Blog Post 3: Metadata and Databases

Data is how we conceptualize and understand the world around us. To me, metadata is like the ultimate tour guide in a museum of data. It’s like having labels on every exhibit, telling you what it is, where it came from, and how it’s connected to everything else. Metadata is organizing and explaining the data we collect, making it easier for us to understand and use. There are descriptive, administrative, and operational functions: 

• Descriptive metadata provides labels such as file names and numbers which allows users to understand its contents, context, and relevance.  
• Administrative metadata involves managing and controlling access to digital resources, ensuring their integrity, security, and usability.  
• Operational metadata supports the management and processing of digital resources such using terms or keywords to index and search for the resource. 

Databases are the organized collections of data. They can be collections of texts, images, videos, or other multimedia artifacts. Databases provide a structured framework for managing datasets efficiently. They can come in various formats such as spread sheets, XML files, and JSON. When it comes to my understanding of digital humanities, metadata and databases are like a dynamic duo that helps us explore digital resources. Metadata provides the information about the materials (history, literature, art) while databases take that information and structure it into an interactive platform. 

Metadata is important for my project which is “Dawnland Voices”. My project uses objects, artwork, and writings to catalogue indigenous New England history and culture. Each item is collected under the tribal nation that it is associated with. There is an exhibit that uses baskets as a form of storytelling. Each basket comes with its title, description, creator, date, contributor type, and format. Unfortunately, the map does not work so I’m unable to search for the items based on their geolocation. The website sort of functions as a database for historians, scholars and researchers looking for primary sources. A lot of the literature comes from newspapers. 

- Pat Pasong