Media asset metadata fields for roundtrip

Much of the information in this article is also available in different formats in two other support resources.

• The video Downloading metadata import templates and finding field format information shows how to download the blank batch import spreadsheet shown in this video.
• The article Media asset metadata provides descriptive information about the contents and use of each field, as well as the formatting information for each field.

Required Fields

These fields are required to successfully import new media assets.

• GUID or SID
  • GUID stands for “Globally Unique Identifier” and SID stands for “SCALD Identifier”. 
  • You will usually only use one of these fields, but using one or the other is required.
  • Generally, if you are updating an existing media asset, you will use it’s existing SID and leave the GUID blank. If you are importing a new media asset, you will assign it a GUID and leave the SID blank – the system will assign it an SID on import.
  • To locate an existing SID, see the Finding media asset SCALD IDs (SIDs) for roundtrip video – it will be a number automatically created by the system.
  • To create a new GUID, it’s important that the identifier is truly unique, so I recommend using a generator, like https://guidgenerator.com/ to create the GUIDs that I need. Again, since the system will assign the items an SID later, I won’t need to work with this GUID again – it’s more important for it to be unique than easy to read.
    • With the GUID generator, you can generate as many as you need, select them all, and then paste them into the sheet.
• Provider
  • This informs the system what type of media file is being imported. You need to use the correct provider for your media type and format.
  • Audio
    • scald_audio
    • scald_soundcloud
  • File
    • scald_file
  • Image
    • scald_image
  • Video
    • scald_video
    • scald_vimeo
    • scald_youtube
    • scald_dailymotion
• Media Source
  • If you are updating media asset metadata, but NOT changing the media asset itself, this field should be completely removed from the spreadsheet. The formatting information below is only necessary if you are ZIP importing media assets and their accompanying metadata at the same time.
  • This field identifies the actual file to be uploaded or imported. There are different ways to format this field, depending on where the file is coming from
  • If it is a video hosted on Youtube or Vimeo, enter the identifier of the video.
    • This is usually shown in the URL. 
    • For Vimeo it’s a 9-digit number. It is usually shown after vimeo.com/_____
    • For Youtube it’s usually a mix of numbers and letters. It’s usually shown after youtube.com/watch?v=_________
  • For any file that is being uploaded directly, you will need to enter a specific text string to signify the batch importer, and then provide the file path to the file in the ZIP archive.
    • [mukurtu:batch_import_temp_directory]/[filepath]/[filename]
    • It is very important to have the filepath and the filename match exactly. Capitalization and spelling matter in this field.
• Title
  • When importing media assets through the web interface, this will automatically be set to the filename, which we recommend using here as well.
• Protocol
  • Protocol is not technically a required field, but we strongly recommend using it. See Media Asset Metadata and Managing media access with cultural protocols for more information.
  • Enter the NID of the relevant protocol or protocols. 
  • Refer to the Finding node IDs for roundtrip resource to locate protocol NIDs.
  • If there is more than one protocol, separate their NIDs with a semicolon.

Optional Fields

These fields are not used on all sites, but are used fairly often, and they each support certain tools and features.

• People
  • This field feeds into the “deceased person” media content warnings.
  • If you are currently using the deceased person media content warnings (or plan to use them in the future), enter the name of anyone present in the media asset, as it appears in their person record, whether they are deceased or not.
  • If multiple people are present, separate their names with semicolons.
  • If you are not currently using deceased person media content warnings (or not planning to use them in the future), this field can usually be skipped.
• Tags/Keywords
  • This field feeds into the “taxonomy triggered” media content warnings.
  • If you are currently using the taxonomy triggered media content warnings (or plan to use them in the future), enter the “SCALD tag” used to trigger the warning.
  • If multiple warnings are configured, separate the tags with semicolons.
  • If you are not currently using taxonomy media content warnings (or not planning to use them in the future), this field can usually be skipped.
• Contributor (audio only)
  • This field is displayed beside the audio file when that file is used in a dictionary word (or word entry).
  • Enter the name of the speaker of the recording in this field.
  • If multiple people are represented, separate their names with semicolons.

Rarely Used Fields

These fields are very rarely used, and have limited functionality. We do not recommend using them for most sites and they are not described further here.

• Thumbnail
• File
• Image
• Authors
• Protocol (old)
• Archival TIFF
• Full-size JPEG
• Original DNG
• Created
• Creator
• Description
• Geo Location
• Headline (Caption)
• Identifier
• Location
• Category
• Standard and Creative Commons Licensing
• Rights