Glossary

administrative metadata

Information used to manage a collection, such as how it was created, access rights, and policies.

AIP

Archival information package.

archival collection

Archival collections are based on provenance, all the content is generated by or otherwise comes from a single person, family, or organization. The content is generally unique. Archival collections are generally described at aggregate levels which may be a series (a related subset of content), box, or folder level.

collection

A collection is an intentional grouping of materials that have associated metadata and usually a workflow. Collections may be archival, library, or curated. All works must have a designated primary collection, child works will inherit properties and requirements, such as whether or not master files (within filesets) should be exposed to the public. Collections may be ordered, though it is not necessary.

curated collection

Curated collections are intentionally gathered content around a topic or theme. Curated collections include discrete works from multiple archival or library collections. Curated collections may not serve as a primary collection. Curated collections have no workflow.

data dictionary

Contains all the pertinent information about every kind of metadata field in CHO. This includes descriptive, administrative, as well as technical metadata.

descriptive metadata

Information about an individual collection or work such as its title and creator.

DIP

Dissemination information package.

display schema

Governs the visual representation of a work and its files. This could contain concepts associated with a DIP.

file type

Classification of a file's digital content, such as text, image, or audio. This will most often be the mime type.

library collection

Library collections are based on traditional, librarian-selected, published, non-archival content. Collections may include digitized or born-digital content that is described in the library catalog.

metadata field

A single instance of a term found in the data dictionary. It contains all of the same properties as the dictionary term, but with additional modifications such as changes to its display properties, validation, or controlled vocabulary.

metadata schema

A grouping of one or more metadata fields, in a specific order, that are assigned to a given work type and used as properties for any number of works.

nested works

Nested works are works with subcomponents, where each subcomponent can each have additional metadata. Nested works may represent an individual item, like a book where each page is a nested work or an audio recording that spans 3 cassettes. Nested works may also represent aggregate materials, such as a digitized manuscript folder where each page is a nested work or collection where each folder is a nested work. Whether something should be a simple work or a nested work is a curatorial call.

processing schema

A set of operations and procedures applied to the files contained in a work. This could contain concepts associated with an AIP.

SIP

Submission information package.

simple work

Simple works represent one intellectual object description to one or many files.

structured nested work

Structured nested works are works with additional structure, such as sections or chapters. Structured nested works may also represent born-digital archival collections. (Non MVP)

technical metadata

Information about the aspects of an individual file, such as its size, composition, and digital structure.

work

The concrete, real-world data that represents an instantiation of a work type.

workflow

Set of actions applied to works when they are added to collections. Every work must have a workflow, but that workflow is determined by the collection to which the work is added.

work type

A generic model of a kind of work. It encompasses the concept of a SIP, but it is defines the metadata, display, and processing schemas that apply to a given work.