These are detailed, step-by-step instructions for Dublin Core cataloging. If you want a printed guide to this process, click all the 'show me' tabs, then print this document.
To begin:
  • Go to SERC Admin
  • Look under Resource Cataloging Tools
  • Click on the last bullet, cataloged resources.
Click on Create a new Dublin Core record.— A blank catalog form will open.
  • Note the Master ID #. Write it down on your spreadsheet and note the number in the catalog queue.
  • Leave the state of the record as unsubmitted

Fill in all the fields, see the instructions below for details

Master ID
This is the number you'll need to get back to the record for QA and editing, or to plug it into a web page or resource list.
State
Leave as unsubmitted until QA is done and final edits are made. Once the record is edited and ready to go, change state to submitted.
Sharable
Leave as sharable, unless it is not earth science related (see which catalog tool)
Title
Put in the exact title from the top of the web page. If the title is very long or is somehow misleading, you may modify the title somewhat.
Description
The description is like an abstract for the web site. It should be 2—5 sentences, depending on how much depth there is on the site. Put yourself in the shoes of a user who is searching for resources. What do you really need to know?

Compose the description using Microsoft Word (to use spelling and grammar checking), then paste it into the text box. See helpful hints for descriptions.

Keywords
Keywords aid in searching when users type words into the search box. However, you don't need to list keywords that are already in the title, descriptions or vocabularies. So you might find that you don't need to add keywords very often.
Location
The URL, pasted in.
Creator and Publisher
  • If the person(s) responsible for creating the materials are known add them to the creator field in the form lastname, firstname
  • If a publishing organization is also known add it to the publisher field.
  • If only a publisher is known/given then put that information in the creator field and leave the publisher field empty
  • Beware of commas in the creator field. The CMS assumes that a comma is to separate an author's last and first names. If you are going to put an organization in the creator field, make sure there is not a comma in the name. If there is a comma, use the publisher field instead.
  • Do NOT use the webmaster if the author's name is not present.

In filling out the creator/publisher fields the following rules apply:

  • Creator fields should be filled with the name of the author with the last name followed by a comma followed by the first name and then any middle names or initials:
    Fox, Sean P.
  • Multiple Authors should be separated by semi-colons
    Fox, Sean P. ; Deel, Sarah E.
  • Additional information (such as the fact that these people are editors) can be added after a separating semi-colon.
    Fox, Sean P. ; Deel, Sarah E. ; editors
    Fox, Sean P. ; Deel, Sarah E. ; et al
  • Avoid putting email addresses in creator fields. Putting them in is a tacit commitment to keep them up to date which isn't practical. If you feel the need to track other creator information you can put it in the cataloger notes fields.
Rights
Paste the copyright statement here. See tips for copyright the statement.
Language
Leave set to 'en' for English unless it is in another language.
Type
Select either 'html' (the default) for web pages or 'application/pdf' for pdf files.
Save
hit the SAVE button at the bottom of the page periodically. Make sure you SAVE prior to adding vocabularies, otherwise you will return to a sad, blank record.
Vocabularies
Add vocabularies before sending the record to QA, so that the vocabulary selections may be checked during QA. Every record should have the appropriate resource type and the subject vocabularies checked. Beyond that, each project has a specific set of vocabularies. Read about how to use vocabularies or see which vocabularies are required for each project.
Cataloger's Notes
Use this field for e-mail addresses of contacts (a practice used by MLER catalogers) or any other comments you like. This field will not be visible to those who are viewing the catalog record from the 'outside.'

When you are done cataloging a record, leave it as unsubmitted, then hit the SAVE button at the bottom of the page.

Then provide the master ID number and title to your friendly QA-er. Read more about QA.
When you get the record back from QA, make the suggested changes, add any final edits, then set the record state to done and hit the SAVE button at the bottom of the page. The record is now ready to be used and shared in our collections!