Glossary

Common terms used within the work of the Metadata Services Unit (MSU)

Table of contents

  1. Acronyms and Abbreviations
  2. Definitions
  3. See Also

Acronyms and Abbreviations

AACR
Anglo-American Cataloging Rules
AAT
Art & Architecture Thesaurus
AMI
audio and moving image
API
application programming interface
ASpace
ArchivesSpace
CAD
Collections Access & Discovery
CATNYP
Catalog of The New York Public Library (deprecated)
CIP
Copyright and Information Policy
CMS
Collection Management System (deprecated)
CRS
Collections & Research Services
CPAIP
Copyright, Permissions, and Information Policy (deprecated)
DACS
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
DAM
digital asset management
DC
Digital Collections
DCS
Digital Collections Services
DIRES
Digital Research (deprecated)
DIS
Digital Imaging Services
DIU
Digital Imaging Unit (deprecated)
EAD
Encoded Archival Description
EAVie
Early Access Viewer
GUI
graphical user interface
GMD
general material designation
ICE
Isilon Cluster E
IIIF
International Image Interoperability Framework (pronounced "triple eye ef")
ILS
integrated library system
LC (or LOC)
Library of Congress
LCGFT
Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms
LCNAF
Library of Congress Name Authority File
LCSH
Library of Congress Subject Headings
LCTGM
Library of Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
LIC
Long Island City
LPA
Library for the Performing Arts
LSC
Library Services Center
MARC
MAchine-Readable Cataloging
MMS
Metadata Management System
MODS
Metadata Object Description Schema
MPL
Media Preservation Labs
MPS
Media Preservation Services
MSU
Metadata Services Unit
NYPL
New York Public Library
PAMI
Preservation of Audio and Moving Image (deprecated)
PCP
Preservation & Collections Processing
PO
Public Order (or Photo Order)
PPOC
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (deprecated)
PRS
Permissions and Reproduction Services
RDA
Resource Description and Access
ReCAP
Research Collections and Preservation Consortium
SASB
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (sometimes pronounced "saz-bee")
SNFL
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (sometimes pronounced "sniffle")
SCP
Special Collections Processing
SPEC
SPEcial Collections
SQL
Structured Query Language (sometimes pronounced "sequel")
TMS
The Museum System
URI
Uniform Resource Identifier
UUID
universally unique identifier
WO
Work Order
XML
Extensible Markup Language

