Collection-level description

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Collection-level description the Information
Landscapeusers evaluate strategies for resource
discovery Collection Description Focus Workshop
5Cambridge, 30th January 2003

• Bridget Robinson Ann Chapman
• UKOLN, University of Bath
• Bath, BA2 7AY

Email cd-focus_at_ukoln.ac.uk URL http//www.ukoln.ac
.uk/
UKOLN is supported by
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CLD the Information Landscape

• Collection Description Focus
• What is a collection?
• Why collection-level description?
• Strategic Initiatives
• Collection-level description and the user
  perspective

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Collection Description Focus

• Improve consistency, compatibility of approaches
• Funded by
• RSLP
• JISC/DNER
• British Library
• Resource
• Experience of RSLP Collection Description
• Benefit from collaboration with
• Interoperability Focus
• JISC Information Environment architecture team
• NOF-Digitise Technical Advisory Service
• CIMI (museums)

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Collection Description Focus

• Developing consensus
• Gathering information
• Building a community
• Facilitating dialogue
• CD Forum
• Disseminating good practice
• Organising events
• workshops, briefing days
• Giving presentations
• Publishing articles and papers
• Developing training resources
• recommendations, guidelines

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Collection Description Focus

• Supporting implementers
• point of contact, advice
• support for CLD in programmes
• Research Support Libraries Programme
• JISC programmes for building the IE
• JISC Learning Teaching (5/99) programme
• NOF-Digitise
• Resource regional cross-domain research projects
• Providing tools

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What is a collection?

• Collection
• an aggregation of items
• Aggregations of, e.g.
• natural objects fossils, mineral samples
• created objects artefacts, documents, records
• digital resources documents, images, multimedia
  objects, data, software
• digital surrogates of physical objects
  documents, images
• metadata catalogue records, item descriptions,
  collection-level descriptions (!)

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What is a collection?

• Various criteria for aggregation, e.g.
• By location
• By type/form of item
• By provenance of item
• By source/ownership of item
• By nature of item content
• .
• Any number of items
• Permanent, temporary
• Discrete, distributed
• Collections created with intent/purpose
• consciously formed
• collection development policies

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Why collection-level description?

• Enable collection provider to
• manage own collections
• control/audit/review holdings internally
• identify collections at risk
• assess priorities for item-level cataloguing
• manage in collaboration with other providers
• identify, record, share information on strengths
  and weaknesses
• suggest areas where co-ordination possible
• inform strategic planning
• institutional, cross-institutional, regional,
  sectoral, national.

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CLDs are useful to resource managers?
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Collection-level description for users?

• Enable user to
• discover/locate collections
• select collections to explore/search on basis of
  summary description
• compare collections as broadly similar objects
  (even where items heterogeneous)
• understand conditions of access use
• interpret collections

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CLDs provide high-level map of landscape for
user, researcher, visitor.
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The resource discovery context

• Strategic initiatives
• Museums
• Renaissance in the Regions
• Single Regional Agencies
• Resource Framework for Collections Management
• Libraries
• Peoples Network connectivity
• Full Disclosure retrospective cataloguing
• Research Support Libraries Programme
  disclosure/access, collaborative management
• Archives
• Access to Archives, Scottish Archival Network,
  Archives Hub integrated access

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The resource discovery context

• Digital content creation programmes
• making heritage (more) accessible
• NOF-Digitise
• 50m content creation programme
• supporting strategy for social inclusion,
  lifelong learning
• digitised objects
• learning materials
• 130 projects, Summer 2001-
• Culture Online
• to widen access to resources of arts/cultural
  sector for purposes of learning and enjoyment

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Collection-level description and the user
perspective

• Distinction between collection manager needs and
  user needs
• Lack of user studies evaluation
• Item-level v collection-level
• Single v cross domain accessibility
• Buy-in from end users
• Training advocacy
• Collection-level description is out
  there.

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Acknowledgements

• UKOLN is funded by Resource the Council for
  Museums, Archives and Libraries, the Joint
  Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK
  higher and further education funding councils, as
  well as by project funding from the JISC and the
  European Union. UKOLN also receives support from
  the University of Bath where it is based.
• http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/

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Collection Description Forum - Draft Guidance
Papers

• The following papers are available
• Creating reusable collection-level descriptions
• Collection Description Focus Guidance Paper, No
  1. November 2002.HTML lthttp//www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd
  -focus/guides/gp1/gt
• Maintaining collection-level descriptions
• Collection Description Focus Guidance Paper, No
  2. November 2002.HTML lthttp//www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd
  -focus/guides/gp2/gt
• Administrative metadata for collection-level
  descriptions
• Collection Description Focus Guidance Paper, No
  3. December 2002.HTML lthttp//www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd
  -focus/guides/gp3/gt

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COMING SOON!!!!

• Collection Description Focus
• Showcase Event
• 25th March 2003 at British Library Conference
  Centre
• Theme - Collection-level description and bringing
  together distributed content
• Presentations and Demo Services