SCDL Guidelines & Best Practices


Getting Started:

Before beginning your metadata, be sure to consult with your regional manager first!

1. The first step in a digital project is to think about all the terms, words, and metadata fields that you want your user to be able to search, browse, and see when the final records are completed. If it is not created in the metadata, then it will not be in the final record. Please review the guidelines below before creating your metadata!
   
   
   • SCDL Metadata Guidelines
     
     
2. Use a word processor to create a general template for your record, e.g.:

   
   Title: Burson's Ford Repair Shop
   Creator: Burson, E.E.
   Date: 1930-09-12
   Subject: Service stations -- South Carolina -- Denmark -- Pictorial works
   Description: Three men in front of the Ford Repair Shop in Denmark, SC.
   

   • Metadata Made Easy: A Guided Tour of Metadata Creation
     Refer to this document for complete examples of a metadata template
     
     
3. Review your metadata template with your Regional Scanning center coordinator. Be sure to bring up any questions you have, especially if you want to include some information but do not know which metadata fields would be appropriate for it. There are always exceptions to the guidelines that your Scanning Center will alert you to.
   
   
4. Begin creating the metadata in an Excel spreadsheet using the guide below:
   
   
   • Creating Metadata in Microsoft® Office Excel - Prepared by Deborah Green, Digital Collections Librarian, University of Idaho
     
     
5. After you have completed your metadata, you are ready to begin scanning. Use the following documents as a guides during scanning:
   
   
   • Scanning: General Rules of Thumb
   • Scanning Best Practices