Appendix A. Basic Service Level: Descriptive Metadata Element Guidelines (Detailed)

Table of Contents

• Identifier
• Title
• Creator (or Contributor or Publisher)
• Date
• Description
• Form/Genre

The following conventions are used to express guidelines for each metadata element:

• Definition: A definition of the element.
• Crosswalks: The crosswalks provide encoding analogs between elements in different schemas that are available for use within METS files.

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Identifier

Definition: A unique identifier for the digital expression of the resource.

Identify the resource by means of a unique string or number conforming to a formal identification system. Example formal identification systems include:

• Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), including the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
• Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
• International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
• Archival Resource Key (ARK)

Institutions may choose one of the following options for encoding data values in at least one Identifier element:

• Encode a locally-derived unique identifier. The CDL will recognize the locally-derived unique identifier as an alternate identifier for the object. In addition, the CDL will assign an ARK to the digital object upon ingest and will manage the ARK.
• Leave this value empty. The CDL will assign an ARK to the digital object upon ingest and will manage the ARK.
• Encode a pre-assigned ARK. In this case, the CDL will not re-assign an ARK to the digital object upon ingest.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <identifier>
• MODS:
  • <identifier type="">
  • <location>
         <url>

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Title

Definition: A succinct, identifying name for the resource.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <title>
• MODS:
  • <titleInfo>
         <title>
  • <titleInfo>
         <title>
              <subtitle>

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Creator

Definition: The name of the person, institution, agent, or group primarily responsible for the creation of the resource.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <creator>
• MODS:
  • <name type="personal | corporate | conference" authority="" authority="">
         <namePart>
  • <name type="personal | corporate | conference" authority="" authority="">
         <namePart>
              <role>
                   <roleTerm type="text">

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Date

Definition: A single date or inclusive dates indicating when the resource was created.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <date>
  • <created>
• MODS:
  • <originInfo>
         <dateCreated encoding="temper | w3cdtf" qualifier=""> [Note: do not use <dateCaptured> when describing date of creation for a born-digital resource]
  • <originInfo>
         <dateOther encoding="temper | w3cdtf" qualifier="">
  • <publicationInfo>
         <dateIssued encoding="temper | w3cdtf" qualifier="">

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Description

Definition: A brief free-text note, abstract, table of contents listing, or descriptive statement that characterizes more fully the scope or content of the resource.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <description>
  • <abstract>
• MODS:
  • <abstract>
  • <tableOfContents>
  • <note>
  • <note type=""> [Note: use for scope and content notes that are equivalent to MARC 520 element]

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Form/Genre

Definition: Primary format represented by the resource.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <type>
• MODS:
  • <genre authority="">

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Contributor

Definition: The name of the person, institution, agent, or group responsible for contributing to the resource in some significant manner.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <contributor>
• MODS:
  • <name type="personal | corporate | conference" authority="">
         <namePart>
              <role>
                   <roleTerm type="text">

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Publisher

Definition: The name of the publisher of the resource.

Crosswalks:

• Dublin Core:
  • <publisher>
• MODS:
  • <originInfo>
         <publisher>

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