Let's talk about that data, Metadata

A large part of digitization is the information that goes along with the digital scans. We can't simply take a photo and say the archival material has been digitized and move on. Instead, we need to add data about both the original archival material and the digital scan.

The data that we need is called metadata. Now, if you aren't familiar with metadata it might sound like some sort of intimidating tech jargon, but metadata is simply data about data. Almost all of us use metadata every day; you take a photo with your phone and your phone keeps a record of the date and location of the photo, the image size, the file type, etc. In this example, the photo is the data and the information about the photo is the metadata.

In digitization, we need to record the original archival material's metadata (the original date, the type of material, the original creator, the size, etc.) as well as the metadata for the new digital scan (when the digital photo was taken, what it was taken with, the file type and size, etc.). Additionally, if it hasn't already been done by an archivist, we need to add a description and subjects for the archival material.

A screenshot of an aerial photo and the same area in Google Maps

A big part of my time spent on digitization is actually spent on metadata. Half of the metadata I need is recorded by my camera and computer for the digital scan, but I need to add metadata for the original archival material. Recording dates and photographers is simple, but identifying, describing, and tagging subjects in the photo takes a lot of time. Because I work with aerial photographs, I need to identify where the photo was taken and how things have changed in the area from then to now. I regularly consult a combination of old maps, Google Maps, and city directories. Once I know what's in the photo, I need to write a short description of the photo. One of the biggest challenges for me is to write a description that anyone could read and instantly know what they are looking at. Addtionally, I need to add subject tags so the photos are easily found in searches on our Digital Collections page, so I need to think about what people might be looking for when they need the pictures I'm working on.

An example of the metadata I record for the photos I digitize

For more information about metadata, here is a blog post from the National Archives of the UK: https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/digital-archiving-seven-pillars-metadata/

Additionally, here is a link to the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) lookup that I use regularly at work: https://id.loc.gov/search/?q=&q=cs%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fid.loc.gov%2Fauthorities%2Fsubjects