Simple Resource Type Element Help

Definition

A term that specifies the characteristics and general type of content of the resource.¹

This term gives basic specifications on the general category of the original resource. As such, this is a singular field, and is not repeatable within the SobekCM metadata implementation. The terms used in this field are taken from a controlled list which includes:

• Aerial for large scale overhead photographs, generally taken from an airplane
• Artifact refers to three dimensional objects, like ephemera items, such as cigar labels
• Audio for a resource which is predominantly a sound recording in nature
• Book for single-volume textual materials or any monograph, including bound theses
• Map for cartographic materials or a non-photographic image of a specified area
• Mixed Material (Archival) is selected for materials which may not be individually cataloged. This type can also be applied to digitally born documents, such as theses or slide show presentations
• Newspaper for digitized newspapers
• Photograph for any non-aerial photography
• Serial for multi-volume, non-newspaper material
• Video for a resource which is predominantly a video recording in nature

Type is a required field within the SobekCM metadata implementation.

Form Element

In the online templates, this element appears as below:

This form element allows the user to select one of the terms from the controlled list.

Best Practices

Select the term which most applies to the material which was digitized. Additional refinement can be placed in the genre or physical description fields.

SobekCM / MODS Encoding

This data is encoded in both the MODS metadata and in the bibliographic descriptor section of the custom SobekCM metadata. This is included in the SobekCM schema to provide for the controlled list from above. It is additionally encoded within the MODS section to allow for greater portability of the resulting METS files. The METS schema provides for its own controlled list; mapping between these lists appears below:

SobekCM Term	MODS Term(s)	Implementation Notes
Aerial	still image
Artifact	three dimensional object
Audio	sound recording
Book	text
Map	cartographic
Mixed Material	mixed material
Newspaper	text
Photograph	still image
Serial	text
Video	moving image
(unused)	notated music
(unused)	software, multimedia
(unused)	sound recording-musical	maps to Audio
(unused)	sound recording-nonmusical	maps to Audio

Examples of the related pieces of metadata appear below:

<mods:typeOfResource>text</mods:typeOfResource>
<SobekCM:Type>Book</SobekCM:Type>

<mods:typeOfResource>text</mods:typeOfResource>
<SobekCM:Type>Newspaper</SobekCM:Type>

<mods:typeOfResource>still image</mods:typeOfResource>
<SobekCM:Type>Aerial</SobekCM:Type>

Metadata Mapping

MARC to MODS Mapping

The type is determined by looking at the Leader, positions 006 and 007. If the material is series, then the 008 field's 021 position is used. This determines the SobekCM Type, as well as the MARC type, which impacts other mappings from the leader. Complete mapping is included below.

Leader/006	SobekCM Type	MARC Type
a, c, d, or t	Book	BKS
e or f	Map	MAP
i or j	Audio	REC
k	Photograph	VIS
g	Video	VIS
r	Artifact	VIS
m	Mixed Material	COM
p	Mixed Material	MIX
o	Mixed Material	VIS

Once the primary type is determined, the following mapping is checked:

• If Leader/007 equals 'c', the collection attribute is set to true
• If Leader/007 equals 's', the type is set to Serial and marc type is set to CNR
• If Leader/007 equals 's' and 008/021 equals 'n', the type is set to Newspaper

MODS to MARC Mapping

Mapping from the MODS back to MARC is generally the reverse of the procedure listed above.

Sources

1. MODS User Guidelines Version 3, Detailed Description of MODS Elements
2. MODS to MARC 21 version 3.3 : typeOfResource
3. MARC Mapping to MODS version 3.4 : typeOfResource

Contributors

Nicola Hill, Mark Sullivan, and Laurie Taylor

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