Tag Archives: TARO

TARO community feedback about EAD Best Practice Guidelines

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Hello TARO Community,

Earlier this year the TARO Standards Subcommittee shared with you that we have been tasked with assessing the level of adoption of the TARO Best Practice Guidelines, among other things. You can check out the Standards wiki page to learn about what our group has been doing this past year.

This message is to ask you to share your thoughts with us. Let us know what you think of the TARO Best Practice Guidelines, both what you like and what you don’t like. We want to know if you are using the best practice guidelines document, and if you are not, to learn why.

You can provide your feedback by completing this brief survey.

You don’t have to be your repository’s designated TARO representative. If you create finding aids that are added to TARO, we want to hear from you!

Please complete the survey by Friday, November 3.

TARO nominations for Steering Committee

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Dear TARO representatives,

TARO would like your participation in forming the next TARO Steering Committee. To that end we ask for nominations as described in the TARO Bridge Governance plan:
 “Steering Committee members may be nominated until two weeks before an election. Self­-nomination is permitted. Candidates for the Steering Committee will provide brief statements detailing their reasons for running and provide a summary of their qualifications to the Nominating Committee. These statements will be distributed electronically to TARO members at least one week prior to the elections.  For the formal vote in October, each member institution may submit one vote (ballot).”

Nominations accepted (by this online form) until Wednesday November 1, 2017.

The slate will then be distributed, with online voting opening Wednesday November 15 ending Tuesday November 21, 2017 (also by an online form).

Thanks so much  for nominating candidates for the Steering Committee,
TARO chair, Amanda Focke (afocke@rice.edu) and vice-chair, Sandra Yates (sandra.yates@library.tmc.edu)

Current list of steering committee members: http://texastaro.pbworks.com/w/page/73447661/TARO%20wiki%20home

TARO Index Terms survey results

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Dear TARO community,

Thank you all who participated in the Index Terms survey we sent out in May. We are writing to share with you the results of the survey and to let you know that the TARO Steering Committee will further investigate/peruse the Metadata Hopper software option based on feedback received from survey. See below for survey results.

Question 1: Is your repository able to check all Index Terms (Names, Subjects, Document Types, and Titles) in the <controlaccess> section in your EAD files before uploading to TARO to verify that the terms match the authorized version of the term and that the encodinganalog and source attribute values are assigned correctly?

The majority of responders indicated that they do check all their terms or at least try to verify them. Some are not able to check them and others are not sure whether this is done before upload to TARO.

 

Question 2: Do you believe your repository has the necessary resources (staff time and expertise) to retrospectively review your EAD files’ <controlaccess> terms and edit them as needed to use the authorized vocabulary terms if TARO provided a report of what terms need to be updated?

 Several people indicated that they believe their institution has the resources or can plan for the next fiscal year to embark on a project to do a data clean-up project. The comments indicate that people could do a cleanup project (after TARO provided a report) as long as there was ample time (no tight deadlines); responders asking for flexibility.

 

Question 3: In addition to controlled lists of local terms would it cause practical/logistical problems for your institution if TARO decided to require that EAD files use specific controlled vocabularies, such as Library of Congress Name Authority File and Subject Headings, and Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus, for <controlaccess> terms going forward?

 Most people replied that they do not foresee any problems if TARO required a controlled vocabulary but asked for the flexibility of still being able to use some local terms that follow controlled vocabulary conventions (e.g. follow LCNAF conventions to create an entry). Again people ask for flexibility and/or training (specifically referring to AAT).

 

Question 4:  Would your repository be willing to have its TARO finding aids sorted into broad TARO subject categories to enhance user experience in browsing? For an example, see the Chicago Collections site (http://explore.chicagocollections.org/)

Good news! Nearly everyone who responded said their institution would be willing to have broad subject terms applied to their finding aids. There was one blank response and one person said that this would be okay as long as there was no additional work incurred on their staff.

 

Question 5: Do you have additional comments or questions?

Most people had no comments. Five comments were submitted (mainly from Steering Committee members).

 

Best,

TARO Steering Committee