Collection-level description & the Information Landscape:

users evaluate strategies for resource discovery

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5Cambridge, 30th January 2003

Bridget Robinson & Ann Chapman

UKOLN, University of Bath

Bath, BA2 7AY

UKOLN is supported by:

Emailcd-focus@ukoln.ac.ukURLhttp://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

2

CLD & the Information Landscape

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

user perspective

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

3

Collection Description Focus

• Improve consistency, compatibility of approaches

• Funded by– RSLP– JISC/DNER– British Library– Re:source

• Experience of RSLP Collection Description• Benefit from collaboration with

– Interoperability Focus– JISC Information Environment architecture team – NOF-Digitise Technical Advisory Service– CIMI (museums)

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

4

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

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

5

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– Re:source regional cross-domain research

projects

• Providing tools

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

6

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 (!)…

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

7

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

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

8

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….

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

9

Database of CLDs

… CLDs are useful to resource managers?

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

10

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

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

11

Collection of physicalobjects

Collection ofmetadata records

Collection of books

Collection of digitalitems

Database of CLDs

CLDs provide high-level “map” of landscape for user, researcher, visitor….

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

12

The resource discovery context

• Strategic initiatives – Museums

– “Renaissance in the Regions”– Single Regional Agencies– Re:source Framework for Collections Management

– Libraries: – People’s 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

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

13

• 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”

The resource discovery context

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

14

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……………………………….

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

15

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/

Collection Description Focus Workshop 5, Cambridge, 30 January 2003

16

Collection Description Forum - Draft Guidance PapersThe following papers are available:

Creating reusable collection-level descriptions • Collection Description Focus Guidance Paper, No 1. November

2002.HTML: <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd-focus/guides/gp1/>

Maintaining collection-level descriptions • Collection Description Focus Guidance Paper, No 2. November

2002.HTML: <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd-focus/guides/gp2/>

Administrative metadata for collection-level descriptions • Collection Description Focus Guidance Paper, No 3. December

2002.HTML: <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/cd-focus/guides/gp3/>

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