Metadata battles

Posted on 17 December 2014 by Thomasin

Here at DigitalNZ we enjoy an end-of-year Christmas list as much as the next person. This year we thought we could turn our data-obsessed eyes towards the metadata of our excellent content partners and compare and contrast their collections.

Who has the most 'cats' in their collection? And who has the most 'Christmas'?

These are serious questions that call for answers!

If you are a bit confused by the word ‘metadata’, this simply means the information which describes a digital item. For example, the metadata for a digital photograph would include the title, date, and location where the photograph was taken, as well as any other contextual information about the photograph.

A note before we begin: we’ve tried to compare collections of a similar size and type of material to allow for a fair contest.

CAT FIGHT

Ministry of Culture and Heritage owns Te Papa when it comes to cats with 239 'cats' in its nearly 104,000 items, compared to 155 in Te Papa’s Collections Online.

Bar graph showing 'cats' in the Ministry of Culture and Te Papa collections.

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage has 239 'cats' in its collection.

Concrete statue of a cat on a grave.

Harry McNeish's grave at Karori Cemetery with statue of his cat Mrs Chippy. Ministry of Culture and Heritage, CC-NC-SA.

DOGS

The tables are turned when it comes to dogs. Ministry of Culture and Heritage has 171 “dogs” in their metadata, whereas Te Papa has an impressive 439!

Bar graph showing 'dogs' in the Ministry of Culture and Te Papa collections.

Te Papa has an impressive 439 'dogs' in their collection.

And here's one now. He's thinking: "Sort it out Ministry of Culture and Heritage."

A white dog lying on a wooden bench.

Dog. Berry & Co, circa 1920, Wellington. Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand. No known copyright restrictions.

MOUSTACHES

If you’re looking for some nose-neighbour inspiration, hit up Auckland Libraries first. They are clear winners in the 'moustache; department, with 2033 moustaches in their collection. The Alexander Turnbull Library has three times as many records and only 464 moustaches. Hang your moustache in shame Turnbull Library.

Bar graph showing 'moustaches' in the Alexander Turnbull Library and Auckland Libraries collections.

There are 2033 moustaches in the Auckland Libraries collection.

Black and white portrait of a man with a moustache.

1/2 portrait of Mr Strange who has a waxed moustache, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-60865. No known copyright restrictions.

BEARDS

Actually, Auckland Libraries does very well with 'beards' too, with the second most beards of all the collections in DigitalNZ (behind the mammoth Papers Past), with 695 beards. Auckland Libraries and facial hair. Who knew?

Portrait of a man with a long grey beard.

Sir Saul Samuel, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-WPSCH37. No known copyright restrictions.

CHRISTMAS

When you compare the nearly 200 content partners in DigitalNZ, Upper Hutt has the most 'Christmas' content (excluding Papers Past which dwarves all the other collections). That's some serious Christmassy activity coming out of Upper Hutt. Here are the top four 'Christmas' content partners:

Bar graph showing 'Christmas' in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Radio New Zealand, Upper Hutt City Library and Christchurch City Libraries collections.

Upper Hutt City Library has the most 'Christmassy' collection.

Father Christmas shaking hands with a man in a suit.

Hazelwoods Father Christmas 1967, Upper Hutt City Library. Photographer: Revelle Jackson. CC-BY-NC.

HOLIDAY

You are much more likely to get a 'holiday' with the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, which has 338 'holidays' in its collection, compared to 2 in Nelson Provincial Museum.

Bar graph showing 'holidays' in the NZETC and Nelson Provincial Museum collections.

There are only 2 items with holiday metadata in the Nelson Provincial Museum collection.

Nelson, why are you so anti-holiday? You’ve got such a nice climate. Live a little.

PENGUINS

To end this metadata battle on a surreal note, Tauranga Memories has the fourth most “penguins” out of any collection in DigitalNZ. Even more than Te Papa!

What do the Te Papa penguins think about that? Probably something along these lines:

A penguin.

Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor variabilis, collected 24 Nov 1994, Titahi Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (OR.025037).

We've turned off comments here, but we'd still love to know your thoughts. Visit us on our Facebook Page @digitalnz or on Twitter @DigitalNZ to share any ideas or musings with the DigitalNZ team.