A Case Study of ETD Metadata Remediation at the University of Houston Libraries

Abstract

This paper provides a case study on remediating electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) metadata at the University of Houston Libraries. The authors provide an overview of the team’s efforts to revise existing ETD metadata in its institutional repository as part of their commitment to aligning ETD records with the Texas Digital Library Descriptive Metadata Guidelines for Electronic Theses and Dissertations, Version 2.0 (TDL guidelines, version 2). The paper reviews the existing literature on metadata quality and ETD metadata practices, noting how their case study adds one of the first documented cases of ETD metadata remediation. The metadata upgrade process is described, with close attention to the tools and workflows developed to complete the remediation. The authors conclude the paper with a discussion of lessons learned, the project’s limitations, future plans, and the emerging needs of metadata remediation work.

Remediation by Degrees

“…One limitation of Atkins Library's remediation project was its narrow focus on a small handful of metadata problems that staff had identified as particularly crucial for retrieval and use of the ETD collection in Niner Commons. Unlike a more ambitious remediation effort at the University of Houston Libraries, 27 which was launched in order to bring ETD metadata into harmony with revised metadata guidelines for records contributed to a statewide ETD repository in Texas, staff at Atkins Library did not attempt to standardize or control names of authors, advisors, or thesis committee members. Authority control measures like these have been identified as important for digital collections by both Waugh et al 28 and McCutcheon.…”