The Semantic Impact of Metadata Translation: A Case Study of the Chinese in California Virtual Collection Across Digital Platforms

Abstract

Because archival records can only be understood in the context of their creation and use, they rely heavily on metadata to provide additional information beyond the immediate content of the record in order to improve accessibility and establish meaning for users. This thesis explores the case study of the Chinese in California virtual collection across four platforms, from single-institution to aggregate, in order to examine how metadata can be used to address the semantic harm of misrepresentation and archival absences and how the translation of archival metadata across different platforms impacts not only format but the meaning of the records.