Metadata Input Guidelines: Coverage

PAGE CONTENTS 17 minute read.

Element Name

Coverage

Definition

Geographic and temporal information related to the content of the resource.

Where Can the Coverage Information be Found?

In many cases, the item must be read/examined to find coverage information but it may come from:

Item Types	Information Sources
For text	titles abstracts tables of contents section/chapter headings text
For images	bottom or back of a photograph visible items (people surroundings, objects, etc.) illustrations
For maps	statement in a caption notes around the outside of the map geographic area and time period of the map
For music scores	title page table of contents
For videos	label on disc container cover
For sound files	information on disc/cassette container information
For computer files	title page/screen text of document

In some cases coverage dates and places may come from accompanying or supplementary information.

How Coverage Works in the Metadata Form

Parts:: 1. Coverage type – drop-down menu; 2. Coverage – text field; Note: Some coverage information opens in a pop-up modal
Repeatable?: Yes - to include different kinds of coverage information, click ‘Add’ to repeat all field parts; Coverage location (Place Name, Place Box or Point) can be repeated to include multiple places; Coverage eras (Time Period) can be repeated to include multiple eras; Coverage dates should be expressed in a single entry as an individual date or date range(s)
Required?: No (more information)

How Should the Coverage be Filled in?

General Coverage Guidelines

Multiple places and time periods may be included when relevant
Coverage is about the content of the item
- For some items (e.g., original photographs) the coverage date will be the same as the creation date
- For text items dates and locations may overlap with creation dates and publisher locations but are often different
- For reproductions, consider that the content and creation may not match regardless of type (e.g., a copy negative would have a different creation date than the coverage date, which will match the original photo)

Place Name(s)

Place names include sovereign political entities (such as countries) and continent-level regions

Guideline	Example
Include all relevant places covered in the item	United States France
Note that most locations will already have an established form that should be chosen from the searchable modal, when possible. If the location name is not in the system, follow the instructions below. Use a hierarchical format of the current place name in the GeoNames Database:
Separate elements of the hierarchy with a space followed by a hyphen and then another space Begin with the largest ("country" level) and proceed to the smallest relevant geographical unit	Canada - Ontario Province England - Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority - Brighton Poland - Lower Silesia Province - Lubin County - Lubin Gmina - Lubin
If the place is a territory (or a "dependent state"), treat it as a country and do not include the parent nation in the hierarchy	Guam
If the item content covers continents rather than countries, continent names (from the CIA World Factbook) can be used alone as a coverage location	North America Central America and Caribbean
If the item content covers the entire United Kingdom rather than the individual countries, the nation name can be used alone as a coverage location	United Kingdom
Do not include political groups (e.g., the European Union, United Nations, etc.); instead list the relevant member countries	France England Germany etc.
Do not include: Any levels smaller than the 'city' or inhabited place level (parks, neighborhoods, etc.) Names of military installations that are not also designated as "populated places" Geographic regions other than continents (e.g., Midwest)	Coverage Place: United States - Texas - Palo Pinto County - Mineral Wells Keyword: Crazy Park Keyword: New England
For bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans, etc.) and geographic landmarks (e.g., mountains): Include the country or region (if relevant) or Leave the coverage place blank for oceans or landmarks that are not contained in a specific region	Coverage Place: United States - Texas Keyword: Neches River Keyword: Atlantic Ocean
Proper names can be included as keywords For a neighborhood, subdivision, etc.: Use the smallest appropriate level (usually a county or a city) Add the name of the area as a keyword using the full name/designation A colonia or "Census Designated Place" (CDP)* is treated the same as a city Other forms of the name (e.g., with the CDP note) can be added as keywords *Note: a CDP is defined according to the U.S. Census Bureau and is noted in their database	Coverage Place: United States - Texas - Taylor County - Abilene Keyword: Brook Hollow Subdivision Coverage Place: United States - Texas - Webb County - Ranchitos Las Lomas Coverage Place: United States - Texas - Webb County - Village East Colonia Keyword: Ranchitos Las Lomas CDP, Texas Coverage Place: United States - Texas - Taylor County Keyword: Camp Barkeley
Write out "County", "Parish", "Province", and other relevant descriptors (not "State") For (most) places in the United States, the same form should always be used: United States - [State] - [County] County - [City]	Italy - Latium Region - Rome Province - Rome United States - Louisiana - Caddo Parish - Shreveport United States - Illinois - Cook County - Chicago
If the region being described has changed names, use the current form of the name If the previous name is important, it can be included in the content description, as a keyword, and/or as a historic place name	Coverage Place: Puerto Rico Keyword: Porto Rico Coverage Place: Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh Municipality - Ho Chi Minh City Historic Place Name: Vietnam - Saigon
Exceptions: 1. New York City encompasses five different counties, so the "county" part of the hierarchy should be omitted	United States - New York - New York City
2. New York boroughs can be included at the level below "city" (use the relevant county within the hierarchy)	United States - New York - Kings County - New York City - Brooklyn Borough
3. For "Hollywood" do not include "Los Angeles" as the city	United States - California - Los Angeles County - Hollywood
4. The District of Columbia should be written "Washington D.C."	United States - Washington D.C.
5. Within the United States, do not include places in the hierarchy between 'county' and 'city' e.g.: United States - Texas - Galveston County - Galveston Island - Galveston United States - Indiana - Hancock County - Vernon Township - McCordsville	United States - Texas - Galveston County - Galveston United States - Indiana - Hancock County - McCordsville
6. Places classified as "Independent Cities" will not have counties	United States - Missouri - St. Louis Independent City - St. Louis
7. There is no need to include a descriptor (such as "Department" or "National District") if it already appears in the name (Département de Ville de Paris, Distrito Federal, etc.)	France - Île-de-France Region - Département de Ville de Paris - Paris Portugal - Distrito de Lisboa - Lisbon

