Step-by-Step: Creating Your Collection Metadata

This tutorial walks you through creating the metadata spreadsheet that organizes your oral history collection and enables its display on the web.

What You’ll Create

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have:

  • A complete metadata CSV file that catalogs all your interviews
  • Proper connections between transcripts and media files
  • Information that powers browsing, search, and display features

Before You Begin

Gather these materials:

  • Information about each interview (dates, participants, locations, etc.)
  • Any media URLs (YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.) if applicable
  • 15-20 minutes of time

Tutorial Steps

Step 1: Get Started with a Template

  1. Download the template spreadsheet
  • Save it to your computer
  1. Open in Google Sheets
    • Go to sheets.google.com
    • Click File → Import → Upload
    • Select the downloaded template file
    • Choose “Import data” when prompted
  2. Examine the structure
    • Review the column headers in the first row
    • Note the example entries in subsequent rows
    • These show the format for each field

Step 2: Understand Required Fields

Every interview in your collection needs these three essential fields:

  1. objectid
    • A unique identifier for each interview
    • Use simple lowercase names with underscores (e.g., “smith_john”)
    • Important: This MUST match your transcript filename
  2. title
    • The complete title of the interview
    • Be descriptive and consistent
    • Example: “Interview with John Smith on Mining History”
  3. display_template
    • Controls how the item displays
    • Always set to “transcript” for interviews

Step 3: Add Your Interviews

  1. Create a new row for each interview
    • Delete the example rows once you understand the format
    • Add a new row for each interview in your collection

    Empty spreadsheet with just the header row

  2. Fill in the required fields
    • Add the objectid, title, and display_template for each interview
    • Make objectid values simple and URL-friendly

    Spreadsheet with basic required information added

  3. Add recommended fields
    • Complete additional fields for better display and searchability:
      • interviewer: Person conducting the interview
      • interviewee: Person being interviewed
      • date: Interview date (YYYY-MM-DD format)
      • description: Brief content summary (1-2 sentences)
      • subject: Main topics (separated by semicolons)
      • location: Where the interview took place

To get a better idea of how this look, see our examples

Step 4: Connect Media (Optional)

If you have audio or video recordings:

  1. Prepare your media links
    • For YouTube videos: Copy the video URL or ID
    • For SoundCloud: Copy the track URL
    • For local files: Note the filename
  2. Add to object_location field
    • YouTube format: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
    • SoundCloud format: https://soundcloud.com/USER/TRACK_NAME
    • Local file format: /objects/filename.mp3

Step 5: Finalize and Save

  1. Review all entries
    • Check that all required fields are completed
    • Verify spelling and formatting
    • Ensure objectids match your transcript filenames
  2. Save as CSV file
    • Click File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv)
    • Name the file according to your preference (typically something like “project.csv” or “metadata.csv”)
  3. Upload to your repository
    • Place the CSV file in the _data/ folder
    • Update _config.yml to reference this filename if needed

Step 6: Adding Compound Objects (Advanced)

Compound objects allow you to associate additional materials (photographs, documents, artifacts) with your interview transcripts. These appear below the main transcript content.

  1. Set up the parent interview (using standard steps above)
    • Keep display_template: transcript for the main interview
    • Ensure the interview has a unique objectid
  2. Create child object entries
    • Add new rows for each related item (photos, documents, etc.)
    • Include a parentid field matching the parent interview’s objectid
    • Set appropriate display_template for the content type (e.g., “image”)
  3. Example compound object structure: 
    Parent Interview:
objectid: mcmichael
title: Interview with James McMichael
display_template: transcript
interviewee: James McMichael
interviewer: Devin Becker
   
Child Objects:
objectid: mcmichael1
parentid: mcmichael
title: McMichael's thesis binders on shelf
display_template: image
object_location: /objects/mcmichael1.jpg
   
objectid: mcmichael2
parentid: mcmichael
title: Books and drafts on McMichael's desk
display_template: image
object_location: /objects/mcmichael2.jpg
  4. Key points for compound objects:
    • Parent objects must keep display_template: transcript
    • Child objects inherit date and location information from their parent
    • Child objects appear below the transcript and metadata sections
    • Use descriptive titles for child objects to explain their relevance

Example of a Complete Metadata File

Here’s how a metadata values might look with multiple entries (displayed vertically for easier reading–these will be in a spreadsheet when you enter them!):

object id: smith_john  
title: "Interview with John Smith on Mining History"  
display_template: transcript  
interviewer: Sarah Johnson  
interviewee: John Smith  
date: 2023-05-15  
description: John Smith discusses his 40-year career in local mines, focusing on safety improvements.  
subject: mining; labor history; safety  
location: Coalville, PA  
object_location: https://youtu.be/BX_bURONf78  

object id: garcia_maria  
title: "Maria Garcia on Immigration and Education"  
display_template: transcript  
interviewer: David Lee  
interviewee: Maria Garcia  
date: 2023-06-10  
description: Maria Garcia shares her experience immigrating to the US as a child and later becoming an educator.  
subject: immigration; education; family  
location: Phoenix, AZ  
object_location: https://soundcloud.com/user/maria-garcia-interview  

object id: taylor_robert  
title: "Robert Taylor: Civil Rights Activism in the 1960s"  
display_template: transcript  
interviewer: Emily Wong  
interviewee: Robert Taylor  
date: 2023-04-22  
description: Robert Taylor recounts his participation in civil rights demonstrations and community organizing.  
subject: civil rights; activism; history  
location: Atlanta, GA  
object_location:
Tutorial - Transcript Preparation Tutorial - Working in Github