General Guidelines

Provides broader guidance on standards and best practices for metadata in the context of the Metadata Management System (MMS)

Table of contents

1. Metadata Schema
2. Content Standards
3. Controlled Vocabularies
4. Inheritance
5. Minimum Metadata Requirements
6. Rights

Metadata Schema

• ​​A metadata schema outlines the overall structure for a record
• Records in MMS are structured using the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
• MMS uses selections from MODS elements up to version 3.4
• Our local guidelines for MODS elements, subelements, and attributes can be found in the MMS › Metadata / By Element section of this site
  • Look for the View MODS Documentation → links throughout our documentation to view the corresponding documentation from the Library of Congress

Content Standards

• A metadata content standard describes guidelines for the format and syntax of the data values that are used to populate metadata elements
• Format and syntax of metadata elements should be governed by the relevant content standard
  • For bibliographic materials, refer to Resource Description & Access (RDA)
  • For archival materials, refer to Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
  • See NYPL Documentation for links to documentation produced by other departments of the Library, which provide additional guidelines on format and syntax

Controlled Vocabularies

• A controlled vocabulary is a list of terms, names, or other standardized values that can be used to populate metadata elements and subelements in a consistent manner that supports searching and browsing
• Authority control is the process of selecting from a controlled vocabulary, which may also be referred to interchangeably as an authority or thesaurus
• In MMS, Name, Genre, and Subject elements, and the Form subelement include a lookup feature to search controlled vocabularies, internally referenced as the MMS authorities module
  • The MMS authorities module is accessed by clicking the Authority data search link within a controlled element or subelement, where you can search authorized terms from:
    • Library of Congress Linked Data Service
      • Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
      • Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF)
      • Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT)
      • Thesaurus for Graphic Materials (TGM)
    • Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
  • Data displayed by the MMS authorities module is only periodically updated and therefore may be out of sync with the respective source vocabulary
• While the MMS authorities module does not support searching the Virtual Internet Authority File (VIAF), names found in VIAF can be added manually for the Name element and Name Subject subelement
• Consult the respective element guidelines for an explanation of which vocabularies are displayed and preferred for a particular element or subelement, as well as when it is appropriate (and how) to add terms or names manually

Inheritance

• The inheritance functionality within MMS facilitates efficient metadata creation by eliminating repetitive re-keying of data
• Inheritance should be carefully considered when used
• All elements in the Descriptive metadata tab of a collection or container records have a corresponding Inheritable checkbox
• Inherited metadata elements can be found in the Descriptive metadata tab of a container or item record under Inherited elements
  • Elements in gray are inherited from another record
  • Yellow highlighted elements are inheritable from a given record
  • Click the Override link in the Inherited elements section to disinherit a metadata element
    • If Override is clicked on a collection or container, the metadata element will also be disinherited from all records contained by that record

Minimum Metadata Requirements

MMS item records must include the following seven descriptive metadata elements/subelements, either assigned or inherited, to be approved to appear on Digital Collections (see Approvals)

1. Title
2. Type of Resource
3. Identifier
4. Date (sublement of Origin Info)
5. Genre
6. Location
7. Language (if applicable)

Rights

• Rights metadata determines:
  • Whether approved records appear on Digital Collections based on Approved use:
    • Can be used on NYPL website: available globally
    • Can be displayed on NYPL premises: available from any computer connected to the internet at any Research or Branch location of the New York Public Library
    • Can be displayed on NYPL premises :: location, LPA-wide: available from any computer connected to the internet at the Library for the Performing Arts
  • Whether and how assets can be downloaded
• Rights information can be found on the Overview and Rights and use tabs of a record
  • The Rights section of the Overview tab indicates whether rights are set at that record’s level or inherited as well as information about when rights were created or updated rights and by whom
  • The Rights and use tab displays what is shown on the Overview tab as well as Approved uses and a Rights Research and Copyright Information Summary
    • Codes used for the Copyright status in the Rights Research and Copyright Information Summary are defined on the Rights Codes Cheat Sheet 🔒
• Rights are added and maintained by Copyright and Information Policy
• See MMS › Workflows › Rights for the process when Metadata Services Unit (MSU) requests rights metadata be added to records in the Metadata Management System (MMS) by Copyright and Information Policy (CIP)