THL Toolbox > Audio-Video > Cataloging Audio-Video > Cataloging Audio-Video Titles Offline
Cataloging Audio-Video Titles Offline
Contributor(s): Bradley Aaron
Introduction
Ideally all cataloging of final audio-video titles would take place directly in Mediabase, but given that stable and fast internet access is often not available when working in the field or even in some office environments, it will sometimes be necessary for users to provide catalog metadata in an offline format. This offline cataloging data can then be uploaded to Mediabase and matched with the audio-video title to populate the metadata fields in Mediabase.
Procedure
To begin cataloging finished audio-video titles offline, you will first need to download the Offline Media Cataloging Spreadsheet here. Currently the spreadsheet is only provided in English, but we hope to have multilingual versions available in the future along with translations of this guide. NOTE: The first row of the spreadsheet is provided as a sample of how to enter the data, please make sure to delete this row and enter your own data in the second row of the sheet.
Once the download of the spreadsheet has completed, open it in Microsoft Excel or another compatible browser. (IMPORTANT: if you are not using Microsoft Excel version XX or newer, you MUST use a unicode compatible spreadsheet program and unicode fonts. UVA cannot accept spreadsheets that do not conform to unicode standards). Across the top of the spreadsheet you will see a series of bolded words. Each of these represents one 'field' in the Mediabase database. You will be entering data into each column below the heading with one row of entries corresponding to metadata information for ONE media file only. If you are providing multiple episodes of one series of audio-video titles you can save time by copying and pasting the content of the first row for each subsequent file in the series; you must make sure, however, that each row has a unique entry in the "Filename" column that corresponds to the exact filename of the title.
The following set of instructions will walk you through what to put for each of the fields in each heading.
Filename
For offline cataloging this field is essential. If you do not put the exact filename of the finished title, it will be impossible to match the metadata you are entering here in each column. Make sure that each row has an accurate filename that matches the name of the audio-video file you will be providing to UVA. An example is "Labtse Ritual Chuma Summer 2013.mov". You can simply copy the exact title from your filename and paste it here.
Title
For all THL work, we want to catalog material in three languages as often as possible: Tibetan, English, Chinese. This spreadsheet allows for the entry of three Titles, one for each language. If you only have one or two languages, this is fine, you can put the primary language title in the "Title Lang 1" field. If there is a second language, but the title in that language in the "Title Lang 2" column and the title in the third language other than English in the "Title Lang 3" column. If you have more than three languages, please contact us for an expanded spreadsheet.
For each title provided in Mediabase users must enter the name of the language used in the "Title" field. In the spreadsheet, this must also be recorded in the "Title Language Name" column. If you entered a title in the "Title Lang 1" column, you must write the name of the language (in English) in the "Title Language Name 1" column. You will repeat this for each title you entered in a different language. See the first row of the spreadsheet as an example.
Title Type
Select from the drop down list the phrase that most closely matches the type of audio-video title you are cataloging. Short bits of audio-video under XX seconds are usually labeled "Clip" and longer pieces that are part of a series are usually labeled "Episode". If it is an audio recording, often times "Song" or "Voice" could be the most appropriate selection.
Description
As with titles, we want to have descriptions of the audio-video work in multiple languages. There are three description columns in the spreadsheet, Description Lang 1, Description Lang 2, and Description Lang 3. If your audio-video title has titles in multiple languages, the descriptions should also be given in the same three languages, with the each description column corresponding to the same language used in "Title Lang 1, 2, 3". See the first row of the spreadsheet for an example.
NOTE: It is best to first write the description in a text editor like Microsoft Word and then paste the final text into the field in the spreadsheet. This gives you the option of composing the text with more space, spell check, etc.
For each description entered into a description field, you must also enter the name of the language in the corresponding "Desc Lang Name" column, just as you did with the "Title Language Name" fields. See the first row of the spreadsheet for an example.
Description Type
Entries in this column should be the same as what is entered into the "Title Type" column. Select from the drop down list the phrase that most closely matches the type of audio-video title you are cataloging. Short bits of audio-video under XX seconds are usually labeled "Clip" and longer pieces that are part of a series are usually labeled "Episode". If it is an audio recording, often times "Song" or "Voice" could be the most appropriate selection.
Subjects
This column is one of the most important columns for which you will enter data. The "Subject" entry here allows the audio-video title to be connected to a particular subject in the THL "Knowledge Maps of Subjects" application. This connection is what makes THL such a power resources that connects rich multimedia products to Place Dictionary entries and other applications provided by THL.
