How to Contribute to The AMICO Library
My question wasn't answered here! Submit your query to AMICO
What is the Validation program and what does it do?
AMICO runs automatic routines to validate and parse data submitted by Members. These load the tagged and delimited files submitted into a working database at AMICO and, in the process, check the format of data and enhance some data by adding information from reference files.
Validation program checks:
- Structural verification of presence of required fields
- Structural verification of valid delimiters
- Verification of tags
- Object Creation Start (OCS) and Object Creation End Dates (OCE) supplied if not present based on Object Display Date (ODT)
- Object Type (OTY) as checked against agreed list of terms
- Numeric data only in Creator Birth (CBD) and Creator Death (CDD) fields
What if we have error and warning messages after the Validation program has been run for our contribution?
Members need to check the results of validations to correct any errors in exported files and to examine the data parsing to determine if mapping is always taking place in the most effective way. Over time we hope that these reports will help Members to improve their export routines and learn from the enhancements that are added automatically and by editorial review.
What does AMICO check in the Validation process and what do Members need to check?
AMICO Checks
Editorial verification of data values in fields:
- Object Creation Start (OCS) and Object Creation End Dates (OCE) supplied if not present based on Object Display Date (ODT)
- Object Type (OTY) as checked against agreed list of terms
- Numeric data only in Creator Birth (CBD) and Creator Death (CDD) fields
- Object Type (OTY) as checked against agreed list of terms
- Numeric data only in Creator Birth (CBD) and Creator Death (CDD) fields
- Numeric data only in Object Creation Start (OCS) and Object Creation End Date (OCE) fields ·
- Valid AMICO Member prefix used
- M or F used in Creator Gender field
AMICO Validates Images:
AMICO Validates Multimedia Files:
- Checks for readable TIFF image
- Checks for required minimum image size
- Creates Thumbnail to be used in Online Catalog
- Validates Member Prefix
- Corrects/adds if necessary
- Validates TIF suffix
- Corrects/adds if necessary
- Creates basic Metadata Record if not submitted by Member
- Member supplies needed default values for Publisher (XPU), Copyright Statement (XRS)
- Member corrects generated metadata records where necessary in Online Editor (particularly Rights Statements, and Image Description)
- Validates Member Prefix
- Corrects/adds if necessary
- Validates TIF suffix
- Corrects/adds if necessary
- Creates basic Metadata Record if not supplied by Member
- Member supplies needed default values
- Member corrects generated metadata records where necessary in Online Editor (particularly Rights Statements, and Image Description)
Member Checks
Member reviews output from AMICO Validation Routines:
Error and Warning messages record results of checking for tags, delimiters, required fields, required values
- Errors corrected in Online Editor and/or file resubmitted as necessary
Members check thumbnails to confirm:
Correct files were sent
- Works are in the right orientation
- No errors introduced during data transfer (partial files, etc.)
Members verify links:
Using Contribution Management System Linking Report Tools, Members ensure that all catalog records, metadata records, and image or multimedia files are linked together correctly
- Errors corrected in Online Editor and/or file resubmitted as necessary
When does error-free data from us have to be to AMICO?
COMPLETE & CORRECTED data must be received from Members by MARCH 31 OF EACH YEAR at the latest for AMICO to meet contractual obligations for delivery of data.
Can our museum's contribution be enhanced without passing validation?
No, your AMICO Library contribution must pass validation before your data may be enhanced.
What sorts of things are done in the data enhancement stage of the contribution process?
For Object Type (OTY)
- Terms entered are compared to short list of Object types
- Non-valid terms are moved to Classification Term (CLT) and appropriate Object Type Term entered
- Problems are flagged for Editorial Review
- Production Director reviews record, follows up with Member as required to resolve questions or ambiguities
For Classification Terms
- Terms entered are compared to short list of Object types and deleted if they duplicate the Object Type value
- Terms are compared to values in other fields, and deleted if they duplicate values in other fields
- Terms are moved to other fields as appropriate
For Object Creation Start and End Dates (OCS and OCE)
- For objects without searchable dates, dates are added based on the values found in Object Creation Text (OCT) and according to indexing rules defined by AMICO Members
- For dates that are not automatically indexable, AMICO Production Director reviews dates in record and assigns beginning and end dates
- AMICO Production Director defines additional rules on a regular basis to enhance the automated indexing of dates.
For Creator Names and Cultures (CRT, CRN, CRC)
Artist as identified is compared to names recorded in Artists Reference File
- If match, Creator Identifier (CID) of Artists Reference File record is entered in Creator group of Catalog record
- If no match, new record is created in Artists Reference file based on information in catalog record
- Creator Identifier (CID) of Artists Reference File record is entered in Creator group of catalog record
For Styles and Period Description (STD) and Style and Period Term (STT)
- Forthcoming: Terms used these fields are matched against the style and period authority. When there is a match the Term Identifier is written back into the record. When there is no match, an AMICO Production Director reviews the record and either makes a link or creates a new style and period term in the reference file. The term ID is written back to the record.
For other fields authority checking routines will be developed as appropriate, for example, Geographical Data may be compared to data in the Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN)
AMICO queries Member to resolve questions or ambiguities
Why is data enhancement useful?
Data enhancement allows AMICO to Integrate the disparate contributions of AMICO Members into a high-quality AMICO Library that meets the needs of AMICO Library Users.
How were the data enhancements determined?
Are additional data enhancements planned?
Does AMICO perform the data enhancements?
Yes, AMICO staff initiates Data Enhancement once processing of the submitted AMICO Library is complete, in order to meet access requirements of AMICO Library Users.
Can our museum update our records throughout the year?
Yes, in fact AMICO recommends that Members do this. As additional or revised information becomes available for already contributed works by a Member, Members should add or overwrite existing information in those records. This way, a Member can be assured that the latest information about their collections can be found in The AMICO Library.
How often does AMICO send updated information to its distributors?
AMICO delivers data to its distributors weekly and annually. Understanding the cycles and checking to be sure that corrected data has in fact appeared correctly in the distribution systems allows Members to monitor the quality of their contributions as seen by users. This in turn allows AMICO to make suggestions to Distributors about their systems requirements.
When would we see our changes reflected in the online version of The AMICO Library?
AMICO runs regular (weekly) data export routines (these must be loaded within 30 days by AMICO distributors)
- All records updated, added or deleted during the week are exported
AMICO makes regular (at least monthly) exports of images
- All new images are verified as linked to a catalog record
- Catalog record fields are written to TIFF header
- Images are written onto tape
- Regular tape distributions are sent to distributors
AMICO exports annual library to tape and ftp sites
- As above, but with annual increment of entire AMICO Library
Distributors mount data
- Download data from ftp site and load it into systems
- Read images from tape and make distributable versions
AMICO tests data on distributor system for updates (to be implemented)
Could the data enhancements that AMICO performs be given back to individual Members?
While AMICO data does not currently return data to Members, increasing interest has been expressed in having access to AMICO-enhanced data in local systems. Data returned to Members could consist of reports on AMICO data processing in reusable formats, lists of records (valid, invalid, linked, unlinked etc.), or documentation of guidelines, statistics on use, comments from users, data correlated to Member works using AMICO data enhancement processes, and/or indexing created by AMICO Editors.
AMICO will soon begin defining the functional requirements for such systems and exploring some methods to return data to Members.
Last modified on October 10, 2001
