match the CollectionBuilder template. Just ensure that you create the required fields following the conventions described below.

Required fields for CollectionBuilder-CSV

objectid:

• This is the field that CollectionBuilder uses to identify each object. This should be a unique string, all lowercase with no spaces or special characters as it will be used to form the item’s URL. Underscores (_) and dashes (-) are okay; slashes (/) should NOT be used in this field.
• Objects without an objectid will not be displayed in the collection. Objects with non-unique objectid will be overwritten.
• Example value: coll002

title:

• The title field is used to indicate the name of an item. This should be a short, descriptive set of words that identify the item. Each item may only have one title.
• A title is not technically required, but will leave blank areas in the template.
• Example value: Haystack Rock

Strongly suggested fields

The fields described in this section are not required, but they come highly recommended!

Display Template

The display_template field is used to choose the Item page type and the correct item representations on other pages. Setting the template enables a great deal of flexibility and simplifies customization of your collection, and combined with the object location fields listed below, represents the biggest difference from other CollectionBuilder versions such as GH.

display_template:

• Sets the template type used for the Item page and is used in logic to choose representations in other pages.
• If blank the object will default to a generic item page.
• Supported values in display_template match the files found in “_layouts/item/”. You can create new custom templates by adding the layout file in this folder!
• Default supported options: image,pdf, video, audio, record, item, panorama, compound_object,multiple.
  • image: Displays image_small if available, with fall back to object_location. Adds gallery view to open images full screen using object_location, with fall back to image_small.
  • pdf: Displays image_small if available, with fall back to image_thumb, or a pdf icon.
  • video: Displays a video embedded on the page with default support for video files (using <video> element with object_location as src), YouTube (from link in object_location), or Vimeo videos (from link in object_location).
  • audio: Uses <audio> element to embed audio file from object_location as src.
  • panorama: a 360 degree image. Item pages will use the Javascript based panorama viewer, Panellum to display the image in a 360 degree view.
  • record: metadata only record.
  • item: generic fallback item page, displays image or icon depending on “image_thumb”
  • compound_object: a record for an item that includes multiple file instances that are described/managed separately in the metadata. The item page will display a grid of collected items (of any accepted CB type) whose metadata and media can be viewed in a series of browsable modals. Compound objects use an additional set of conventions, see below for more details.
  • multiple: a record for an item that includes multiple images (such as a postcard) that are listed separately in the metadata. The item page will feature a vertical series of large images that scroll down the page and a popup gallery function. Multiples use an additional set of conventions, see below for more details.
• See “docs/item-pages.md” in your CollectionBuilder-CSV project repository for more details.

Object Location Fields

Object location fields are used to add file downloads and display images for your collection items on the Item page and other visualization pages.

object_location:

• A full URL to download the full quality digital object or relative path if items are contained with in the project.
• Most objects will have an object_location value, the link where the digital file can be downloaded or accessed in a different platform.
• For some items (such as the record display template), this may be a link to different website (not necessarily to a download of a file).
• If this field is blank, the item will become a metadata-only record.
• Example value for external object: https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iiif/expforsav/390/full/max/0/default.jpg
• Example value for object in project: /objects/demo_002.pdf
• Example value for YouTube object: https://youtu.be/CVXQ3X6Q8oU

image_small:

• A full URL to a small image representation of the object or relative path if items are contained with in the project.
• The small image is used to represent objects on Item pages, or in visualizations where a larger-than-thumb image would be useable.
• For non-image items having a small image can useful to provide users a visual representation for the object (i.e. an audio cover).
• If this field is blank, the item will be represented by an icon based on its display_template or format field.
• As a general guideline, small images should be JPGs approximately 800x800 px max.
• Example value for external object: https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iiif/expforsav/390/full/pct:40/0/default.jpg
• Example value for object in project: /objects/small/demo_002_sm.jpg
• Example value for YouTube object: https://img.youtube.com/vi/CVXQ3X6Q8oU/hqdefault.jpg

image_thumb:

