Adding Items in Omeka
DSCF1163.JPG

An "Item" in the Greenwich Village History Digital Archive can consist of multiple images.

When should you combine multiple images into one item?
If the metadata is the same for each image, you can combine them into one item.
# If you have a five page handwritten letter, it would be one object, with five images (one for each page).
# If you take seven photographs of a statue or building at the same time, they would be one object (with seven images or views).

When should you separate images into different items?
If the metadata is different for one or more of the images.
# If you took one picture and your friend took another, they should be two items, because they have two different creators.
# If you took three pictures of the same building on one day and six more on a different day, they should be two items, one for each series of images, because they have different creation dates and might reflect some change in the building's appearance.
# If you have seven photographs taken at the same time by the same person, that ended up in two different archival collections, they should be divided by the collections.

Once you have decided what your items are, click the "Item" tab from the Admin view of Omeka. There are five categories of information that you can store on the item. Whenever you hit "Save" at the bottom of one of the data entry screens, you will save the entire item, so you do not have to do this at the bottom of each of the categories—though it is always good to save your work!

Note that you can type plain text in any of the Omeka metadata fields or you can use HTML. Most HTML codes will work, though there are some that are stripped out. You can add images to fields here if you choose to.

Note that you can add as many fields to the record as you need to. If there are multiple subjects, multiple dates, etc., you simply add another by pressing the green button with the plus sign "Add Input." To delete an unnecessary line, press the red button with the minus sign.

DUBLIN CORE (Fields in Bold are required)

Metadata Field Description
Title This one is pretty easy. Call it by the name that you would like to appear under its images. If there might be variant titles, use two fields.
Subject Use the LC subject headings suggest that will suggest topics once you start typing. For multiple subjects, create a new field for each, do not put multiple subjects in one field.
Description Describe the item here. Be as descriptive as you can here, because this is the main text searchable field that users can look to in searching.
Creator The person, an organization, or a service that made the object. Please add these as last name, first name. If there are multiple creators, add a second field for the second one, do not put two names in one field.
Source Describes a larger resource from which this item was taken; Example: "Image on cover of Romeo and Juliet (2001). Use only if needed.
Publisher Name of the publisher of this item, if it was published. Use only if needed.
Date If the object has a specific date, add it in the YYYY-MM-DD format. If you know only a partial date, add what you know, ex. 1965 or 1965-06-
Collection Select, from the drop down list, the location of the original. If it is not listed, add the collection.
Contributor You are the contributor of the item. Select your name from the drop down list.
Rights Indicate the copyright status of the item, provide links to the archive or other repository that owns the original. If you created the item, include your name and the rights you wish to retain.
Relation A place to highlight related information. Use only if needed.
Format Describe the digital item in general terms— tiff, jpeg, mpeg etc.
Language The language of any text or audio. We should use controlled terms here. I have added them to the field, if you need a different one, we can add it.
Type Choose from the dropdown list of types.
Identifier Unique name or reference, like a citation to an article. Use only if needed.
Coverage Spatial or time covered by the item. Because our archive focuses narrowly on Greenwich Village, we can use fairly discreet geographic identifications, such as Washington Square, 13th Street, or East Village. For time, use decades, or other markers. Add as many of these fields as you need, do not put multiple times or places in one field.

ITEM TYPE METADATA

Select the item type from the drop down box. The entry you make here will change the fields that appear below. Some of the more common fields describe the original format, allow you to make a transcription of a document, interview, or other event, and provide details about the way that an item was digitized. Fill in as many of these fields as you can.

Collection

Select the repository and collection where the original can be found from the drop down list. If the collection is not there, you will need to add it.

Files

Add the digital file that you have been describing, more than one if you want to. You will upload it from your computer to the digital archive.

Tags

Add a number of keywords that you think will help locate this object in the digital archive. Separate tags with commas. Examples are NYU Buildings, Churches, Street Scenes, Winter, Washington Square, Hippies, Protests, Music.

Map

If you can provide an address for your item, the address of a house that is described, the residence of an individual pictured, the location of a strike, crime or fire, you can map your item. You do not need to be able to map all your items, but if they are related to Greenwich Village, most should have some connection. If you do not know the address of a place or event, do some research before adding this metadata. Add the address and a pin will appear on the map.

Saving

Once you have gone through each of the left side tabs and provided the metadata, press "Add Item"

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License