How to use the CONTENTdm field properties templateSeptember 2010Rev. May 2012

Introduction

The MWDL Dublin Core Application Profile is intended to guide the creation of new metadata. In order to help themembers and contributing partners of the MWDL to use this Application Profile, a CONTENTdm field properties template was created.This template is conformant to the MWDL Dublin Core Application Profile so it can be used to create easily new conformant metadata.

Using this template helps to create a conformant collection and this is really important in the MWDL: a better conformance means a better coherence between the different collections, and a better coherence means an easier search for the user. Moreover, if a collection is not conformant to the MWDL Application Profile, its resources might not appear in the results so they might not be visible or used.

However, the template is only a base which has to be adapted to each new collection. Indeed, each partner has its own needs and each collection is particular and can have different kinds of metadata. So this template is intended to be adapted, but some important parts should not be changed as explained.

There are two versions of the template:

  • The first version contains only the basic elements of the Application Profile[1].
  • The second version contains the same elements but also the Preservation Elements[2].

In this way, the members or partners who do not want to fill out the preservation elements can use the short version.

Template v.1: Basic Metadata fields

Template v.2: Basic Metadata fields and preservation elements

How to use the template

The template can be adapted to the specificities of each collection but some things should stay the same.

What you can do:

  • Adding additional fields that you need. You can map several fields to the same “DC map” if this is relevant.

If you have fields which do not correspond with any of the Application Profile fields, they have to be mapped to “None”.

  • Deleting the optional fields not used in your collection.
  • Changing the local field names (column “Field name” in CONTENTdm): the only thing that really matters is how the field is mapped (column “DC map”). You are free to choose the local field name that you want.

What you should not do:

  • Setting “Required” to “No” for the required fields.
  • Hiding the required fields (hidden fields are not shared via OAI).

1

[1]MWDL Dublin Core Application Profile, III Element Tables, p.5

[2]MWDL Dublin Core Application Profile, IV Parsed Preservation Elements about Master Archival Files (Optional), p.19