Browsing by Author "Potvin, Sarah"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item An Analysis of Evolving Metadata Influences, Standards, and Practices in Electronic Theses and Dissertations(Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, 2016-04) Potvin, Sarah; Thompson, SantiThis study uses a mixed methods approach to raise awareness of divergences between and among current practices and metadata standards and guidelines for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Analysis is rooted in literatures on metadata quality, shareable or federated metadata, and interoperability, with attention to the impact of systems, tools, and practices on ETD date metadata. We consider the philosophies that have guided the design of several metadata standards. An examination of semantic interoperability issues serves as an articulation of the need for a more robust ideal moving forward, rooted in lifecycle models of metadata and concerned with the long-term curation and preservation of ETDs.Item Let’s Talk About Dates: Coming to Terms with Diverse/Divergent Practices around Dates in ETD Metadata(2015-09-09) Potvin, Sarah; Thompson, SantiAs theses and dissertations have evolved in format from shelved print resources to electronic files housed in institutional repositories, recordkeeping practices have been developed to account for the description of theses’ content and their administration across a lifecycle marked by institutional approval, publication, and preservation. This presentation reports on findings related to the use of dates throughout an ETD’s lifecycle, observed in the course of an update to the Texas Digital Library (TDL)’s descriptive metadata standards for electronic theses and dissertations. To better understand the types and uses of dates, the presenters compared guidelines related to dates in metadata standards and recommendations issued at the institutional, regional, national, and international levels against date values found in records from 16 NDLTD members’ repositories. This analysis suggests potential explanations for differences in metadata practices among institutions, including (1) divergent philosophies about the role of metadata-- viewed either as an extension of cataloging or as a distinct component in the lifecycle management of electronic documents; (2) the constraints enforced by the systems and tools developed to shepherd ETDs; and (3) the ambiguous (or non-existent) definitions and mappings of date fields included in documentation/standards. The presentation will start by providing contextual information on the project that prompted this investigation:the work of the TDL ETD Metadata Working Group; next, it will discuss the methodology used by the presenters to generate results, with an emphasis on analyzing existing standards and practices; after addressing results, the presentation will focus on next steps and lessons learned from this exercise in metadata evaluation and analysis, including direct implications on the recommendations of the working group.Item Update and Initial Findings from the Texas Digital Library ETD Metadata Working Group(2015-03-09) Potvin, Sarah; Long, Kara; Lyon, Colleen; Park, Kristi; Rivero, Monica; Thompson, SantiEarly proponents of electronic theses and dissertations argued that moving from print to electronic format would make “these works more readily accessible to other scholars,” raising the specter that “...theses and dissertations lie moldering in library basements, with no efficient way for researchers to locate the information that may be contained in them” [1]. Accessibility and discovery remain integral to continued work that frames the possibilities and promises of the ETD movement. The widening embrace of ETDs by universities has heightened the need for shared standards of description, to help identify and manage a growing number of documents. In recognition of this need, and in an attempt to improve discovery of these materials, members of the Texas Digital Library (TDL) developed and published descriptive metadata standards in 2008. In the intervening years, new use cases around ETDs have arisen, discrepancies in the standard had been identified, and the Vireo ETD Submission Management System has continued to change. To address these issues, TDL formed a metadata working group in 2014. The group is charged with updating standards and communicating the revised guidelines to other members of TDL. This poster will report on the progress of the working group towards updating the standard. We will provide an overview of the “problem areas” in ETD metadata that we’ve encountered and documented, with examples of potential areas of improvement around these use cases. We will also report on any findings that have solidified by April 2015; we anticipate having a draft of the standard by TCDL 2015. [1] Christian R. Weisser and Janice R. Walker, “Excerpted: Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Digitizing Scholarship for Its Own Sake,” The Journal of Electronic Publishing 3, no. 2 (1997). http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0003.209Item Updating Metadata Guidelines To Improve ETD Discoverability and Use(2015-07-27) Long, Kara; Lyon, Colleen; Park, Kristi; Potvin, Sarah; Rivero, Monica; Thompson, SantiEarly proponents of ETDs argued that moving from print to electronic format would make “these works more readily accessible to other scholars,” raising the specter that “...theses and dissertations lie moldering in library basements, with no efficient way for researchers to locate the information that may be contained in them” [1]. Accessibility and discovery remain integral to continued work that frames the possibilities and promises of the ETD movement. The widening embrace of ETDs by universities has heightened the need for shared standards of description, to help identify and manage a growing number of documents. In recognition of this need, and in an attempt to improve discovery of these materials, members of the Texas Digital Library (TDL) developed and published descriptive metadata standards in 2008. In the intervening years, new use cases around ETDs have arisen, discrepancies in the standard had been identified, and the Vireo ETD Submission Management System has continued to change. To address these issues, TDL formed a metadata working group in 2014. The group is charged with updating standards and communicating the revised guidelines to other members of TDL. In this session, members of the TDL ETD metadata working group will speak to our efforts to update the standard based on community standards and best practices and with an eye on flexibility for future use cases. We will provide an overview of the “problem areas” in ETD metadata that we’ve encountered and documented, and share our recommendations for improvement around these use cases. Time permitting, we will also discuss the challenges inherent to updating a community standard, with an eye towards barriers to dramatic shifts. What is the balance that must be struck between ease of adoption and optimal metadata for discoverability and use? [1] Session attendees will come away with an understanding of some problem areas in ETD metadata and will have an opportunity to hear and discuss the proposed recommendations from the TDL ETD metadata group for a standard for ETD descriptive metadata. [1] Christian R. Weisser and Janice R. Walker, “Excerpted: Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Digitizing Scholarship for Its Own Sake,” The Journal of Electronic Publishing 3, no. 2 (1997).http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0003.209Item Who? What? Why? When? A Tale of ETD Metadata(2015-01-12) Long, Kara; Lyon, Colleen; Park, Kristi; Potvin, Sarah; Rivero, Monica; Thompson, SantiEarly proponents of ETDs argued that moving from print to electronic format would make “these works more readily accessible to other scholars,” raising the specter that “...theses and dissertations lie moldering in library basements, with no efficient way for researchers to locate the information that may be contained in them” [1]. Accessibility and discovery remain integral to continued work that frames the possibilities and promises of the ETD movement. The widening embrace of ETDs by universities has heightened the need for shared standards of description, to help identify and manage a growing number of documents. In recognition of this need, and in an attempt to improve discovery of these materials, members of the Texas Digital Library (TDL) developed and published descriptive metadata standards in 2008. In the intervening years, new use cases around ETDs have arisen, discrepancies in the standard had been identified, and the Vireo ETD Submission Management System has continued to change. To address these issues, TDL formed a metadata working group in 2014. The group is charged with updating standards and communicating the revised guidelines to other members of TDL. In this panel, members of the TDL ETD metadata working group will speak to our efforts to update the standard. We will provide an overview of the “problem areas” in ETD metadata that we’ve encountered and documented, with examples of potential areas of improvement around these use cases. We will report on our progress, initial findings, and next steps in the process. Christian R. Weisser and Janice R. Walker, “Excerpted: Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Digitizing Scholarship for Its Own Sake,” The Journal of Electronic Publishing 3, no. 2 (1997). http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0003.209