Approximately 200,000 digital images are currently on the Portfolio server. Nearly everything retains the photographer’s file naming system. The folders follow as Photos_2005_CSM-Photos_2011_CSM and then list the photographer jobs in separate folders titled with the name of the job and the year.
Other top-level folders are a hodgepodge of specific events to general folders with ambiguous titles. These folder names are: Collections_CSM, Admissions_Portfolio, Maaret Koskinen 2005, RAW Catalogs, Student Affairs Portfolio, lost+found, Powers – Fall 2011 approved photos, Powers_APPROVED, President Powers 2006-2008, special problems, State of the University speech images, State_Of_The_University_2011, Training, and UT Images – Cumulus 2. Most of these folders are empty or have an array of digital objects. These folders will require more assistance from Marsha Miller for identification.
On external hard drive: Photo_Final contains 21 folders ranging from general topics at the top-level including: Campus Scenes, CSU, Events, and From Designers. These folders are divided into more specific categories (specific events, CSUs, specific designers, etc.) and then organized by year the photo was taken. The next folder names the freelancer who took the picture or designed the graphic and then a list of digital objects. If a freelancer did not take the photos then Marsha Miller or Christina Murrey most likely took them; or that information was unknown to the previous Manager. The digital files are then listed directly in the year folder. Most of these folders are empty. Although the folder structure is not ideal, they do give some metadata, which will be used when these folders are re-structured into a simpler schematic.
The last grouping of photos comprises: Photos_2005, Photos_2006, Photos_2007, Photos_2008, Photos_2009, Photos_2010, and Photos_2011. This group is an example of both Marsha Miller and Christina Murrey folder naming conventions. Next in the hierarchy are a list of folders with the job title the photographer had (i.e. Social Work Mural 2005, Bloggers 2007, etc.) and then a folder with final edits containing the list of digital objects. Some folder names include the name of a freelancer. These folders are the creators’ original order. There needs to be a way to reconcile how the creators organize their materials versus how they are organized on Portfolio; or, a new workflow for creators to implement that will compliment the cataloging process.
Folder naming conventions are a work in progress since there is no current convention. A major issue of the current assets is the file naming. There is no consistent convention between the university photographers, university designers, or freelancers. The university photographers’ convention is: Subject-Year_Number
- For example, Gone_To_Texas-2008_021.jpg
If the subject is a person, it is written as last name, first name. This convention is suitable for Portfolio, however, it may not work for generic images such as photographs of students outside or general shots of campus.
- There is no controlled vocabulary or standard set for metadata
