MODS datastream in Collection objects

[Peter MacDonald]

I am starting a new collection in Islandora with is best modeled by a couple levels of sub-collections inside subcollections.

I have been given full MODS records that describe each sub-collection in great detail, but typically in Islandora, these collection objects don't even have MODS datastreams. Sure, I can add a MODS datastream to a collection object -- Islandora doesn't stop me from doing so, but there is no associated XML form for a MODS datastream of a collection object and collection objects display behavior does give access to the MODS datastream.

Have others faced this -- that is, how do you handle rich descriptions of collections? Do you resort to Drupal HTML nodes?

Thanks,
Peter MacDonald

[Joanna DiPasquale]

Hi Peter,

I might be oversimplifying the way I handle this, but... I do a few things (one is somewhat pending):

(1) I associate a full MODS form with the Collection CM so that I can have a MODS record for each collection.

(2) I created a specialized content type / node in Drupal so that I have some free reign in the description.  This was somewhat by request when we started with Islandora 6, but I found that I liked doing this.  It allows me to make a spot on our site called "Browse the Collections" where I can integrate non-Islandora content -- and even Islandora content not on the default site (e.g., our Einstein collection is Islandora but in its own site).  You can see this here:

http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/collections (all collections)

http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/collections/burroughs (an example CCK object)

(3) Viewing all items in a collection provides thumbnail, title, and description by default.  I've never altered this in a theme template file:

http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/islandora/object/vassar:burroughs

(4) (Pending) I want to add a tab called "About the Collection" -- which I think used to be in I6/D6 -- and modify a module I have to add them.  This isn't in github right now, but the essentials are to hook into the menu to add a tab, then just specify which transformation you want to use for the datastream.

Hope this is a helpful start!
Joanna

Joanna DiPasquale
jjdipa...@gmail.com

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[Peter MacDonald]

Joanna:

I've always admired the clean interface you have on your digital collections site. Great job!

I too tend to use Drupal nodes as landing pages and entry points to our distinct collections. I've found that MODS records and a thumbnail are just not rich enough in themselves to give sufficient context to understand what a collection is about.

Do you actually display the MODS datastream from the Islandora collection object at any point? I guest that might not really be necessary if you have a landing page for the collection. But I would think that having a full MODS datastream in the collection object is prudent for long term reasons -- and for searching/indexing purposes -- and it's probably a good idea to have rich metadata in the collection object for long-term purposes.

Thanks for the feedback.

Peter MacDonald

--

Peter MacDonald,
Library Information Systems Specialist
Hamilton College Library

Clinton, New York
315 859-4493

pmacdona-hamilton (Skype)

[Nick Ruest]

fwiw, we have a Jira improvement ticket[1] open for adding metadata form
to the collection solution pack. I'll probably start working on this
very soon, so if you have any feedback, please do comment on that ticket.

cheers!

-nruest

[1] https://jira.duraspace.org/browse/ISLANDORA-1091

> jjdipa...@gmail.com <mailto:jjdipa...@gmail.com>

>
> On Sun, Dec 14, 2014 at 7:36 PM, Peter MacDonald
> <petermac...@gmail.com <mailto:petermac...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> I am starting a new collection in Islandora with is best modeled
> by a couple levels of sub-collections inside subcollections.
>
> I have been given full MODS records that describe each
> sub-collection in great detail, but typically in Islandora,
> these collection objects don't even have MODS datastreams. Sure,
> I can add a MODS datastream to a collection object -- Islandora
> doesn't stop me from doing so, but there is no associated XML
> form for a MODS datastream of a collection object and collection
> objects display behavior does give access to the MODS datastream.
>
> Have others faced this -- that is, how do you handle rich
> descriptions of collections? Do you resort to Drupal HTML nodes?
>
> Thanks,
> Peter MacDonald
>
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> Peter MacDonald,
> Library Information Systems Specialist
> Hamilton College Library
> Clinton, New York
> 315 859-4493
> pmacdona-hamilton (Skype)
>

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[Jennifer]

Joanna,

I've never used Drupal nodes and your solution looks great. Would you mind sharing how you do this in more detail?

Thanks much,

Jennifer

[Joanna DiPasquale]

YIKES -- I was just looking for an email about something somewhat related to collections and saw this thread again -- and that I didn't answer it.  I am so sorry!  

