Digital Asset Management

Digital Asset Management

Building the Collection

Primary goals when creating a digital image collection:

  • Images are captured in the best possible way for their expected use(s)
  • Images are preserved and accessible in the near- and long-term
  • Storage space is used efficiently

Software and Hardware Requirements

Hardware:
Before beginning any digitization project you should be sure that you have the appropriate hardware and software.  Depending upon the scope of the project, digitization can require considerable computing resources.  You will need a computer (either a Mac or PC) with the right combination of components that will ensure productivity and reliability.  Laptops are not recommended.

The right monitor is important for accurate color and tone correction.  Each monitor interprets and displays colors and tonal values differently. You should calibrate your monitor and scanner to be sure that when adjusting and manipulating images you are not introducing color and tonal biases of your equipment into your images. Even with the best calibration, images will appear differently on different monitors.  Additionally it is impossible to reproduce colors seen on your monitor in print.

Software:
You will need several software packages to perform photo editing and digital asset management.

Software and Hardware Standards

Because computer models, peripherals, scanners, and software versions change so quickly, it is important that you contact IT to get the most recent standards.  The staff will assist you in selecting the correct equipment for your project.

Determining Metadata Standards

Cataloging digital images promotes efficient retrieval and increases the likelihood that the digital collection will continue to be accessible and useful over time. Cataloging is best accomplished by creating a database of records that describe each image (metadata).  If the collection contains or will eventually contain more than 500 images, cataloging is necessary.

“Metadata” reflect information about your images that can be represented in a database.  These data can include very simple descriptive information like the creator, title, or topic of a particular image; technical information about a digital image like file name, resolution, file format, etc.; and management information like rights of use, ownership, and copyright.

These “metadata” descriptors make it possible to search and retrieve specific images, and they help in the management and organization of groups of digital images.  Assigning and entering these data into a data base consistently will allow you and other users to organize and search your image collections efficiently.

Metadata Standards

To promote reliable searching and basic file management practices, Bowdoin College recommends the use of the Dublin Core descriptive metadata standard for digital image databases.  The Dublin Core allows for a wide range of detail, from very simple to extremely specific, and it accommodates considerable flexibility in customizing descriptions (such as adding non-standard fields) for a particular set of objects.  Because this standard is well established and applied internationally, adopting the Dublin Core assures consistency and reliability for indexing, retrieving, and managing data for immediate applications and over time.

Field
*Required?
Definition
Examples
DC element
File name (system supplied)
M
 Assigned file name, including extension, of the digital object filename.tif;
filename.pdf
identifier
Date digital (system supplied)
M
 Creation date of digital file Scan date; “born digital” date
date
File type; size; resolution (system supplied)
M
 Type of image file; byte size; DPI TIF; 5.8 MB; 600 DPI
format
Title
M
 Formal name given to the work (or work from which image derives); brief caption for untitled work Mona Lisa;
Boy riding a pony
title
Creator or Author
MA
 An entity responsible for the content of the work Artist of a painting; photographer
creator
Administrative Control
M
 An entity responsible for the physical or administrative control of the work A dept. or office that has custody of the work
rights
IP Rights
MA
 Information about copyright and related intellectual property rights The name of a copyright. holder; terms defining use and access of the work or of the digital image
rights
Date original
R
 Date when original work was published or created Date of painting; date of photo; construction date of bldg.
date
Description
R
 Brief summary of the content of the work Free-text narrative of the contents and/or the context of the image
description
Keyword
O
 Topic of the content Topical keywords or controlled vocabulary; LCSH; thesauri
subject
Publisher
O
 An entity responsible for making the work available A person; a dept. or office; the College
publisher
Use
O
 Intended audience for viewing the image or digital project Class no.; project name
audience
Local identifier
O
 Numbering or naming reference to the resource from which the digital image derives Call no.; local file no.
source

*M= Mandatory          R=Recommended       MA=Mandatory, if applicable                        O=Optional

File Storage and Management

Storing digital images requires huge amounts of disk space.  Depending upon digital file specifications, a collection of 50 slides might use from 450 megabytes to 5 gigabytes.  This will quickly fill a hard drive, network space, or other storage device. 

File structure and storage should ensure that the many files involved in the digital collection can be stored easily and without unnecessary duplication.  This file storage system should include a storage location on the Bowdoin network (which is routinely backed up) and a single top-level directory to which all files are saved.

File Storage Standards

Please call IT to discuss file storage needs.

File Naming

Different operating systems and networks interpret letters, numbers, and other characters differently.  In order to avoid problems as files move between different computers or networks use a base set of rules when naming your files:

File Naming Standards

  • Length: 32 or fewer characters, including the extension
  • Include three letter extensions (e.g., “.tif”)
  • Use only one period in a file name, and position it before the three-letter extension; if there is no extension, then do not use any periods in the filename.
  • Use only the characters from the following sets: a-z, 0-9, underscore ( _ )
  • Use all lower case letters