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Constructing Data

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Constructing a dataset, as Trevor Owens of the Library of Congress explains, "requires choices about what and how to collect and how to encode the information" [1]. 
 

How and What to Collect


How to Encode Information

For digital collections, item information is frequently encoded in relational databases.  A relational database is a structured set of data that contains a series of formally described tables from which data can be queried or organized in different ways. This structure enhances searching, browsing, and exhibition functions by enabling users to access items and reassemble collections based on tabular information.
To create a digital collection with these functions, you can either build a relational database from scratch or use a digital publishing platform that functions as a relational database, such as Wordpress, Omeka, Scalar, and CollectiveAccess [2]. While building a database may allow for greater customization and processing opportunities, using a digital publishing platform streamlines the construction process. 

Either way, before getting started you will want to develop a metadata schema for your collection. Metadata, or 'data about data,' "provides a means of indexing, accessing, preserving, and discovering digital resources" [3]. While metadata can serve many different functions related to these tasks, we will be primarily concerned with its descriptive function [4]. 


 

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  1. Data for Humanists Andrea Davis

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