Each example below represents a different format commonly found in heritage collections. The "before" shows the typical state of an uncatalogued item; the "after" shows the rich, structured metadata our system produces.
Manuscript
Handwritten Document
✘ Before
Filename: IMG_0847.jpg
Date added: 2019-03-14
Notes: "Letter, possibly 19th century"
✔ After
{
"title": "Letter from Rev. Thomas Ashworth to the Parish Council of St. Mary's, Whitby",
"date": "1847-06-12",
"creator": "Rev. Thomas Ashworth",
"recipient": "Parish Council of St. Mary's, Whitby",
"format": "Manuscript letter, ink on paper",
"extent": "2 pages",
"language": "English",
"subjects": ["Parish administration", "Church repairs", "Community fundraising"],
"description": "A formal request for funds to repair the north transept roof, referencing storm damage sustained in the winter of 1846. Includes mention of a forthcoming public meeting.",
"condition": "Good. Minor foxing at edges.",
"access_rights": "Open"
}
Photograph
Historical Photograph
✘ Before
Filename: SCAN_2341.tif
Date added: 2020-11-02
Notes: "Group photo, unknown date"
✔ After
{
"title": "Workers at Hartlepool Shipyard, circa 1920",
"date": "c. 1920",
"creator": "Unknown photographer",
"format": "Black and white photograph, gelatin silver print",
"dimensions": "6 x 4 inches",
"subjects": ["Shipbuilding", "Industrial workers", "Hartlepool", "Maritime industry"],
"description": "Group portrait of approximately 30 workers posed outside a dry dock. Several men wear flat caps and work aprons. A partially constructed vessel hull is visible in the background.",
"people_count": 30,
"location": "Hartlepool, County Durham",
"condition": "Fair. Some fading and a small tear in the upper right corner.",
"access_rights": "Open"
}
Audio
Audio Recording
✘ Before
Filename: TAPE_089_SIDE_A.mp3
Duration: 47:22
Notes: "Oral history interview"
✔ After
{
"title": "Oral History: Margaret Dunn on Life in the Durham Coalfields, 1940s-1960s",
"date_recorded": "1987-09-15",
"interviewer": "Dr. Helen Cross",
"interviewee": "Margaret Dunn (b. 1928)",
"format": "Audio recording, digitised from cassette tape",
"duration": "47:22",
"language": "English (Northern English dialect)",
"subjects": ["Coal mining communities", "Women's history", "County Durham", "Post-war Britain"],
"description": "Margaret Dunn recounts her childhood in a mining village near Bishop Auckland. Topics include her father's work at the pit, wartime rationing, the 1947 fuel crisis, and the social life of the miners' welfare hall.",
"key_timestamps": [
"00:00 - Introduction and early childhood",
"12:45 - Father's work in the mines",
"28:10 - The 1947 fuel crisis",
"39:00 - Community and the welfare hall"
],
"access_rights": "Restricted - permission of estate required"
}
Video
Video Archive Clip
✘ Before
Filename: VHS_TRANSFER_012.mp4
Duration: 22:08
Notes: "Local event footage"
✔ After
{
"title": "Middleborough Annual Carnival Parade, 1983",
"date": "1983-07-08",
"creator": "Teesside Community Video Project",
"format": "Video recording, digitised from VHS",
"duration": "22:08",
"subjects": ["Community events", "Carnivals", "Middlesbrough", "1980s social history"],
"description": "Amateur footage of the annual carnival parade along Linthorpe Road. Includes decorated floats from local businesses, school bands, a fancy dress competition, and speeches by the Mayor.",
"key_scenes": [
"00:00 - Parade assembly on Borough Road",
"05:30 - Float from Harrison's Bakery",
"11:15 - St. Hilda's School brass band",
"17:40 - Mayor's address at Albert Park"
],
"people_visible": "Large crowd, estimated 200+ participants",
"location": "Linthorpe Road and Albert Park, Middlesbrough",
"access_rights": "Open - creative commons"
}