Unless you have been provided with an offline searchable version of the THL subjects database, you will have to get online and visit 
subjects.thlib.org to lookup a knowledge map subject(s) that corresponds to the topic(s) treated in the audio-video title. Once you have identified a subject or subjects that correspond to the topic(s) of the a-v title, you must enter each of the subjects into the field in the spreadsheet with both the name AND the Subject ID number. You will find the ID number as the last string of numbers in the URL for the chosen knowledge map entry (ex: "Consecration Ritual" has the URL http://subjects.thlib.org/categories/5805/children/1854. From this URL you will get the ID number "1854"). Enter the 'real language' subject name followed by the ID number in fancy brackets "{}" like this: Consecration Ritual {1854}. If your title treats more than one subject, separate each subject with a semicolon ";". See the first row of the spreadsheet for an example.
Location
This is another very important field. The location column is used to catalog the location related to the subject(s) of the a-v title. This is NOT necessarily where the material was recorded, but the location of the subject matter of the a-v title. For example, the title could be an interview by an elder in Repgong who is telling a history of Lhasa. In this case, the 'location' should be Lhasa, and NOT Repgong (you will be able to enter the recording location later in a different field)
In the THL Place Dictionary, enter the name of the location in THL phonetics (click here to use the THL online phonetic convertor for Tibetan) and click the "Search" button, this will give you a list of possible matches. Select the correct match and then click "View More Feature Detail" under the "Associated Resources" section. Type the phonetic name followed by the THL ID in fancy brackets "{}" into the field in the spreadsheet (ex. Lhasa {F637}). See the spreadsheet for an example. NOTE: it is essential that you include the brackets with the THL ID inside them. Mediabase MUST have this ID in this exact format to be able to import your spreadsheet data.
You should ONLY select the most specific location possible. For example, if the subject of the title is the Barkhor in Lhasa, you only need to select Barkhor and NOT Lhasa. If your title treats subjects having to do with more than one location, separate each entry with a semicolon ";" as you did with the "Subject" column.
Copyright Owner
In the Copyright Owner field, put the name of the individual or organization that holds the copyright to the a-v title. For titles that were completely produced by THL, the copyright holder is the Tibetan & Himalayan Library. Often this information can be found in the credit slate of the video.
Year Published
Year Published should be the year that the material reached final publication.
Redistribution License
The Redistribution License outlines the terms of redistribution for the title. Follow the guidelines in the THL toolbox here and select the appropriate license. If the title is a video, the credit slate should contain the license information. Only put the NAME of the license here, the details about the license will be added in the next section.
Creators
This column and the two others that follow will involve the most extensive metadata entry. This is where we enter the 'credits' for the a-v title, including the creators (cinematographer, producers, etc.), contributors, publishers, and the full description of the license and copyrights for the title.
This field is reserved for the principal creator(s) of the title. This should be where the person(s) in charge of the entire project should be given credit. For example, if the project had a director, their name should go here. If the director and a producer were equally important in the creation of the title, then they each should have a separate entry in the Creator section. List the person's contributing role after a comma following their name like this: Jhon Doe, Director. If you wish to add more than one creator, separate each name and title with a semicolon ";". For example: John Doe, Director; Jane Doe, Producer
Contributors
This field should contain multiple entries and should include the names of all of the people other than the 'creators' who were involved in making the a-v title. This section is like the 'credits' at the beginning or end of a movie. For each person who had a role in the making of the title, add them and their role (for example actor, audio person, artistic director, etc.) as a new item that is separated by a semicolon ";". This will often have many entries and the information for what to put here can often be found in the credit slate of the video title. For example: Gwen Longfellow, Cameraperson; Tashi Dekyid, Lighting; Peter Newsome, Sound editing, etc.
Publishers
This field contains the name of the individual or institution primarily responsible for the final publication of the a-v title. This can contain multiple entries, but usually will contain one entry for THL and one entry for the copyright holder. Please always use the long form Tibetan & Himalayan Library for THL and list the role as "Publisher". Put the name of the publisher followed by the role and use a semicolon ";" to divide multiple entries. For example: Tibetan & Himalayan Library, Publisher; Royal Library of Bhutan; Publisher.
Rights Summary
This is where you can paste in the exact terms of the license. Please see the list of THL licenses here (LINK TO TOOLBOX)
Recording Location
This field is for the location where the recording was made and NOT for the location that is treated in the title itself.
In the THL Place Dictionary, enter the name of the location in THL phonetics (click here to use the THL online phonetic convertor for Tibetan) and click the "Search" button, this will give you a list of possible matches. Select the correct match and then click "View More Feature Detail" under the "Associated Resources" section. Type the phonetic name followed by the THL ID in fancy brackets "{}" into the field in the spreadsheet (ex. Lhasa {F637}). See the spreadsheet for an example. NOTE: it is essential that you include the brackets with the THL ID inside them. Mediabase MUST have this ID in this exact format to be able to import your spreadsheet data.
You should ONLY select the most specific location possible. For example, if the subject of the title is the Barkhor in Lhasa, you only need to select Barkhor and NOT Lhasa. If your title treats subjects having to do with more than one location, separate each entry with a semicolon ";" as you did with the "Subject" column.