Definitions

Anglo-American Cataloging Rules
an international library cataloging standard replaced by Resource Description and Access
Archives Portal
public interface for the Library's archival finding aids accessible at archives.nypl.org
Archives Portal Admin Interface
admin interface for the Library's archival finding aids accessible at archives.nypl.org/admin
ArchivesSpace
open source archives information management application used by the Library for archival description
Art & Architecture Thesaurus
controlled vocabulary for describing and indexing visual arts and architecture that can be used in the Genre and Form fields in the Metadata Management System; maintained by the Getty Research Institute
bnumber
bibliographic number, the primary identifier for a library catalog record used in Sierra
Catalog of The New York Public Library
former name of the Research Catalog
Classic Catalog
former name of the Research Catalog
Collection Management System
former name of SPEC
Collections Access & Discovery
division within Collections & Research Services comprised of Digital Collections Services, Digital Imaging Services, et al.
Collections & Research Services
division within Research Libraries comprised of Preservation & Collections Processing and Collections Access & Discovery
Copyright and Information Policy
department within Digital Collections Services dedicated to securing rights and permissions surrounding the use of our collection materials including providing guidance with copyright inquiries, conducting rights research, and providing high quality digital files of our holdings to the public
Copyright, Permissions, and Information Policy
former name of Copyright and Information Policy
DAM Portfolio
one of four portfolios within the Library's Digital Product Team; centered on staff tools, digital rights management, and patron access to our unique digital collections including the Metadata Management System, Digital Collections, and the Archives Portal
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
set of rules for describing archives, personal papers, and manuscript collections; can be output as EAD or MARC; documentation accessible at saa-ts-dacs.github.io
Digital Collections
the Library's central access point for digitized and born-digital materials of all formats; accessible at digitalcollections.nypl.org; metadata, digital assets, and rights profiles are managed in the Metadata Management System
Digital Collections Services
department within Collections Access & Discovery dedicated to managing Digital Collections; comprised of Copyright & Information Policy and Permissions and Reproduction Services
Digital Gallery
former name of Digital Collections
Digital Imaging Services
department within Collections Access & Discovery dedicated to creating high-quality digital surrogates of collection materials made available online through Digital Collections or directly through individual requests; primary office located at the Library Services Center, with work also taking place at specific Research Libraries
Digital Imaging Unit
former name of Digital Imaging Services
Digital Preservation
unit within Preservation & Collections Processing that ensures the long-term preservation of digital research collections including born-digital archives, digitized audio and moving image material, born-digital recordings of performances, and digitized images; primary office located at the Library Services Center
Digital Research
former division of Research Libraries comprised of teams including the Metadata Services Unit that are now part of Preservation & Collections Processing and Collections Access & Discovery
Early Access Viewer
web application that allows research staff to preview and share audio and moving image items that are digitized but not fully described, cataloged, or rights-cleared and are not yet ingested into the Metadata Management System or available through Digital Collections
Encoded Archival Description
XML standard for encoding archival finding aids; managed in ArchivesSpace
Extensible Markup Language
markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing data; used for both Metadata Object Description Schema and Encoded Archival Description
general material designation
broad category of the material being described that may appear in the title of records catalogued according to Anglo American Cataloging Rules
Hades
precursor to Metadata Management System
integrated library system
software for libraries that combine modules for cataloging, circulation, acquisition, end-user searching, database access, and other library functions; the Library uses Sierra as its ILS
International Image Interoperability Framework
set of open standards for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale; as of 2022, IIIF is in use for some collections in Digital Collections on a pilot basis with the plan to implement it more widely in the future
Isilon Cluster E
server used to store audio and moving image
Legacy Catalog
legacy version of the public Research Catalog accessible at legacycatalog.nypl.org
Library of Congress
research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States; maintains MODS and many controlled vocabularies used by the Library
Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms
controlled vocabulary of genre and form terms that can be used in the Genre and Form fields in the Metadata Management System; maintained by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Name Authority File
controlled vocabulary of names of persons, organizations, events, places, and titles that can be used in the fields in the Name and Subject fields in the Metadata Management System; maintained by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Subject Headings
controlled vocabulary of subject headings (topical, chronological, geographic, et al.) that can be used in the Subject field in the Metadata Management System; maintained by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
controlled vocabulary of graphic materials terms that can be used in the Genre and Form fields in the Metadata Management System; maintained by the Library of Congress
Library for the Performing Arts
one of the Library's three Research Libraries; houses one of the world's most extensive research collections in the fields of theatre, film, dance, music, and recorded sound, as well as a wide array of circulating and reference materials
Library Services Center
building where many Preservation & Collections Processing departments—including the Metadata Services Unit—are located; sometimes referred to as Long Island City
Link Minter
