THL Toolbox > Audio-Video > Cataloging Audio-Video > Cataloging Audio-Video Sources

Cataloging Audio-Video Sources Manual

Contributor(s): David Germano.

Introduction

"Sources" signifies the actual tapes, CDs and so forth on to which content was first recorded. We have not called it "tapes" catalog since the original recording media may have been a CD, etc., while we have not called it "sources" because it may have originally been a digital recording with no permanent sources. Thus for audio recording it is the audio tapes; for video recording it might be mini-DV tapes, and for borne-digital content, such as digital cameras and so forth which use removable and temporary media, it is the digital files themselves. The sourcescatalog is thus how we keep track of these tapes, and so forth, as well as document their content, and the status of our work processing them. The key issues in cataloging sources is the title, caption, description and logging files.

To search the sources catalog, you can simply type in words and "search". This will search against the following fields: title, ID number and keyword. It searches for a precise match of the words or numbers you type in, and will only find entries that have that precise word or phrase. The "advanced search" allows you to also specify the ID number of the tape, or specify the "classification" of the tape. "Classification" is a drop down menu with names of different groups of tapes - such as "Tibetan music" and so forth. This allows for easy consultation of what holdings there are in a given area even if none have been processed into titles yet, as well as allows participants to easily manage their own collections of tapes.

The Search Results then show the table ID number, the title, the label (which is the original text written on the tape in the field after it was shot), and the recording date. The ID and Title fields are hyperlinked to the actual catalog record. If you are logged in and have editing rights, there is also an "edit" button that allows you update the catalog record, and an "add logfile" link that lets you upload a logging file for the tape.

The following contains a full list of fields, along with guidelines for entry.

IDs

ID Number

This is a numerical number that is automatically generated and unique. It is intended for use as the official THL ID in all references to the tape, as well as for easy location of the item using THL's sources catalog. These Ids are printed on labels on each physical item as well, along with the original "label" (see the next item).

Label

This is the actual written label on the sources, if there is one.

Space and Time

Recording Date

This provides the date at which the media was originally recorded, and should be given following the format of YYYY-MM-DD, i.e. 03-12-01 is the third day of the twelfth month of 2001, i.e. December 3, 2001. Do NOT omit the zero if the day or month is one digit (i.e. 02 instead of 2).

Recording Date/time Note

This field allows one to enter a narrative note about the date and time of recording, such as a comments that it was shot in the early morning, or late at night, or the actual date is unclear but it falls within this range, and so forth.

Recording Location

Ultimately we plan to connect this up to the THL Gazetteer, but for now one just types in the location(s) in which the media was originally created. As with date, the focus is on the recording location of the original content, not the location where a derivative copy of a media was made if this item is a copy. Thus even if the media being cataloged is a copy or backup, the recording location still refers to the location of the original content rather than where the backup was made.

Description

Classification

This drop down menu is used by projects for marking groups of affiliated tapes so they can be easily located as such. Classifications should involve a full name that avoids generic names like "Tibetan literature" that are too broad. Hence if a given project creates 20 tapes on oral recitations of Tibetan epics, for example, or 10 tapes on environmental scenes in northern Nepal, then can be classified as belonging to the "Cambridge Oral Recitation of Tibetan project" and "Cornell Environment in Northern Nepal Project" respectively. Project staff, or subsequently any interested party, can then easily search for and see all the tapes belonging to that specific project. When such labels are made, they should be added here to the Video-Audio Cataloging manual with simple one sentence to one paragraph descriptions so that everyone can understand them. If you need to add a new classification, in the editing interface in this field there is an easy to use means to type in a new classification, and then "submit" the tape catalog entry. It will then update the list of classifications to include this one, though you will then have to go back to that tape (or any type) to actually apply it for a given tape.

Title

This gives a quick label to remember as well as provide quick orientation to the tape's contents but largely intended as a mnemonic device to recall the tape. Titles should be short but clear. The title alone does not have to be a complete sentence, and typically will lack any verbs: "A Pilgrimage to Drepung monastery on the Tenth of July", and so forth. It is important that they be comprehensive and not partial - thus if a tape includes two different types of content, don't name the type after the first type of content and ignore the second type of content.