Historic Place Name

For places that have changed names, it may be appropriate to include a historic place name, so that users can still search the location in the coverage field
Generally, historic place name(s) will be added in addition to coverage place value(s) that use the current version of the location’s name
In some cases, it may be more appropriate to put the name in a keyword instead, such as the name for a body of water (which is excluded from place names), even if it is a historic usage

Guideline	Example
Add the historic name of the location If known, use a hierarchical format to provide context	Yugoslavia - Brod United States - Indian Territory - Canadian County - El Reno U.S.S.R. France - Alsace Region - Bas-Rhin Department - Herrlisheim New Spain

Geocoordinates

Place point and place box are used to represent specific coordinates when available information is more specific than a place name (e.g., place points should not be dropped in a city center unless that is the actual location of the content)
Values may be approximate, but should be as accurate as possible
After choosing place point or place box in the drop-down menu, clicking in the text area will pop up with a Google Maps interface
- Follow the instructions in the modal to place a precise point or to draw a box representing the area
- Click “Insert” to save the information (the coordinates will automatically be saved in the record)
Geocoordinate options are repeatable, but multiple point(s) or box(es) should be used sparingly, and only when this level of specificity is appropriate

Place Point

Place points are appropriate to denote a specific location such as:
- The vantage point of an image (generally from ground level)
- Marking the center of a building for an interior photo (or unknown vantage point of a known building)
- Textual content about a building or specific location
- Audio/video recorded at a known location (e.g., a building or vantage point)

Place Box

Place boxes are appropriate when content encompasses an entire area, such as:
- A map
- An aerial photograph
- An architectural drawing
- A technical report about the survey of a specific area
- A pamphlet/guide for a park, historic estate, etc.

Multiple Geocodes

In specific cases where the content encompasses multiple points/areas place points and place boxes are repeatable, such as:
- A photo or image collage of multiple buildings or locations
- A technical report of study about multiple discreet areas
- A map (box) with an inset photo (point)
- Different maps printed on two sides of the same sheet

Time Period

Time period refers specifically to the browse structure used for Portal records
Time period(s) should be chosen from the controlled vocabulary to reflect the era(s) of the content
In cases where the years of the time periods overlap, always use the most generic era unless a more specific one applies
It is important to include the time period whenever possible in Portal records for browsing

Dates

Use the ‘Coverage Date’ qualifier for date(s) represented or discussed in the content
Note that coverage dates may be much broader than the creation date for textual materials
Include exact dates when applicable
Only use a single coverage date entry, even when documenting multiple dates or ranges
Use proper formatting:

Guideline	Example
Write dates YYYY-MM-DD, separating the sections with a single hyphen	1958-02-16
Include partial dates if only the year (YYYY) or only the month and year (YYYY-MM) are known or apply	2001-08 1885
If a date is uncertain, use a question mark at the end (YYYY-MM-DD?) If the specific year is unknown, the last digit can be replaced by "X"	1887-12-06? 199X
If a date is approximate ("circa"), use a tilde at the end: YYYY-MM-DD~	1862-05~
For B. C. dates, include a hyphen at the front of the date (-YYYY-MM-DD) The year must have at least 4 digits	-0601
For a single, inclusive date range, use the interval notation	1908/1928 2013~/2018 2002-09-01/2003-08-31
To represent multiple (inclusive) dates or date ranges that are not consecutive, use put dates in {curly brackets}	{1900,1950,2000} {1914-07..1918-11,1939-09..1945-09}

For additional date formats and examples, see General Date Rules.

