Keywording tips

There is a great deal of chatter about keywords and how they can make archiving photos (and other digital assets) accessible. The simple fact is they can indeed make life infinitely more enjoyable for the digital archivist and searchable for the designer or writer. But -- and this is a BIG but - you have to follow a few simple rules.

Identify and clarify an initial keyword list. This is best done in conjunction with your team's designers and writers. Once identified, the list can be built upon and developed as needed.

Deciding is your keyword list for internal or external use.

Know your image environment. If you're working primarily in one field use the words most associated with that field. For example, if you're in higher education, chances are slim you will need to search using military-oriented keywords. "Academics" or "History" or "Student," yes, but probably not ""armor," "platoon," or "squad."

Keep the keyword list short, sweet and relevant. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. For example, we have a number of "historical" images representing old academic programs no longer taught at JWU: "keypunch" and "office machines" to name just two. I've tagged those programs using relevant keywords although I am almost certain those search terms will never be used again.

Also, if I'm faced with tagging an image that doesn't reflect any of the previously identified keywords, add a new keyword. You can always go back later and modify it -- but if you don't identify the keyword up front you've lost the opportunity to tag that image or group of images accurately.

For more in-depth discussion of this often misunderstood and misapplied concept, visit Peter Krough's illuminating article in DPBestFlow online.