Context
PBCore Cataloging Tool
CONTEXT:
The use of PBCore may be thought of in two ways; each has an
impact on the training and technical assistance a PBCore user needs.
- Correctly using the PBCore metadata dictionary (elements,
guidelines, vocabularies, authorities, etc.)
- Applying PBCore in cataloging systems and instances of data sharing
Correctly Using the PBCore Dictionary ...
It is important for the actual
metadata elements, their descriptions, their meaning, and their
vocabularies to be properly used according to their definitions and the PBCore User Guide, regardless of how PBCore
is actually folded into production, archiving, and sharing activities
within or across stations and organizations,.
Training in the proper use of PBCore
ensures consistency in the descriptions of media items and assets.
This is ground level training. The PBCore User
Guide and PBCore Training Materials are the starting point
for correctly using PBCore.
Applying PBCore ...
PBCore is not "minute-rice" where a single, shrink-wrapped
product can be instantly installed and applied. It is a
building block that can be inserted into many different applications
and many different use scenarios, all depending on individual organizational
infrastructures, capabilities, missions, and needs.
- PBCore is an "enabler" metadata dictionary and fosters cataloging and data sharing capabilities across a variety of information and data systems.
- Metadata is an integral part of workflows and should not be treated as an after-thought or add-on feature to established and emerging work cultures within an organization.
- Metadata is always applied within some sort of context and often requires reshaping to function within a unique application specific profile or implementation.
In order to apply PBCore, tools may be employed that don't
necessarily require the installation of full-scale digital asset
management systems. These tools can be used to assist in the
original "mark-up" or "descriptions" attached to media items
that are being cataloged. These tools should also be capable of importing and exporting metadata as an XML document using the commonly understood PBCore XML Schema Definition (learn more from the on-demand resources of the PBCore Training Session 103: The PBCore XSD and from the XML Schema Primers).
The Project is offering the PBCore Cataloging Tool to help you describe your media assets; it uses PBCore elements in the prescribed fashion according to the specifications of the PBCore Dictionary.
- The Cataloging Tool is deployed using FileMaker Pro for either Macintosh or Windows platforms.
- The Cataloging Tool is offered in both a "Standard Version" (requires the FileMaker application) and "Runtime Version" (self-running, no FileMaker application required).
- The tool guides you through description entry for all mandatory and optional PBCore elements for a media asset (the "essence").
- At each point of data entry, links to the PBCore User Guide are provided for instantly accessible definitions and guidelines for usage (you must be connected to the Internet).
- The Cataloging Tool offers several report generation functions.
- The Cataloging Tool can export a media asset's metadata descriptions as a PBCore compliant XML document, using the PBCore XML Schema Definition (you must be connected to the Internet).
- The Cataloging Tool is capable of importing PBCore compliant XML descriptions (you must be connected to the Internet).
The PBCore Cataloging Tool is certainly not the only tool available. Many stations, institutions, and organizations already have "in place" or are developing cataloging and data-sharing tools, databases, and digital asset management systems. Some of these implementations are represented in our review of PBCore Case Examples derived from a series of interviews conducted by the PBCore Project.
The PBCore Cataloging Tool can also serve as a learning opportunity. Study the Tool to glean best practices in applying the PBCore Metadata Dictionary and transforming descriptions into PBCore XSD compliant documents for data sharing. What is learned can be applied in other custom cataloging and data sharing solutions you may be designing.
THE PBCORE CATALOGING TOOL :