Other Examples

Drawing: Bird’s eye view of Denton, Denton County, Texas: 1883: Place Name: United States - Texas - Denton County - Denton; Time Period: new-sou: New South, Populism, Progressivism, and the Great Depression, 1876-1939; Coverage Date: 1883
Map: Hispania nova: Place Name: Spain; Place Name: Mexico; Time Period: eur-tex: European Explorers in Texas, 1519-1689
Letter to Cromwell Anson Jones, May 19, 1869: Place Name: United States - Texas - Galveston County - Galveston; Time Period: civ-war: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1876; Coverage Date: 1869-05
Photograph: 1918 Morning After: Place Name: United States - Texas - Denton County - Aubrey; Time Period: new-sou: New South, Populism, Progressivism, and the Great Depression, 1876-1939; Coverage Date: 1918-04-15
[Bell County Ex-Confederate Association Ledger]: Place Name: United States - Texas - Bell County - Belton; Time Period: new-sou: New South, Populism, Progressivism, and the Great Depression, 1876-1939; Coverage Date: 1888~/1920
Map: Bachman Lake Park: Hike and Bike Trail Plan: Place Name: United States - Texas - Dallas County - Dallas; Place Box: N:32.8683058054, E:-96.8294005002, S: 32.8437915023, W:-96.8905119504; Time Period: mod-tim: Into Modern Times, 1939-Present; Coverage Date: 1983-03
[Letter to Johnson Moorhead from H. T. Hathaway]: Place Name: United States - Kansas - Reno County - Turon; Time Period: new-sou: New South, Populism, Progressivism, and the Great Depression, 1876-1939; Coverage Date: 1888
French World War I poster: Place Name: France; Coverage Date: 1914/1917
[House at 911 N. Sycamore]: Place Name: United States - Texas - Anderson County - Palestine; Place Point: 31.7671795871, -95.6326822933; Time Period: mod-tim: Into Modern Times, 1939-Present; Coverage Date: 1991-06
Map: Abernathy Quadrangle: Place Name: United States - Texas - Lubbock County - Abernathy; Place Name: United States - Texas - Hale County; Place Box (map boundaries): N:33.88, E:-101.75, S: 33.75, W:-101.88; Place Point (center of quadrangle): 33.81, -101.81; Time Period: tex-land: The Texas Landscape
Map: Encinal County: Place Name: United States - Texas - Webb County; Historic Place Name: United States - Texas - Encinal County; Time Period: tex-fron: The Texas Frontier, 1846-1861; Time Period: tex-land: The Texas Landscape
Photograph: The Arsenal - Kremlin offices: Place Name: Russia - Moscow Federal City - Moscow; Historic Place Name: U.S.S.R.; Coverage Date: 1985; Place Point: 55.752042, 37.617935; Time Period: mod-tim: Into Moder Times, 1939-Present

Comments

Note: As of February 2014, we are using the GeoNames Database as the authority for place names rather than the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names.
Although the coverage element appears to repeat information that could also be placed in other elements, such as subject/keywords and date, it is needed to provide the best interoperability with other metadata and resource-sharing systems. To reduce duplication, we recommend only entering location/date information the the coverage element unless it represents both creation and content (e.g., the creation date/coverage date for original photographs).
It is strongly recommended that both coverage place(s) and coverage time period(s) be included in order to facilitate the browse structure for Portal records, and to provide the best interoperability with other metadata and resource-sharing systems.
Recommended best practice for encoding the date value is defined in the proposed standards from the Library of Congress: Extended Date Time Format
- For more information about date implementation and local practices, see the Date guidelines and the notes in the Comments section.

For coverage place names, the following continent names can be used in place of countries (derived from the CIA World Factbook):
- Africa
- Antarctica
- Arctic*
- Australia/Oceania
- Central America and Caribbean
- Central Asia
- East & Southeast Asia
- Europe
- Middle East
- North America
- South America
- South Asia

*Although the “Arctic” is not on the list of continents, it is used as a regional term for maps in the Factbook; it can be used when the item is related to the whole Arctic region rather than specific continents/countries

Based on the browse features in the CIA World Factbook the following countries are in the three Asian regions:

Central Asia	East & Southeast Asia	South Asia
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan	Brunei Burma Cambodia China Hong Kong Indonesia Japan Laos Macau Malaysia Mongolia North Korea Papua New Guinea Paracel Islands Philippines Singapore South Korea Spratly Islands Taiwan Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan British Indian Ocean Territory India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka

Back to Coverage Place Names

Resources

UNT Coverage Qualifier Controlled Vocabulary

Dates

UNT Coverage Time Period Controlled Vocabulary
Library of Congress Extended Date Time Format

Places

More Guidelines:

University Libraries