Collection Metadata Overview

This page explains how to create and configure your metadata spreadsheet, which is the backbone of your Oral History as Data project.

What is Metadata?

Metadata is the structured information about each interview in your collection. It enables search, browsing, and connects transcripts and media to your site.

Key Steps

  • Use the CollectionBuilder-CSV format
  • Required fields: objectid, title, display_template (set to transcript)
  • OHD specific fields: interviewer, interviewee, date, description, subject, location, object_location (for media links)
  • Each row = one interview

Required Fields

  • objectid: A unique identifier for each interview (used for filenames and URLs)
    • This should also match with the filename of the transcript your using!!
  • title: The title of the interview
  • display_template: The template for displaying the item described – it should be transcript for OHD features to work

Oral History as Data Specific Fields

  • interviewee: Name of the person interviewed
  • interviewer: Name of the person conducting the interview
  • pdf: Path to transcript pdf file
    • PDFs will be automatically generated using PagedJS but if you’d rather link to a prepared PDF file, list it either
    • Can be an external link, or a relative link to a PDF stored in the repository
  • bio: Biographical information about the interviewee
    • You can use Markdown to style the bios.

Standard CollectionBuilder Fields

  • description: A brief summary of the interview content
  • subject: Topics covered in the interview (semicolon separated)
  • date: When the interview took place (YYYY-MM-DD format recommended)
  • location: Where the interview was conducted
  • latitude: Geographic coordinate (if relevant)
  • longitude: Geographic coordinate (if relevant)
  • format: The format of the original interview (e.g. video/mp4)
  • rights: Copyright or usage rights statement
  • rightsstatement: URL to a formal rights statement
  • object_location: URL to audio/video (if available)
  • image_small*: small image to represent item in the collection (if left blank, will default to bootstrap icon)
  • image_thumb: thumbnail image to represent item in the collection (if left blank, will default to bootstrap icon)

Example Metadata Entry

objectid: smith_john
title: Interview with John Smith on Local Mining History
interviewee: John Smith
interviewer: Sarah Johnson
date: 2023-05-15
description: John Smith discusses his 40-year career in the Coalville mines, focusing on technological changes and safety improvements.
subject: mining; labor history; workplace safety
location: Coalville, PA
latitude: 41.4090
longitude: -75.6624
object_location: https://youtu.be/BX_bURONf78
bio: John Smith (b. 1945) worked as a miner from 1963-2003 and served as safety coordinator for the last decade of his career.

Creating Compound Objects

Oral History as Data supports compound objects, allowing you to associate additional materials (photos, documents, artifacts) with interview transcripts. This follows the same approach as CollectionBuilder-CSV, with the key difference being that parent objects keep their display_template as “transcript”.

How Compound Objects Work

  • Parent object: The main interview transcript with display_template: transcript
  • Child objects: Related materials (photos, documents) that appear below the transcript
  • Connection: Child objects include a parentid field matching the parent’s objectid

Setting Up Compound Objects

  1. Create the parent interview with standard transcript metadata: 
    objectid: mcmichael
title: Interview with James McMichael
display_template: transcript
interviewee: James McMichael
interviewer: Devin Becker
  2. Add child objects with a parentid field: 
    objectid: mcmichael1
parentid: mcmichael
title: McMichael's thesis binders on a shelf
display_template: image
format: image/jpg
object_location: /objects/mcmichael1.jpg

Key Points for Compound Objects

  • Parent objects must have display_template: transcript to maintain OHD functionality
  • Child objects can use any appropriate display template (image, pdf, etc.)
  • Child objects inherit location and date information from their parent
  • All child objects will display below the main transcript and metadata sections

More Help

For a sample file, see the examples

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Content Overview Transcript Preparation Overview