Caption

This gives a one to two sentence descriptive summary for quick reference by users who are browsing the catalog. In contrast to the title, it provides information in full sentences that helps the user assess if this is a tape s/he wants to look at without necessarily going into the full record. For example, in relation to the title given above, the caption might be: "This tape contains interviews with pilgrims, as well as detailed documentations of monastic rituals done inside temples, during the important ritual festival held annual on the tenth of July at 'bras spungs monastery."

Description

This provides for more extended description of the content of the tape beyond the short caption and can be up to a page or more in length. This may serve in place of a logging file which has yet to be made, or may be a nice narrative complement to a logging file. It may be used to transfer notes on the tape's contents made while in the field recording the tape.

Logging and Workflow

Backup made yet?

This is a simple box to click on if the tape has been backed up.

Logged by

This is a drop down menu specifying who did the logging. Logging files - if available - provide the most granular and detailed account of contents along with the precise contents.

Logged in

This is a drop down menu specifying different formats/programs in which the logging may have been done. Logging files are, by definition, an account of the contents of a tape (or CD, etc.) correlated with the location on the actual media as indicated by "time codes". They can be generated using sophisticated logging-editing software, or by as simple a mechanism as handwritten notes that manually record the time as observed within a video camera.The choices are: Cinestream, Final Cut Pro, Ms Tables (Word, QuillDriver, VideoNote, ).

Logging date

YYYY-MM-DD is found by default. Just replace the letters with numbers.

Logging Extent

This drop down menu has the following options:

• slight
• average
• full

Log File/Batch File

This specifies the location of any logging files for this media object, and should name the directory on the El Pico hard drive it is located on. If a copy has not yet been deposited in, it should instead name the person who has the logging file in his/her possession. For the time being we want copies of all logging files to be deposited in the logging directors of the El Pico computer in the Digital Media Lab and named after the labels of the corresponding tapes. If the file has been attached to the tape record - which can be done from the search results page, then the link appears here.

Workflow Status

This is one of the most important fields since it is a narrative comment or set of comments specifying what work has been done on this tape in terms of logging, editing, and extraction of titles, transcription and so forth. It is very important that everyone updates this whenever they do any work of any type on the contents of this tape, including and especially the extraction of titles. When you log the tape, you should mention here the agenda you had in logging it, and also be explicit about other things on the tape that you may not have logged in detail or at all because it didn't relate to your interest; or if instead the logging was comprehensive that should be mentioned as well. If the video in question involves other work, such as a videotape of an oral commentary on a text which is also being digitized, then this box also serves as place to describe the status of the preparation of the text as well. Don't forget to type your name out parenthetically after your contribution.

The Sources

Sources type

This is a drop down menu specifying the type of sources, i.e. audio tape, mini-DV tape, CD, etc. The choices are: Mini-DV Tape, Audio Cassette Tape, Audio CD, DVCAM Tape, Hi-8 Tape, DVD-R, DVD, VCD, Super 8, Standard 8 and U-Matic, DV TAPE.

Brand

This is a drop down menu specifying the brand of the sources, i.e. Sony, etc. The choices are: Panasonic Linear Plus, Sony DV Premium

Source/Master

This is a drop down menu with the options "source, master, copy". A source tape is the tape that was in the camera when the video was shot OR a perfect copy. A master is DV-quality (i.e. uncompressed) footage of edited/finished titles copied over to a tape. Finally "copy" is simply a copy of an original source tape.

Length

This specifies the length of the media (such as a 60 minute tape), and not the length of the actual recording. The format should be use numbers to specify length, and then write out the unit. Thus "60 minutes", not "sixty minutes" and not "60 mins".

Location

One should specify the organization, city and country of where the sources is permanently stored, including any more detailed information like address, building number, or even the box number in which it is stored if one has multiple boxes or drawers where the tapes are stored.

Copyright and Credits

Copyright

This field should be used to specify the copyright arrangements, both who owns them, and what the policy is in terms of the use of the tape. Eventually we will make abbreviated references to a standard range of THL copyright arrangements, which will be linked to a page that details them.

Credits

At present this is simply an internally formatted field devoid of any drop down menus connected to independent people databases. While eventually we plan to connect these to our people databases, for now they should simply be filled in manually.

Performers (include roles): Director: Videographer: Production Assistants: Logger: Editor: Transcriber: Translator: Sponsor: Other Acknowledgements:

Provided for unrestricted use by the Tibetan and Himalayan Library