Project Overview
In this project, students will be given a list of undescribed digital photographs from the University Archives Photograph Collection. These images consist of a variety of subjects that encompass the entire history of Fort Hays State University. The physical masters are held by the University Archives. These images are significant as they are a primary source for the history of Fort Hays State University.
Students will be tasked with creating 100- to 150-word descriptions that will aid users in searching for and finding photographs in this digital collection.
Project Instruction Files
Students will receive their project spreadsheet by email. You may download the instructions for the project, description training document titled "Creating Descriptions", and the description rubric below.
Q: Can I use Google Sheets to complete this project?
A: No. It needs to be done in this excel sheet so the system will accept the metadata.
Q: What if Excel changes the format of my date to something that isn't YYYY-MM-DD?
A: Don't worry about it. As long as you have entered it correctly, the system will accept it.
Q: What if there's nothing to describe in the photo? It just looks like an empty field to me.
A: Describing photos can be a challenge. Remember that the machine doesn't care what those 100 words are. Filler words can be a help in this instance. "A black and white photograph of" takes up six of your 100 words. Be sure to use them. Look closely at your image. Small details can be hard to spot at first but can add additional information. Focus on where things are in the image and try to spot details you missed at first glance.