Upload metadata tool

When faced with a folder full of images that have very little in common, the best way to insert metadata is to use the modified Visual Resources Association (VRA) upload tool. Angella Thompson modified the original tool to better suit how tags display, and are searched, in the Windows environment.

The altered VRA metadata tool is found in the DocLib/Codes and Scripts. The file is named VRA_custom.jsx

Follow the instructions for adding startup scripts to Adobe Bridge to install this tool.

There is a metadata template with guidelines in Z:\ImageLib\Metadata templates. Check out the ReadMe file for instructions on how to save the template specific for your project.

Specimen photos:

1. Use the dir.txt to get file names, which should contain the catalog number.
2. Use find/replace, Excel text import wizard, or Open Refine to derive catalog numbers from file names.
3. Run a Specify query on the Catalog numbers. I normally include Determination information, Type status, Geography, Litho and Chrono strat as well as Accession number. Export the results (remember, you have to export to a preexisting excel spreadsheet!)
4. With a smaller selection of files, use cut/paste to combine the 2 spreadsheets into one. Remember, you cannot remove column headers from the metadata spreadsheet.
5. If you are working with a lot of files, convert the spreadsheets into database tables and use an update query to merge the tables.
6. Export to a Spreadsheet.
7. Upload spreadsheet to Open Refine. The attached file, ConcatWorkSearch.txt performs the following actions:
   • Changes blank fields in Preferred taxon/Full name to 'undetermined'.
   • Move file name to Title, strip off the file types .jpg and .tiff
   • Add a comma, then the name given in Preferred taxon/Full name
   • Changes blank entries in columns Type status, State, County, Chronostrat/Full name, and  Lithostrat/Full name to the character "~".
   • Where Preferred taxon is undetermined, enters a '~' in the blank Family field.
   • Where Genus has an entry, and species is blank, inserts 'sp.' into the field.
   • Where Genus is empty, enters a '~' into the field.
   • Concatenates Genus, Species, Type status, Lithostrat/Full name, Chronostrat/Full name, County, and State.
     • (all values have a semi-colon to separate them, except Genus and Species (one space) and County and State (separated by a comma and one space)