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Compound Objects in Collection Loader

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With compound objects, you can combine and sequence multiple media files associated with the same metadata record in a single item. On JSTOR, compound objects will appear as an item which users can navigate within to see each file associated with the record in the order it’s defined.

Compound object as displayed on JSTOR
Compound object as it appears on JSTOR with options to navigate between associated media files

Some examples of when you might want to create a compound object include:

  • the front and back of a postcard
  • a calendar
  • multiple views of a sculpture
  • architectural views
  • handwritten documents or manuscripts with multiple pages
Note - Compound objects currently support JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg), TIFF (.tif/.tiff), JP2 (.jp2), and GIF (.gif) file types.

Creating compound objects

For each compound object you wish to create in your collection, there are two parts:

  • Related media files, identified using correct filename syntax.
  • One (1) row in your metadata spreadsheet containing the object metadata and the filename of the first media file in the object only.

Media Files

To link related media files, use the following filename syntax to identify and sequence the files associated with the same record.

Compound object filename structure

Each filename should consist of three parts:

  1. Base filename
    • Must be identical for all related files in the object.
    • Should not be used for unrelated records within the same collection.
    • Filenames are case sensitive.
  2. Sequence number
    • An underscore followed by one or more sequential numbers. (Ex. _001, _002, etc.)
    • May be any number of digits.
  3. File extension
    • Current supported file types are .jpg, .jpeg, .tif, .tiff, .jp2, .gif

In this example, there are three (3) media files related to the same metadata record.

Compound object linked filenames structure

Metadata Spreadsheet

Once your related media files have correctly-formatted filenames, create a single row in your metadata spreadsheet and identify the first filename in the sequence in the “Filename” column.

Spreadsheet row for first item in a compound object

When the collection is created, all uploaded media files matching the base filename (ex. "mona-lisa") will be associated with the metadata in this row automatically. The sequence numbers in the media filenames (ex. "_001", "_002") will determine their order within the compound object.

Note - Filenames are case sensitive, must match the associated media filename exactly, and must not contain additional characters such as leading or trailing spaces.

Editing compound objects

When viewing a compound object in Collection Loader, the first media file associated with the item will be displayed in the item preview. You can use the previous and next arrow buttons before the preview to view the media files associated with the item.

Compound object editing interface

To add, remove, and/or reorder media files associated with a compound object:

  1. Log into Collection Loader and choose the Collections link.
  2. On the Collections page, choose your collection and then the compound object you wish to edit.
  3. On the item page, you'll see the following options after the item preview:
    • Order - Use the Order drop-down to change the order or sequence of the media file you're currently previewing within the item.
    • Add - Use this button to add additional media files to your item.
    • Delete - Use this button to delete the media file you're currently previewing.
      • Note that this is different than the button to delete the entire item, which appears before the item preview.
  4. Choose the Save button to save your changes.

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