• A full URL to a thumb image representation of the object or relative path if items are contained with in the project.
• The thumb image is used to represent the object on visualization pages (i.e. Home, Browse, Map, and Timeline), in a fast, user friendly file size.
• If this field is blank, the template will use a icon to represent the object based on its display_template or format field.
• As a general guideline, thumb images should be JPGs approximately 400x400 px max.
• Example value for external object: https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iiif/expforsav/390/full/pct:20/0/default.jpg
• Example value for object in project: /objects/thumbs/demo_002_th.jpg
• Example value for YouTube object: https://img.youtube.com/vi/CVXQ3X6Q8oU/mqdefault.jpg

image_alt_text

• An appropriate textual description of the image_small representation of the item. The alt text corresponds to the image_small (not necessarily the file at object_location).
• This value will be used as the “alt” value of the image element, which is important for accessibility (and required!). If no image_alt_text is provided, the template will fall back to using the item’s description or title value (which in many cases is not ideal for your users).
• Using the image_alt_text field allows you to provide more carefully crafted alt text depending on the item contents, type, and purpose. See WAI Images Tutorial for more tips.
• Example value: Man standing with pump machinery next to a river with trees and mountains in the distance

object_transcript

• A text transcript of the item’s content. This is most commonly used with video and audio items, but can be for any item type.
• The transcript content can be added in two ways:
  1. Add the full text as the value directly in the field. This is a straight forward way to keep transcript data directly in your metadata. Keep in mind that spreadsheet software typically has limits on the number of characters per cell, so this won’t work well with larger transcripts. Note the value can not start with /!
  2. Add the transcript as a text file (.txt or .md) in your project repository (usually the “objects” folder) and put the relative path and filename as the value of object_transcript. For example, /objects/transcript1.txt or /text/demo_01.md. The relative path must start with /. See below for more information on preparing a transcript file.
• The contents of the field or the transcript file will be rendered as Markdown on the Item page.
• Example value in cell: Temperatures 85 to 90 in valleys, 70 to 75 ridges. Minimum humidity 15 to 25 percent valleys and 22 to 32 percent ridges. 20 foot winds at lower elevations Northwest, 5 to 15 miles per hour. Ridge top, Northwest, 5 to 15 miles per hour.
• Example value in transcript text file: /objects/demo_003.md

Preparing transcripts:

• Providing a transcript for audio and video items is an essential accessibility and useability feature to ensure all users can access the information contained in the media. We strongly recommend video items also include in video captioning, which can be automatically provided by YouTube or Vimeo.
• When creating transcripts, consider the information they convey to users. Basic transcripts record the audio information only. Descriptive transcripts also record visual information beyond the speakers. Basic transcripts can be started using automated services or downloading captions from YouTube, and are then often cleaned up and edited. See WAI transcripts tips for more information.
• To prepare a transcript text file:
  • Create a “.txt” or “.md” file following the general filenaming conventions. It is often desireable to follow a naming convention that links the transcript to the main item, such as using it’s objectid.
  • Add the file to a folder in your project repository (such as the “objects” folder). These can be grouped in a subfolder if desired, such as “/objects/transcripts/”.
  • Ensure that the file has YAML front matter at the top of the file so that it will be processed by Jekyll (the front matter can be empty, i.e. --- line break ---).
  • Add the relative path (e.g. /objects/) and filename to the object_transcript field, e.g. /objects/demo_003.md.
  • During site build, the transcript text will be retrieved from the file and rendered as Markdown.

format:

• This field indicates the object’s media type.
• Format is used as a fallback to determine representations if an item does not have a display_template or image_thumb.
• The input for this field should be structured according to MIME type standards, consisting of a type and a subtype concatenated with a slash (/) between them.
• Common values:
  • Image: image/jpeg
  • Document: application/pdf
  • Audio: audio/mp3
  • Video: video/mp4

Fields Required for Visualizations

By default CollectionBuilder uses these fields to generate contextual visualizations, including a map, timeline, and word clouds reflecting the frequency of subjects and locations in a collection.

The template can be customized to use other fields, but it often is easiest to use these Dublin Core-based fields!

latitude:

• A geographic coordinate specifying the north-south position of an item. See the Map section for more information.
• Example value: 46.731643

longitude:

• A geographic coordinate specifying the east-west position of an item. See the Map section for more information.

