Custom Metadata Options
While Permanent.org has a number of metadata fields you can use to describe your files, Permanent.org now has the ability to add additional metadata fields using the Custom Metadata tagging feature.
Custom Metadata allows you to use a "field:value" structure in tags to designate an additional field or category (the field in the field:value pair) and the value of that field or category (the value in the field:value pair). This means you can add any additional metadata fields you'd like! For instance, you can use field:value pairs to add additional Dublin Core (a commonly used metadata standard for digital materials) metadata to your files. Learn more about using Dublin Core metadata on Permanent here.
The article below walks through how to create and edit custom metadata in your archive. You can view an example of custom metadata in the Astoria Public Library public archive.
How to create custom metadata entries
You can add custom metadata entries to your files in the Custom Metadata section just like you would a normal tag, with a couple of additional notes:
- The field:value entry needs to be entered in the Custom Metadata field text box
- Each field:value entry needs to have a colon (:)
- All information before the colon (:) is read as the field (the category or metadata field)
- All information after the colon (:) is read as the value of that category or metadata field for that particular file
- It's best to not add any spaces between the final character of the field and the first character of the value (i.e. "Source:Unknown" rather than "Source : Unknown"). You can still use spaces within the field or the value (i.e. "Medium:Digital Photograph").
To add a new custom metadata entry to a file in your archive, select the file you wish to add the custom metadata field and value to, then look at the Info tab on the right side of the screen. Under Custom Metadata, begin typing in your field and value pair in the text box.
Type in the entire tag you wish to add, including the field, a colon (:), and then the value (i.e. "Location:Tennessee"), then click Done. The custom metadata will be added to your file.
If you wish to use that tag again for another file, select the file then click under the Custom Metadata heading to open the Custom Metadata editor. Listed below the text box are all the Custom Metadata fields and values you've entered into your archive. Select the entry you wish to add by clicking the circle next to the custom metadata, and the custom metadata will be added to your file.
If you want to remove a tag from that file, find the tag in the drop down list and click the circle again to deselect it.
Editing custom metadata
You can edit custom metadata entries in your archive through the Manage Metadata page of your archive's Archive Settings. Please note that you can only edit the custom metadata entries in an archive if you are a Manager or Owner of the archive. Learn more about archive member roles here.
To navigate to the Manage Metadata page, click the arrow next to the archive's name on the left side of the screen. A menu will appear. Click Archive Settings to open the Archive Settings page.
The Manage Metadata page is where you can edit the text of all the custom metadata fields and values in your archive, as well as delete fields or values and add additional fields and values. These fields and values are edited separately in two columns.
To view all of the values associated with a field, click the field to highlight it. A list of values will appear in the right column.
To edit a field or value, click the dots next to the field or value, then click Edit. A text box will appear where you can make changes to the field or value.
To delete a field or value, click the dots next to the field or value, then click Delete. Confirm the deletion, and the field or value will be removed from the list and from all associated files.
Please note that deleting a field will delete all associated values as well. Please proceed with caution when deleting fields.
You can also add new fields and values in the Metadata Manager, rather than adding them directly on a file. When you add a new custom metadata field and value in the Metadata Manager, it will appear in your list as a usable field and value pair. This can be helpful to establish a controlled vocabulary before you begin to add metadata to your files.
To add a new field, click Add New Field at the bottom of the field list. In the box that appears, enter in the new field, then hit the Enter key.
You will also need to fill in the first value associated with that field. Enter a value in the box, then click Ok.
The new field and value will appear in the lists. To add additional values to a field, select the field you would like to add a value to, then click Add New Value at the bottom of the list of values. Type in the value you want to add, then hit the Enter key. The value will be added to the list of values.
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