Adding Items and Creating Metadata
Adding an Item
Once you are logged into this Omeka site, you can add your item(s) by clicking on "Items" in the menu to the left, and then "Add an Item."
Creating Metadata
You will enter information onto four tabs. Please make sure that you click "Save Changes" periodically, as the page does not auto-save.
1. "Dublin Core" Tab
On the "Dublin Core" tab, you will be prompted to enter metadata for your item. Dublin Core is the metadata standard on which Omeka is built. For more information, see the Dublin Core specification on this page.
As you create your metadata, please use the data for this item as a model, and follow the field-by-field guidance below:
Title
Please use the title you placed in your TEI Header (<fileDesc><titleStmt><title>, or if you develop another title here, make the title in your TEI Header match. For letters, use this format:
Letter from [sender] to [recipient], Jan. 1, 1900
If either name is not both first and last name, or is a nickname, place it in quotation marks, as in the following examples:
Letter from Josephine L. Dyer to "Aunt Eelia,"
Jan. 28, 1884
Letter from "Dooley" to Elizabeth L. Fleming,
Dec. 15, 1904
Subject
Add a brief statement of what the document is about. Generally this will not be a complete sentence, but rather a phrase that sums up the main topic.
For letters written in Florida that are addressed to recipients in other parts of the US, and that cover various topics, you may use as a default subject the following:
Life in Florida
When possible, however, it is preferable to be more specific.
Description
In 1-2 sentences, summarize the contents of the document. You can take this information from <msContents><summary> in your TEI Header. If you weren't able to determine that information previously, you can develop it now, and locate it both here and in your TEI Header.
Creator
This will be the name of the author. This should match the value for <fileDesc><titleStmt><author> in your TEI Header.
Source
We will place here the name of the collection, if applicable. This should match the value for <fileDesc><sourceDesc><msDesc><msIdentifier><collection> in your TEI Header.
Publisher
We will place here the name of the repository. This should match the value for <fileDesc><sourceDesc><msDesc><msIdentifier><repository> in your TEI Header.
Date
This will be the date the archival document (not your edition of it) was created, in the format YYYY-MM-DD. If date is unknown, indicate an approximate date in the format "c. YYYY," etc.
Contributor
This will be your name. It should match the way you've indicated your name in <fileDesc><titleStmt><respStmt><name> in the TEI Header.
Rights
For UNF items, use the following text (without the quotation marks):
"Made public online with the permission of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library Special Collections and Archives, University of North Florida"
For materials from other repositories, please consult with Dr. McCarl.
Relation
Leave this field blank.
Format
Describe the characteristics of the physical object, noting all of the following, where possible:
- handwritten or print
- size of pages, if can be determined
- number of pages
- condition, if you feel there is something that should be noted
You can also include anything else noteworthy about paper or document in general.
As an example:
"Handwritten on 5"x7" paper, 3 pages, with some damage to edges"
This should match the value you have for <fileDesc><sourceDesc><msDesc><physDesc><objectDesc> in your TEI Header. If you weren't able to determine this information previously, you can develop it now, and locate it both here and in your TEI Header.
Language
Indicate "English," "Spanish," or the language in question, if another.
Type
This will be the genre of the document. For letters, use "Letter."
Identifier
This should be the filename of the XML document, without the ".xml" extension. For example, for unf-ffp004.xml, the value for Identifier would be unf-ffp004.
Coverage
Use one of the following terms, or contact Dr. McCarl for guidance:
- Spanish Florida
- 19th Century Florida
- 20th Century Florida
2. "Item Type Metadata" Tab
From the "Input Type" drop-down box, select "Text." The following fields will then appear.
Text
Add the following:
Transcription and reading version at https://unfdhi.org/nfew-editions/content/filename.xml
Make "filename.xml" match the name of the filename for this document.
To make the URL an actual link, click "Use HTML" and configure the URL as a link using the "Insert/Edit Link" icon (it looks like a paperclip) in the menu of the rich text editor.
Original Format
Leave blank.
3. "Files" Tab
If you have permission to use document images,* upload the images here. Use the versions of the jpegs that were renamed according to our naming scheme (the same ones that you placed in the "images" folder of TEI Boilerplate on our server).
*If you are using an item from UNF Special Collections, you have permission to do so. If you are using material from another repository and are uncertain, contact Dr. McCarl.
4. "Tags" Tab
You can enter here any keywords that you think will help researchers locate this document or connect it with other items in the collection. These might include the people names and place names that you marked up. You can see these highlighted by looking at your TEI-XML file using the "intermediate view" on the server.
Include as tags also the values that you used for Creator, Coverage and Type in the Dublin Core metadata above.
Making Your Item Visible
Even though your item is still in a draft state, we are going to go ahead and make it visible on the site. This will allow everyone in the course to easily see each other's work, and it will give you a better sense of how users will interact with the item.
As you have a "contributor" role, you won't be able to publish it yourself (see the documentation on Omeka user roles for details). Instead, send a message to Dr. McCarl (clayton.mccarl@unf.edu) when you're ready for it to be made visible.