• Example value: -117.165625

• Pro Tip: Latitude and longitude for your items can be found using online mapping platforms:
  • On Google Maps right click on a point and select the lat/long displayed at the top of the menu. This will copy the lat/long values to your clipboard, allowing you to paste them into your metadata spreadsheet. Alternatively, if you left click on the map, the lat/long will display in a box towards the bottom. Double clicking on a spot will center the map on that location, and the lat/long will be added to the URL where you can copy it from the address bar.
  • On Open Street Map right click on a point and select “Show address” from the menu. The lat/long will display on the left side panel, where you can copy and paste to your metadata.
  • On iTouch Maps search or move the map to approximate location, then hold Shift and click on the spot. The lat/long will display below.

If your metadata does not have map coordinates, but you would like to experience CollectionBuilder’s map visualization, we’ve created a demo list of latitudes and longitudes that you can add to your data just for practice.

date:

• This field indicates a point in time associated with the item. This date field will be used for sorting and displaying on a timeline, so may often be an estimated / approximate date, rather than one more precisely formatted to archival description standards. We suggest adding more complex descriptions of date (date ranges, uncertainties, etc) in a separate field such as “date_created”.
• Dates should be represented in the format yyyy-mm-dd, which will enable our various timeline visualizations. See the Timeline section for more details.
• For less exact dates, yyyy-mm or yyyy may be used.
• Example value: 1997-07-16, 1997-07, 1997
• (Dates in a mm/dd/yyyy format will also work)

subject:

• The subject field contains topic(s) related to the item.
• This field allows for multiple subjects to be input for a single record. Each value should be separated with a semicolon (;).
• See the Subjects section for more information.
• Example value: Dogs; Cats; Zebras

Note: This field needs to be named ‘subject’ (not ‘subjects’) for many default features in CollectionBuilder to work. Data in this field will create the word cloud that allows users to visualize the frequency of subjects used within the collection.

location:

• This field designates a geographic location(s) to which the item is tied. Much like the subject field, this field will build a tag cloud of the most used locations in your collection. See the Locations section for more information. Be sure to separate multiple location entries for a single record with a semicolon (;).
• Example value: Pullman, Washington; Moscow, Idaho

Optional Fields

The rest of the fields in the CollectionBuilder metadata template are not required for CollectionBuilder or its visualizations to work, but their use is encouraged to ensure a richly informative collection. These remaining fields are listed below, along with their respective definitions and examples.

CollectionBuilder can accommodate any field you include in your metadata once you customize your site. For example, you can display any field on item pages or on the Browse page. See the Page config sections for more information.

creator:

• The creator property designates an entity primarily responsible for making the resource. Multiple creators may be input, as long as each is separated by a semicolon (;).
• Example value: Smith, John or Smith, John; Doe, Jane

description:

• The description should be a brief account of the object. Each object should only have one description.
• Example value: Postcard of the Memorial Gymnasium on the University of Idaho campus in Moscow, Idaho.

source:

• The source field designates a related source collection or resource from which the object is derived. This field is especially relevant for digitized archival collections. In such a situation, the name of the physical archival collection would be the input for this field. The input should be expressed as the collection name followed by a comma, then followed by the holding library.
• Example value: PG 5, University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives

identifier:

• The identifier field is used to preserve the unique identifier assigned to the object by the object’s (usually physical) source collection.
• Example value: ARG-02-16-1993

type:

• An object’s type distinguishes between types of image, sound, text, etc. using a one- or two-value input. At minimum, the input should contain a value chosen from the DCMI Type Vocabulary. If using a second value, the second value does not need to relate to a controlled vocabulary, but should give further specification of the object type. The two values in a pair should be separated by a semicolon (;). See examples below.
• Example value: Image;StillImage, Image;MovingImage, Text, Sound

language:

• This field indicates the language associated with the object. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the ISO 639-2 Codes for the Representation of Names and Languages to designate language tags.
• Example value: en, fr, de

rights:

• The rights field should include a free-text rights statement describing information about rights held in and over the object.
• Example value: Educational use includes non-commercial use of text and images in materials for teaching and research purposes. Digital reproduction rights granted by the University of Idaho Library. For other uses beyond free use, please contact University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives Department.

rightsstatement:

• This field is a standardized rights statement, designated in the form of a URI. It should be presented as a creativecommons.org URI or a rightsstatements.org URI.
• Example value: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/