Collection configuration and metadata crosswalking
When working with the Gateway, you are using technology that facilitates metadata mapping between Dublin Core and MARC21. The Gateway is not a cataloging or metadata creation/editing tool. As such, the quality of the WorldCat records that the Gateway generates for your digital items depends on:
- The collection metadata configuration and creation standards, and
- The nature of Dublin Core and MARC standards.
Note: The IP addresses used by Digital Collection Gateway's OAI harvester are:
- 132.174.4.119
- 132.174.2.8
Safe listing these IP addresses will ensure the harvest works properly.
Metadata configuration and creation
The nature of the Gateway-created WorldCat records depends on the way you have set up and implemented the metadata for your collections. To ensure the best metadata mapping and WorldCat records, we recommend that you follow these practices:
- For all fields that you want to display in WorldCat, configure the metadata fields so that they are mapped to Dublin Core or Qualified Dublin Core. When you configure metadata for your collections, make sure to map every element that you want available for mapping in the Gateway.
- Qualified Dublin Core will only be available for collections whose repositories are CONTENTdm. Other repositories are not supported. If you are interested in purchasing CONTENTdm, please contact our Orders department at OCLC Order services with your name, OCLC symbol, and contact information.
- Date fields should use consistent formatting.
- When populating the Dublin Core language field, use ISO 693-2 or ISO 693-3 standard language tables. The qquGateway will utilize that information to construct more precise MARC mappings.
- MARC records are not supported by the Gateway. The Gateway only supports Dublin Core, Qualified Dublin Core, OCLC DC (only for CONTENTdm repositories), and the European Semantic Elements (a set of extensions of Qualified Dublin Core).
- The Gateway has built-in de-duplication functionality based on the unique URL for your digital items. The Gateway will not allow the addition of new records when it finds other records in WorldCat that already contain the URL of your digital content. This means that your data will not be duplicated, even if you have shared it with other aggregators.
Considerations for sharing metadata
As you begin to review your collections in the Gateway, you’ll begin to notice a few things about sharing metadata between systems:
• There are some metadata elements that are useful in your local repository but do not have any context or meaning in WorldCat. For example, the original metadata may include a note about the physical location of the original item, such as Original on 3rd floor stacks in the Henburg Library, which may not be appropriate for WorldCat.
There are some metadata elements that are not necessary in your local repository but provide essential context and meaning for WorldCat users. For example, when an end user searches your local “Theodore Roosevelt Collection,” it may seem obvious that an item with a title “At the Gateway to Yellowstone Park” is referring to Roosevelt. However, this context will be missing to a WorldCat.org user.
• Complete and consistent metadata records ensure complete and consistent WorldCat.org displays.
See Best Practices for creating shareable metadata for optimized and standardized Qualified Dublin Core metadata element sets to increase the discoverability of your metadata in the local environment and across open access repositories such as WorldCat.org.
- Qualified Dublin Core will only be available for collections whose repositories are CONTENTdm. Other repositories are not supported. If you are interested in purchasing CONTENTdm, please contact our Orders department at OCLC Order services with your name, OCLC symbol, and contact information.