Columbia University Libraries Digital Program

Gouverneur Morris Filenaming and Metadata Specifications, 5/14/2009

A. Document & File Naming

• Document Identifier: Each document identifier will have as its base number the following parts:
  
  1. "ldpd_7089829" (which reflects the internal Columbia identifier)
  2. the "folder" number transcribed from the card, using 4 digits, zero fill (e.g., 0001, 0015) preceded by an underscore. (NB: The folder number is printed sideways on the card.)
     
  
  Examples of document identifiers:
  
  ldpd_7089829_0001
  ldpd_7089829_0946
  
  
• File name:  Each digital file name will consist of
  
  1. the corresponding document identifier (see above)
     
  2. an image sequence identifier, consisting of 4 digits, zero fill (e.g., 0001, 0002), preceded by an underscore
  3. the file extension
     
     
  Examples of file name:
  
  ldpd_7089829_0001_0001.tif
  ldpd_7089829_0001_0002.tif
  
  ldpd_7089829_0946_0001.tif
  ldpd_7089829_0946_0002.tif
  ldpd_7089829_0946_0003.tif
  ldpd_7089829_0946_0004.tif

B. Metadata Transcription

Since the same descriptive target/card is repeated for each frame relating to the same document, transcribe each unique card only once.

1. document_id: Formulate the document_id according to the Document Identifier spec in section A above.
   
   
2. creator:  Transcribe personal names as last name, first name; record corporate entities in direct order (e.g., "American Antiquarian Society")
   
   
3. place: Transcribe as written on card e.g., "[Virginia]", "Paris"
   
   
4. date: Transcribe as written on the card, e.g., "[1776?],  "(ca. 1772-774)".  Additionally, create a normalized form of the date as indicated below.
   
   
5. startdate / enddate (normalized)
   1. For single dates with month, day and year, include only a startdate element formatted as YYYYMMDD, e.g., a letter dated July 1, 1789:
      
      <startdate>17890701</startdate>
      
      
   2. If there is a year and a month but no day, then enter a date range for the month in startdate and enddate. e.g., a letter dated "July 1789":
      
      <startdate>17890701</startdate>
      <enddate>17890731</enddate>
      
      
   3. If there is only a year but no month or day, enter a date range for the year in startdate and enddate.  E.g., a letter dated "1789":
      
      <startdate>17890101</startdate>
      <enddate>17891231</enddate>
      
      
   4. If there is a range of years, enter a date for the first day of the first year in startdate and the last day of the last year in enddate.  E.g. a document dated "ca. 1772-1774":
      
      <startdate>17720101</startdate>
      <enddate>17741231</enddate>
      
      
   5. If there is an original and a corrected date on the information card, input the earliest date in <startdate> and the latest in <enddate>. E.g., a card dated "April [May] 17, 1772":
      
      <startdate>17720417</startdate>
      <enddate>177205171</enddate>
      
      NB: The assumption here is that the item might be searched for using either date.
      
      
6. recipient: Will nearly always be "Morris, Gouverneur"; format the same as Creator
   
   
7. documenttype: Transcribe information directly from card, e.g., "a.l.s." or "draft", etc.
   
   
8. extent: Transcribe the number of pages directly from card, e.g., "11 p", "38 p"
   
   
9. parts:  Input the total number of parts (i.e., frames, shots) that consititute this document. (NB: This information should reflect the number of digital files being created.)
   
   
10. notes: Transcribe all remaining descriptive information on the card.  Do not repeat the author / recipient information that is already being transcribed in other fields.  Use semicolon to separate different elements.
    
    Notes Examples:
    
    <notes>Statement of account with Robert Morris</notes>
    <notes>Oration on patriotism</notes>
    <notes>Clipping from American Citizen, 23 Sept 1807 and from New York Evening Post 6 July 1817; both concern Morris</notes>
    
    

C.  Examples

<document_id>ldpd_7089829_0001</document_id>
<creator>Adams,Thomas</creator>
<place>[Virginia]</place>
<date>Jan 1, 1784</date>
<startdate>17840101</startdate>
<recipient>Morris,Gouverneur</recipient>
<documenttype>a.l.s.</documenttype>
<extent>1 p.</extent>
<parts>2</parts>
<notes></notes>

<document_id>ldpd_7089829_0002</document_id>
<creator>Aguesseau,Henri Cardin Jean Baptiste, Marquis d'</creator>
<place>[n.p.]</place>
<date>1796</date>
<startdate>17960101</startdate>
<enddate>17961231</endate>
<recipient>Morris,Gouverneur</recipient>
<documenttype>draft, not signed</documenttype>
<extent>1 p.</extent>
<parts>2</parts>
<notes>Power of attorney to G. Morris</notes>

<document_id>ldpd_7089829_0003</document_id>
<creator>Ainslie, Mary</creator>
<place>Abbeville</place>
<date>Mar 31, 1794</date>
<startdate>17940331</startdate>
<recipient>Morris,Gouverneur</recipient>
<documenttype>a.l.s.</documenttype>
<extent>2 p.</extent>
<parts>4</parts>
<notes></notes>

<document_id>ldpd_7089829_0004</document_id>
<creator>American Antiquarian Society</creator>
<place>Worcester, Massachusetts</place>
<date>July 12, 1814</date>
<startdate>18140712</startdate>
<recipient>Morris, Gouverneur</recipient>
<documenttype>printed doc; signed Saml M. Burnside</documenttype>
<extent>1 p.</extent>
<parts>2</parts>
<notes></notes>

<document_id>ldpd_7089829_0005</document_id>
<creator>Anderson, James</creator>
<place>Paris</place>
<date>1800 July 7</date>
<startdate>18000707</startdate>
<recipient>Morris, Gouverneur</recipient>
<documenttype>a.l.s.</documenttype>
<extent>2 p.</extent>
<parts>7</parts>
<notes>(And copy 2 p)</notes>

Update Log:

2009-05-14:   Added another instruction (e) under <startdate><enddate> to accommodate corrected dates.