Archive discovery

Metadata Is What Makes Heritage Findable

Digitisation captures the record. Metadata helps people find it. Without metadata, an archive can become a beautiful but silent collection of files.

What metadata does

Metadata describes the record: who created it, when it was made, where it belongs, what type of item it is and which people, places or themes it relates to.

Text recognition is part of discovery

OCR can make typed text searchable. HTR and transcription can help with handwriting. Audio transcription can open up oral history. Each choice should be planned around the collection and the people who will use it.

Good metadata respects context

A name on a page matters, but so does the parish, employer, street, trade, date and story around it. Strong metadata connects records into meaning.

Social post idea

Post copy: A scan preserves an image. Metadata preserves the route to finding it. Names, places, dates and context are what turn digitised records into a living archive.