Metadata Application Profile Project: Oral Histories at Fales Library
Links to Project: Project Values & Principles • Domain Model
Project Description: Working with the “Voices of the Food Revolution” oral history collection held at NYU’s Fales Library, my group was tasked with building out a Metadata Application Profile (MAP). The curator leading the project is requesting a new platform with enhanced search functionalities that is tailored to the NYU collection, yet flexible enough to be used by other institutions with oral history collections. Over the course of the semester, teams build out a MAP step by step while learning about the principles of metadata design.
Methods: We began this project by researching and delineating the high-level concepts that were essential to our Metadata Application Profile (MAP). Our team thoroughly reviewed several metadata standards, including those from Design Justice, Data Feminism, Dublin Core, and CCO, in order to understand the principles and practices that could best serve the oral history collection. We analyzed the priorities of these content standards and selected those principles that align with the overarching goals of the project: simplicity, modularity, accessibility, and reducing bias and harm while ensuring privacy. Additionally, we approached the project from a user-centered perspective, taking into account the types of content that would be most useful for search, browse, and sorting functionalities. To map out our framework, we created functional requirements, an element set spreadsheet, and a domain model to define the structure of the metadata. We also designed a metadata entry mechanism, cataloging guidelines, and a final manual to guide future users in utilizing the MAP effectively.
My role: As a member of a three-person team, I contributed to the process of developing and refining the MAP. I took part in researching metadata standards, identifying relevant principles for our specific project, and assisting in the creation of the domain model and element set spreadsheet. I also helped to ensure that our design adhered to the project’s key principles, especially focusing on user-centered design, accessibility, and ethical considerations.
Learning outcome achieved: User-centered
Rationale: The decisions made throughout this project were rooted in a strong user-centered approach. By considering the needs of both researchers and the general public who would interact with the oral history collection, we made it a priority to structure the metadata in a way that would allow users to easily search for and find relevant materials. We focused on what type of information would be most useful for users to filter or search by, such as interviewee names, topics, dates, and themes. This user-centric perspective guided our selection of metadata fields, the structure of the data, and the features of the platform. By prioritizing accessibility, privacy, and bias reduction, we aimed to design a system that is approachable for users with a diverse set of needs.