Metadata Clean-Up
Before you prepare to publish your site, it is important to think about metadata you want to be associated with your images and other content.
What is Metadata?
Metadata is a set of tags which contain relevant, searchable information about your files.
For example, a photograph of an Orioles baseball cap from the 1980s could be tagged with the following:
- 1980s
- Memorabilia
- Baseball
- Orioles
Keeping Track of Your Metadata
By far, the easiest way to keep track of your metadata before setting up your site is to use spreadsheet software such as Excel or Google Sheets, depending on your specific data collection procedures.
Categories
When thinking about how to tag your data and files, consider setting up some broad categories related to the materials you’ve gathered.
For instance:
- Clothing
- Music
- Collectible
- News
In the end, the categories will depend on the nature of the items photographed and stories collected during the event.
- Note that for your metadata categories as well as the particular metadata for a given file, there are certain text characters that you should avoid, such as double quotes (“”) and colons (:). If quotes are absolutely essential, use single quotes (‘) instead.
Particulars
The metadata for a specific item will, naturally, be particular to that item. This will include unique, indentifying details, and may include information related to the individual who submitted it.
** If a participant has opted not to have their name included, be sure that you do NOT include any personal data about the individual(s) who submitted the item. **