Nick -- thanks for pointing me to the Jira ticket.  Is it too late for ideas?  :(

Peter -- we do display a MODS datastream for our collections in two ways: first, they are ingested as Solr records, so any searches get a little more robust detail.  (E.g., a search for "Susan B. Anthony collection" -- our most recent collection upload -- provides the scope and bio note that became the dc.description field, and the relevant subjects.)  Also, for anyone that may find their way to our "vassar:root" pid, they'll see a list of collections with descriptions.  I've generally rerouted people from there to our Views list of collections by adding a hook to our breadcrumbs in the theme, but there's a good chance that someone may still find her way there. Once in a collection, though, I've never added a tab that said something like "about this collection" or added the text -- though I still feel like I should put that on my list. http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/islandora/object/vassar:root

Jen -- here's what I do to make the collection pages, though I'm sure there's a better / more elegant solution.  :)

1. I used the (now part of core) Drupal fields + added the CCK module for more flexibility.

2. I created a content type called Collection.  The Collection content type contains the following fields:

- Should item be featured on site home page?  (checkbox)

- Title

- Body (which I use as a general description)

- Date collection was published

- Link text (the text to use to make the link to the collection)

- Use "search collection" box? (checkbox -- I use this as a flag in the template to write a search box on the fly for things that are hosted in Islandora, or otherwise have a note that says the collection is elsewhere)

- Use collection image on collection home page? (checkbox -- should the home page to the collection have a nice picture?)

- Picture (field upload)

- Caption for picture

- Dates for items in the collection (temporal)

- Picture URL (if you want to bring people who click on the picture directly to that picture, rather than to the collection)

- Collection PID (if an external collection, put in the URL instead of the PID, and then I do a little pattern matching in the theme)

- Types of items in the collection (checkboxes, maps to DC type)

When I first started this technique, with our D6/I6 site, our collections were very new and didn't have a lot of subject analysis. In retrospect, I think I would add a subject field. 

I'm generally (still) doing this for a few reasons:

1. Not all of our collections are in Islandora, so this "levels the playing field" in terms of UI. I can put all of the collections in one place.

2. I can put nice things like graphics and free-form descriptions (do I need to thank a donor and include their graphic? talk about a finding aid?) in this setup, and it is contained in a structure that Drupal understands natively.  Since I create a Drupal node, I can then use it in Views for things like the slideshow on the home page and the Collections list without a lot of extra work.

3. When I started this, there wasn't a module that exposed Solr metadata in Views as there is now, and I wasn't sure how to deal with records that wouldn't come from Solr -- should I create Islandora records for our non-Islandora sites?  I'm still thinking about that, though my current answer is, "yes, I should."  So this was somewhat of a workaround.

4. I found it easier to control these pages with themes.  I could add a search box unique to each collection (e.g., http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/collections/earlyvassar), provide a menu link that made some sense and that could be expanded, and provide block exposure if I wanted to.  

I'm happy to export the content model and Views if you are interested!

With all that written, I'd love to be able to maintain one collection page that was driven by Islandora.  You can see that a lot of the fields I created have Islandora mappings, and the flags could probably be handled differently.

Again, many, many apologies for the silence!!  I hope this is remotely useful info.

Thanks,

Joanna

Joanna DiPasquale
jjdipa...@gmail.com

[Nick Ruest]

JIRA ticket[1] is closed, and pull request[2] has been merged. It will
be apart of the 7.x-1.5 release.

-nruest

[1] https://jira.duraspace.org/browse/ISLANDORA-1091
[2] https://github.com/Islandora/islandora_solution_pack_collection/pull/130

> jjdipa...@gmail.com <mailto:jjdipa...@gmail.com>

> http://digitallibrary.vassar.__edu/collections
> <http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/collections> (all collections)
> http://digitallibrary.vassar.__edu/collections/burroughs

> <http://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/collections/burroughs> (an
> example CCK object)
> (3) Viewing all items in a collection provides thumbnail,
> title, and description by default. I've never altered this
> in a theme template file:

> http://digitallibrary.vassar.__edu/islandora/object/vassar:__burroughs

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> Peter MacDonald,
> Library Information Systems Specialist
> Hamilton College Library
> Clinton, New York

> 315 859-4493 <tel:315%20859-4493>

> pmacdona-hamilton (Skype)
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[Joanna DiPasquale]

That's great news, Nick, thanks!  Sorry to drop the ball on this.

Joanna DiPasquale
jjdipa...@gmail.com

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