Content Standard - Analyze

Learning opportunity

For this assignment, we were asked to analyze a content standard in a library or any institution, so long as there is enough public documentation about the content standard in order to analyze it. In our brief report, we needed to provide a description of the content standard and our impression of its strengths and shortcomings.

First attempt

Peer review feedback

Feedback I received from my peers about my analysis of VRA Core can be summarized as follows:

• Overview of the content standard was comprehensive and well-written, but could have benefitted from more analysis

• Description could use more explanation of primary entities: Work, Image, Collection

• Questions:

• Strengths of VRA Core were explored, but what are the weaknesses?

• How does VRA Core handle various forms of visual art, such as objects, film, video, performance art, etc? Is it better suited for objects or fluid form works?

• What level of interoperability does it support with unrestricted schemas?

• Is there room for semantic or structural inconsistencies in how the elements and attributes have been structured/described?

Revisions

In a revised attempt of my analysis of VRA Core, I would invest more time into deepening my understanding of a Work, Image, and Collection so I can explain it in a straightforward manner. Since these primary entities are an essential part of the VRA Core data model, it seems like an important foundation to establish first. In order to determine how the content standard handles various forms of visual art, I would spend more effort looking into how various institutions use VRA Core to describe various works in their collection and any writing on the suitability of this content standard in different contexts. Lastly, I would further research aspects of the content standard that could affect its interoperability, such as the data format, unrestricted schemas, and support documentation.

Reflection

From the peer feedback I received, I realized that VRA Core is quite an extensive content standard which likely requires a certain amount of training to be able to use it effectively. At first glance, I was overwhelmed by the amount of documentation about the content standard and the level of understanding required to create a complete record. Perhaps one of the shortcomings of VRA Core is the challenge that may come with introducing it to an institution with fewer resources for personnel training and support. That said, the applied context that I encountered VRA Core was through the Interference Archive (IA) – a community and volunteer-run archive of social movement ephemera. However, IA uses an unrestricted schema, so it is likely pared down for their purposes. Given my interest in arts and culture, I think it is likely for me to encounter VRA Core in the future and if/when that time comes, I would like to spend more time to understand this content standard. Overall, this assignment allowed me to understand the infrastructure required for a content schema to become a content standard in practice.