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Add a metadata-only item

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Add a metadata-only record with no file or link in CONTENTdm (new version) to make physical, undigitized, or unshareable items discoverable.

 Roles: Users must have the Administrator, Collection manager, Collection editor, or Collection builder role to add items in CONTENTdm (new version). Users assigned the Collection editor role can only add items to their scoped collections. Users with the Collection builder role can save items as drafts but cannot publish them.  Refer to CONTENTdm (new version) roles.

A metadata-only item is a record that has descriptive metadata but no file and no link. Use it to make something discoverable on your public website when there is nothing to display, such as a physical object, an item that is not digitized, or an item you cannot share online. Visitors see the item's metadata.

To add a record that links to an online resource, refer to Add a URL. To add a record with a file, refer to Add a digital item.

To add a metadata-only item:

  1. From the Content management > Add items, select which collection to add the item to from the Collection drop-down.
    • The default collection is displayed initially, but the last collection in which items were added will subsequently appear in your session.
  2. Click Add a metadata-only item under the Add more details heading.
  3. On the Add a metadata-only item screen, add metadata. Enter the properties for the collection. Required fields are noted with an asterisk (*).
    • Refer to Metadata for more information.
    • The properties you enter come from the collection's metadata template. Title is always required.
    • Only the metadata properties with a value will appear to end-users on the public-facing site.
  4. Click Next to see a Summary of upload. The Summary of upload screen provides the following details:
    • Collection
    • Draft items to be added
    • Thumbnail
    • Permissions
  5. Determine whether to save the item as a draft or publish directly:
    • Select Save as draft to save this item in My drafts for later review and editing. Drafts are specific to the user who created them and are not shared across the site.
    • Select Publish to publish the item to the collection.

The item is in processing and cannot be edited, published, or deleted until processing is complete. To check the status, refer to the Process manager.