Metadata in the HDA

To make digital files searchable, metadata (literally data about data) needs to be attached to each file. Simply put, an HDA search for an image of a statue in Turkey will not yield results unless the words "statue" and Turkey" have been associated with the digital file. The addition of metadata to a digital file is, alongside the actual digitization process, the most time consuming part of creating content for the HDA. To facilitate the speedy processing of HDA files, the Hekman Library has created a series of web pages (see HDA and HDAQ) that allows the addition of metadata to be shared between HDA staff and the College or Seminary department responsible for the digital collection.

Standards (International and Local)

Numerous standards exist for describing digital (and physical) images, depending on the type of digital files. The standard most often used by Digital Library initiatives is the Dublin Core Metadata Set, which is also used for the HDA. The decision to use an international standard, which admittedly has the potential to not allow precise customization, resolves the risk of isolating or hiding the Digital collection from online users searching for information, and could allow the eventual integration of HDA material into a cooperative system.

As an analogy, the content of WebCat, the Library's Online catalog, is carefully controlled by the Library's technical services department in order to maintain the integrity of the data that is entered and imported into the system. The content of the HDA would theoretically fall under the same careful control, but pragmatically this will not be the case. Since the Hekman Library does not have the budget to hire a full time metadata librarian, Library staff have improvised a web-based data entry system (HDAQ) that can accept data entered from College or Seminary departments. While there are some inherent dangers in allowing non-cataloging personnel enter data, there are various safeguards in place.