Forum offers a number of components you can use to organize and group related content in your projects. In this article, you’ll find a brief overview of each, examples of when you might want to use them, and a side-by-side comparison of their features.
Compound Objects
With compound objects, you can combine and sequence multiple image files associated with the same metadata record in a single item. Compound objects currently support JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg), TIFF (.tif/.tiff), JP2 (.jp2), and GIF (.gif) file types and related files must be of the same type.
Examples:
- Front and back of a postcard
- Multiple views of a sculpture
- Architectural views
- Handwritten manuscript with multiple pages
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 they’re defined.
See Compound Objects in Forum to learn more.
Containers
A container describes a larger work or hierarchical organization that contains one or more individual items. They can be used to group explicitly-like items and ephemera.
Examples:
- Periodicals containing issues
- Books containing chapters
- Audio interviews containing recordings, transcripts, and photos
| A container on a collection page, indicating the number of associated items | A container page featuring container-level metadata, scoped search, sorting, and filtering for items |
On JSTOR, containers can be discovered when browsing collections and/or sub-collection pages, as well as when searching on the container title, which field-searchable. Items within a container also appear in search results and a link to the container page is listed in the item’s metadata.
See Containers in Forum to learn more.
Compilations (Sub-collections)
Compilations can be used to aggregate categorical, thematic, or descriptive groups of items (including compound objects and containers) into a sub-collection within a larger collection.
Compilations offer less fielded metadata options than containers, featuring only a Title/Name and Description. However, like containers, any given item in a collection can be assigned to only one compilation.
Examples:
- Sub-collections for individual artists within an art collection
- Sub-collections for schools within a collection of student activism resources
| Compilations displayed as sub-collections on a collection page | Compilation page featuring Title and Description, scoped search, sorting, and filtering for items |
Compilations appear as sub-collections on JSTOR collection pages. They also appear as a facet in the Refine Results sidebar within search results and on collection pages.
See Compilations in Forum to learn more.
Feature Comparison
| Compound Objects | Containers | Compilations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Multiple image files of the same file type associated with a single metadata record. |
A larger work or hierarchical organization that contains individual items. |
Categorical, thematic, or descriptive sub-collection of items and/or containers within a larger collection. |
| Example | An individual playbill with multiple pages. | Individual plays containing photos, media, and playbills from each production. | A sub-collection of student plays from an institution’s Theater Department within a larger institutional collection. |
| Sequencing |
Yes On JSTOR, users can navigate within a compound object to see associated imaged in the order they’re defined. |
Yes Items within containers can be sorted by Title, Date, or Sequential Order on JSTOR. |
No Items within compilations can be sorted by Title or Date on JSTOR. |
| Thumbnail / Cover Image |
The first image file in the item’s sequence. |
Inherits institution branding on the container page. Cover image is the first item in the container or an uploaded image (optional). |
Inherits institution branding on the compilation page. Cover image is inherited from the collection or an uploaded image (optional). |
| Metadata | Fielded metadata | Fielded metadata | Title/Name and Description only |
| Discoverability |
Compound objects appear in search results and when browsing collections. |
Containers appear when browsing collections and in search results when searching by container title. Items within a container appear in search results and a link to the container page is included in the item’s metadata. |
Compilations appear as sub-collections when browsing collections. Items within compilations appear in search results and a link to the compilation page is included on the search results page and in the item’s metadata. |