Description Standards
The following standards are excerpted from Letterform Archive’s Description and Digitization Standards. They guide users through using appropriate terms and formatting when describing (cataloging) archival material.
Controlled Vocabularies and Data Standards
See Master Vocabulary spreadsheet.
Roles and Relators
Use terms on Design Creators tab.
MARC and Qlik
MARC map showing fields to use with examples (see, especially the examples in 655 field).
Measurements
Measurements for objects are recorded as h x w cm to the nearest centimeter rounding up. For example, if an object is 23.2 cm high x 14.6 cm wide, it would be recorded as 24 x 15 cm.
ID Numbers
for object or “work id:” lfa_[collection]_####
for photos: lfa[collection]_####_####
for MARC: OCLC id from fixed field / LFA_[oclc]
for MARC photos: LFA_[oclc]_####
Date Formatting
ca. UF circa
YYYY
YYYY–YYYY (please note en dash not hyphen)
ca. YYYY
List true dates in date column and put the earliest release date (like type release date for type ephemera), circa dates, or date ranges in earliest date.
Describing Objects
For objects with people, describe as person or human figure. Use gendered descriptions as subjects.
Copyright Statements
Check item’s copyright status before uploading to Online Archive. The General rule for objects under copyright is 10% or less of the object can be shown on the OA.
PUBLIC DOMAIN:
Public domain. No restrictions on use of printed material. Images are property of Letterform Archive.
COPYRIGHTED:
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by [COPYRIGHT HOLDER]. Copyright holder has given Letterform Archive permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires written permission of the Copyright Holder. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Images are property of Letterform Archive.
COPYRIGHT UNKNOWN:
Copyright status unknown. This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Letterform Archive attempted to find rights owners without success but is eager to hear from them so that we may obtain permission, if needed. Upon request to info@letterformarchive.org, digitized works can be removed from public view if there are rights issues that need to be resolved. Images are property of Letterform Archive.