More product, more process: metadata in digital image collections
| Pages | 2-14 |
| Date | 11 February 2019 |
| Published date | 11 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-06-2018-0018 |
| Author | Grace Therrell |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
More product, more process:
metadata in digital image collections
Grace Therrell
University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implications of current theories that advocate for
minimal levels of description in digital collections. Specifically, this paper looks at the archival theory of
“More Product, LessProcess”and its encouragement of collection-level description.The purpose of the study
was to analyze how levelsof description impact resource retrieval.
Design/methodology/approach –This study analyzed 35 images from a New York Public Library
(NYPL) digital collection present on the NYPL website and on Flickr. The methodology was designed to
reflect users’informationseeking behavior for image collections. There were two researchquestions guiding
this study:what are the descriptive terms used to describe itemsin digital collections? and what is the success
rate of retrievingresources using assigned descriptiveterms?
Findings –The results of this study revealedthat the images from the NYPL collection were more difficult
to find on the institution’s website as compared with Flickr. These findings suggest that lesser levels of
descriptionin digital collections hinder resource retrieval.
Research limitations/implications –These findings suggest that lesser description levels hurt the
findability of resources. In the wake of theories such as “More Product, Less Process”, information
professionalsmust find ways to assign metadata to individual materialsin digital image collections.
Originality/value –Recent researchconcerning description levels of digital collectionsis several years old
and focuses mostly on the usefulness of collection-level metadata as a supplement to or substitutefor item-
level metadata. Few, if any, studies exist that explore the implications of description levels on resource
retrievabilityand findability. This study is also unique in that itdiscusses these implications in the context of
less-is-moretheories of archival processing.
Keywords Digital collections, Resource description, Digital libraries, Metadata,
Archival processing, Image collections
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Resource description is one of the most important aspects of organizing information. How
information professionals describe resources directly impacts users’ability to find them.
Description is even more important in digital collections. As in the analog environment,
metadata assigned to digital resources directly affects those resources’findability and
accessibility. In the online arena,metadata also contributes to discoverability. Having terms
that describe each item allows those materials to be found by users, whether within the
digital collection site or the larger web. Recently, though, there has been debate over the
necessity of item-level description. Theories such as “More Product, Less Process”(or
MPLP) advocate mass digitization and pushing out more materialin exchange for spending
less time processing in the name of increasingaccess (Greene and Meissner, 2005;Meissner
and Greene, 2010). These less-is-more approaches support collection-level description as an
acceptable substitute for individual resource description in the name of conserving
resources. This idea has influenced the digital world, producing an increasing number of
digital collections without item-level metadata. The following study was designed to
DLP
35,1
2
Received28 June 2018
Revised18 October 2018
Accepted27 October 2018
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.35 No. 1, 2019
pp. 2-14
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-06-2018-0018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5816.htm
To continue reading
Request your trial