Cheatsheet

Curation is where you change properties of your objects in the exhibit. On this page we will talk about Items, Compound Objects, Tags, Browse, Feature pages, and About pages.

To add/edit an item: Dashboard > Curation > Items

Items is where you can find, edit, and upload the files in your Spotlight database that are meant for long-term preservation (for example, files you upload for thumbnails are not preserved on this page). 

Items are files that will have associated metadata and that will be preserved in our system. Thus, you should map out carefully what files you will manage from this page since you will need to include appropriate metadata. For an more in-depth look at items and images, read this page. 

Some thumbnail images might only be used once or might not need metadata; thus you might not want to upload them using this form. Use this form for files you think will be used more than once and/or will have associated metadata. 

Add an Item

To add an item, click on the "Add items" button

Once you click "Add items" you will be brought to a page that gives you three tab options: 

1. From external resource

2. Upload item

3. Upload multiple items

You will most likely use the "Upload item" tab in this series. To upload an item using this method, use the "choose file" function and search for the file on your hard drive. Once you select the file you will need to describe your item using the metadata descriptors you've discussed with your librarian/archivist. 

Once you are finished, click the button "Add item" at the bottom of the page. If you would like to add another item, click "Add item and continue adding."

"Upload multiple items" is used when you have a CSV file that includes metadata and links to outside objects that will be imported to the database. This will be done with the help of a metadata librarian and/or someone in the digital scholarship unit. 

You edit an item in the same place you add an item. Go to Dashboard > Curation > Items. You will see a list of items you've manually uploaded or batch uploaded. If you do not see any items in this window pane, it means you have not uploaded items to your exhibit using the "add items" button on this page or through a batch upload. 

Remember, you will not see items that you upload for thumbnail images unless you upload them here first. 

Rule of thumb: If you are going to use an image more than once, it is probably worth uploading and describing that image on the Images page. 

An item will not be visible to your viewers UNTIL YOU MAKE IT PUBLIC. You will see the image in your exhibit, but your viewers will not. IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR IMAGES ARE PUBLIC BEFORE YOU LAUNCH YOUR SITE.

To verify that your images are public, to do Dashboard > Curation > Items and check the box under "public."

"Set All Thumbnails" is a button UVIC created to batch apply thumbnail images to 3D-Scanned objects. Please talk to your digital scholarship librarian if you have 3D objects and need to create thumbnails for them.