Case History: Library of Congress Audio-Visual Prototyping Project METS Opening Day October 27, 2003 Carl Fleischhauer Office of Strategic Initiatives Library of Congress

The AV Project Preservation, sense one: reformatting into digital-file form Preservation, sense two: sustaining digital objects Participation by Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division (M/B/RS) and the American Folklife Center

Reformatting Documentation About the source –original disc or tape being reformatted – About the process –how the copy file was made, what devices/tools – About the outcome –characteristics and features of the copy file –

PRODUCERSPRODUCERS ADMINISTRATION DATA MANAGEMENT ARCHIVAL STORAGE INGEST ACCESS CONSUMERSCONSUMERS PRESERVATION PLANNING Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) SIPs (Submission Information Packages) will be produced by the AV preservation activity, ready to submit to LC’s future digital repository.

AV Project Web Site Home Page

AV Project Extension Schema Page

AV Project Initial Data Capture System MS-Access Database - Collation Input Screen

Top level: work Second level: sound recordings Third level: disc sides Fourth level: cuts

Recorded Sound Processing Section Content selected for reformatting 1. Initial creation or copying-in of metadata Workflow Sidebar

Recorded Sound Processing Section Content selected for reformatting 1. Initial creation or copying-in of metadata LC Recording Lab or offsite contractor Scanning activity 2. Creation of second layer of metadata Workflow Sidebar

Recorded Sound Processing Section Content selected for reformatting 1. Initial creation or copying-in of metadata LC Recording Lab or offsite contractor Scanning activity 2. Creation of second layer of metadata 3. Return loop to processing, edit and possible addition of third layer of metadata Workflow Sidebar

The AV METS System Today

OUTCOME ONE: A VIRTUAL DIGITAL OBJECT (SIP) Logical storage structure based in a UNIX filesystem master -- family of logical directories where the master files are stored (there is a parallel set of “service” directories) afc -- “owner” is the American Folklife Center afc group or aggregate of items, often from an actual collection sr05 -- item directory (at the level of the digital object, counterpart to a bib record or “line” in a finding aid) sr05am.wav -- the master file for side A of this disc sr05am.wav -- the master file for side B of this disc Index of master/afc/afc /sr05

OUTCOME ONE: VIRTUAL DIGITAL OBJECT The fileGrp segment of a METS instance “binds” the object Includes logical pathnames for files, future switch to persistent names possible.

OUTCOME 2: PRESENTATION OF OBJECT Presentation in Browser

Zoom on Image in Presentation

Interim username/password access management

In the Presentation: Metadata Map for the Dedicated

sourceMD data from the Metadata Map Extension schema content displayed as name-value pairs

Generator takes data from the database and makes METS XML

Snapshot of the database back end

Selection from the database diagram: tables for METS id, agent information, and structMap data

Selection from the database diagram: tables for extension schema data for image source, video source, and audio source

Selection from the database diagram: tables for digiProv (“digitization process”) information

Builder: the data-entry front end to the database

Builder: template making tool

Builder: tool to shape a structMap using indent, outdent, up, and down. May be used in both template and individual object modes.

“Cut wizard” – a twenty more like this one tool

Part of MODS descriptive data for a recorded interview with a former enslaved person.

File Association Tool

Tool to append a MODS record

Two samples from the MODS entry and editing tool. + repeats the section x and – delete sections or subsections

Selection from the online data dictionary

Some METS objects, by title

Administration Tool Menu

Example of data entry screen Blue terms are used to select separate data entry screens

Some Shortcomings Cumbersome data entry – many screens, many actions Bugs – hard to get them all fixed now that the contractor is gone Best if users understand METS and the structMap – barrier to entry for new team members Does not include tools for bulk compilation from pre-existing data

Distributed Data Entry Hoped-for future Each teams enters its own data in less cumbersome “local” tools Tool for descriptive data, especially copying in and out of the ILS Tool for data about the source item and certain technical aspects, copied in and out of MAVIS Tool for digiProv data, “the engineers’ form” Tool or a MAVIS extension to encode the structMap

Supporting Tools To support the hoped-for future Centralized tool to gather and compile the various XML data units into a METS instance Facility to manage the METS XML documents

Fiddling our way to the future? Listen for hints in Corey Keith’s talk tomorrow.... That’s all in this talk today. Thank you!