makingandknowing - Hiebert - Metadata Assignments

Metadata assignments

Name: Benjamin Hiebert
Date and Time:

Location: Science and Engineering Library
Subject: First metadata assignment

As I began creating a spreadsheet of metadata for five of my assigned folios (fols. 102r-106v), I found myself getting frustrated as I worked on my 13-inch macbook screen. I decided to relocate to the science and engineering library to use one of the computers there. Working on a large monitor greatly improved the experience, since I was able to see most of the fields in a single frame rather than having to constantly scroll back and forth on my laptop.
The process took longer than I anticipated. One of the main issues that kept coming up (which we discussed at length on the Github issue tracker and in class) were cases that didn't easily fit into the fields we had designated or that seemed to fit into multiple categories (e.g. some materials seemed to be neither "tools" nor "ingredients")
After puzzling over such issues, I found it made much more sense to simply make note of the odd cases and to move on, rather than dwelling on them. This may be a good general lesson for projects later on in the semester I think.

Name: Benjamin Hiebert
Date and Time:

Location: Science and Engineering Library
Subject: Second metadata assignment

The second attempt at creating a metadata spreadsheet generally went a bit more smoothly and quickly. This was because, 1) we refined our metadata categories and terminology in class, and 2) this time I was able to simply modify the existing table of data I had already created in the previous week, rather than having to procure the data from the manuscript text all over again.
Nevertheless, some issues with the definitions our metadata fields persisted. In particular, in the "purpose" field, it seems to me that there is some overlap between the values we decided on. For example, how easily can we differentiate "advice" from "instructions"? Can apparent "observations" about processes be interpreted as "instructions" in some cases, especially when very detailed?
- Though these questions inevitably gave me pause, in such cases I simply chose to enter multiple values in the "purpose" field. And as we discussed in class, metadata in the first place is not meant to fully capture the complexity of the text at hand.

Name: (Also the name of your working partner)
Date and Time:

Location:
Subject:

ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN MAKING FIELD NOTES

note time
note (changing) conditions in the room
note temperature of ingredients to be processed (e.g. cold from fridge, room temperature etc.)
document materials, equipment, and processes in writing and with photographs
notes on ingredients and equipment (where did you get them? issues of authenticity)
note precisely the scales and temperatures you used (please indicate how you interpreted imprecise recipe instruction)
see also our informal template for recipe reconstructions