former tool used to generate persistent Digital Collections URLs beginning `link-minter.nypl.org`; no longer in use as of 2024</a>
Long Island City
sometimes used to refer to the Library Services Center building as the neighborhood where it is located
MAchine-Readable Cataloging
set of digital formats for the description of items cataloged by libraries; MARC records can be ingested into the Metadata Management System using by importing a catalog record using its bnumber
Media Ingest
name of workflow to stage digitized audio and moving image for preservation, description, and access
Media Preservation
umbrella name for Media Preservation Labs and Media Preservation Services
Media Preservation Labs
unit within Preservation & Collections Processing that digitizes magnetic, optical, and grooved audio and video recordings; primary office located at the Library for the Performing Arts
Media Preservation Services
unit within Preservation & Collections Processing that supports preservation activities by managing outsourced digitization, audiovisual media conservation, and digital asset quality control and migration; primary office located at the Library Services Center
Metadata Management System
the Library's browser-based interface for creating and managing metadata, rights profiles, and digital assets for Digital Collections; accessible at metadata.nypl.org; powered by MMS Database
Metadata Object Description Schema
XML-based bibliographic description schema developed by the Library of Congress; basis for metadata schema used in the Metadata Management System
Metadata Services Unit
unit within Special Collections Processing that improves the discovery of library resources and strengthens data interoperability across the library; primary office located at the Library Services Center
MMS Database
SQL database that powers the Metadata Management System
MMS QA
quality assurance version of the Metadata Management System that functions as a non-production test environment; accessible at qa-metadata.nypl.org
Permissions and Reproduction Services
unit within Digital Collections Services
Photo Order
alternate name of Public Order
Preservation & Collections Processing
division within the Research Libraries comprised of units that describe, preserve, and manage the Library's special collections including Special Collections Processing, Conservation, Collections Management, Media Preservation Labs, Media Preservation Services, Digital Preservation, and Systems and Operations
Preservation of Audio and Moving Image
former Digital Research division, now divided into Media Preservation Services and Media Preservation Labs
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
former website for the collections of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs; previously accessible at wallachprintsandphotos.nypl.org; used The Museum System as its backend database
Public Order
digitization request submitted to the Library by the public tracked by its sequential PO number; Public Orders often correspond to Work Orders
Preservica
the Library's digital preservation software; managed by Digital Preservation
Python
programming language popularly used for storing, manipulating, and displaying data; data stored in the Metadata Management System can be queried, added, deleted, and updated using Python
Research Catalog
public catalog for collections of the Research Libraries; accessible at catalog.nypl.org; data is managed in Sierra
Research Collections and Preservation Consortium
preservation repository and resource sharing service located at Princeton University; shared collection jointly owned, operated, and circulated between by New York Public Library, Princeton University, Columbia University, and Harvard University
Research Libraries
library system consisting of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and Library for the Performing Arts as well as Collections & Research Services; most collections are non-circulating and managed separately from the Branch Libraries system
Resource Description and Access
standard for descriptive cataloging providing instructions and guidelines on formulating bibliographic data; documentation accessible at access.rdatoolkit.org 🔒
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
one of the Library's three Research Libraries; devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences
Sierra
integrated library system used by the Library; Research Library material cataloged in Sierra can be accessed by the public through the Research Catalog or Legacy Catalog
SPEC (SPEcial Collections)
Filemaker Pro database used by the Preservation and Collections Processing department to manage Research Library collections
Special Collections Processing
department within Preservation & Collections Processing that promotes access to the Library's most distinctive collections by describing rare and unique materials and preparing them for preservation and use; comprised of Metadata Services Unit, et al.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
the Library's largest circulating branch that is sometimes used for staff orientation and events; located at the former site of the Mid-Manhattan Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
one of the Library's three Research Libraries and its flagship location; houses research collections in the humanities and social sciences; sometimes referred to by previous names including the Main Branch, Central, or Humanities & Social Sciences Library (HSSL)
Structured Query Language
a programming language designed for managing data held in a relational database management system; some data stored in the Metadata Management System can be queried via SQL
The Museum System
collections management system software used by the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs; previously served as the backend for the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
The Repo
colloquial name used by Digital Collections Services describing the collection of software and services for storing, describing, and providing access to digital assets
Uniform Resource Identifier
unique sequence of characters that identifies a resource used by web technologies; URLs—including those for entities in controlled vocabularies—are examples of URIs
universally unique identifier
128-bit label used for information in computer systems; every collection, container, item, and capture in the Metadata Management System has its own UUID
Work Order
list in the Metadata Management System of capture records ready to be connected with digital assets; often correspond to Public Orders or ongoing digitization projects; accessible at metadata.nypl.org/work_orders 🔒

See Also