IntroductionThe purpose of this Manual is to provide you with some information about Collection Descriptions, what they are, how they work, and how you can go about creating them for yourself. If you are new to Collection Description we suggest that you read through the [Getting Started] section before moving on to the other sections of the Manual. We have avoided concentrating too much on technologies and standards in this Manual. You can find out more about these by visiting the [Reference Shelf] section and following the links to external resources. Collection Description is a creative process. While the standards define the structure for the description that you will be writing, the main aim is to convey a picture of the collections to your users. In a sense, a Collection Description is a form of promotion for your collections. As you progress through this Manual, you will see that it is important to think about the audience for your descriptions, how they will be presented and how people might find and use them. All of these factors will influence the descriptions that you write. It is also important to remember that Collection Descriptions are no more permanent than other information that you publish about your holdings. Collections and organisations change, and when they do, so will their descriptions. It is often best to think of a Collection Description as another channel for communicating with your users, in much the same way as a leaflet, press release or website. The important thing is to familiarise yourself with what Collection Description has to offer so that you can make the most of the potential it represents. The Manual is intended for use through an Internet browser. If
you would like to have your own copy, for example to include on
your organisation's Intranet, you can also We hope you will enjoy using this Manual, and will refer back to it in the future. Kate Fernie (ICT Adviser: EU Projects, MLA) |
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