Metadata is basis of the work of DPLA. We rely on a growing network of Content Hubs, large repositories of digital content, and Service Hubs that aggregate metadata from partners. We, in turn, aggregate the Hubs’ metadata into the DPLA datastore.
DPLA’s Hub network does not rely on a single metadata aggregation workflow or tool, and own aggregation practices are quite a bit different from our partners’. While diversity in approaches is good in that each Hub can create a process that works best for them, it also means that our community hasn’t decided on a set of standard practices or tools.
We’ve recently implemented an application process for new Hubs, so it seems timely to start a conversation about metadata aggregation practices among our current and potential Hubs, their partners, and really, anyone else interested in sharing and enhancing metadata. It seems that there’s always something to learn about metadata aggregation, and we’re hopeful that DPLA can be a conduit for a discussion about some of the fundamental concepts and requirements for local practice and aggregation at scale.
Speakers:
Lisa Gregory and Stephanie Williams of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center
Heather Gilbert and Tyler Mobley of the South Carolina Digital Library
Gretchen Gueguen of DPLA
