A controlled vocabulary defines a list of valid terms that can appear in metadata fields within CONTENTdm. Enabling a controlled vocabulary helps ensure consistent and rapid metadata entry.
An administrator establishes which collection fields use a controlled vocabulary. (Controlled vocabularies cannot be used with administrative fields.) Controlled vocabularies can be shared between fields and collections, which means they can be edited by other collection administrators.
A controlled vocabulary can be enabled when you are adding a new field or editing a field. To display the options for controlled vocabulary, you select the Yes option for the controlled vocabulary property from the Add Field or Edit Field pages.
For more information about adding and editing fields, see Field properties.
Select what kind of controlled vocabulary list to use:
Note: You can review the selected thesaurus by clicking View Thesaurus.
If you need assistance getting to the path, please attach your Controlled Vocabulary text file to an email and send to OCLC Support and reference your CONTENTdm server URL. Contact OCLC Support for more information.
When enabling controlled vocabulary, you are also enabling the ability to administer controlled vocabulary. This means adding and deleting terms in the allowed vocabulary list for that field. You also can change the setting for whether the controlled vocabulary is shared.
Note: If you are administering a shared controlled vocabulary, any changes will also change the vocabulary in other fields and collections that use it. A good practice is to always review the list of fields and collections sharing the controlled vocabulary before making changes to help you determine the impact. For more information, see Sharing and managing a shared controlled vocabulary below.
After controlled vocabulary has been enabled, you can add and delete terms from the vocabulary list. To administer controlled vocabulary, you must be on the Edit Field page. Then, click Administer Controlled Vocabulary (or Administer Shared Controlled Vocabulary, if shared) to add terms (one per line), delete terms (one per line), browse the currently defined vocabulary (opens in a separate window), and verify the existing field contents against the defined vocabulary. The maximum number of characters allowed for a single term is 128.
You also can add cross-reference terms when adding controlled vocabulary terms. This enables you to guide catalogers who want to use a similar term to the correct controlled vocabulary term. For example, you can map the word "cars" to the word "automobiles."
After you have finished administering the controlled vocabulary, the new cross reference displays within the controlled vocabulary list.
Another option within the Administer Vocabulary page is the ability to verify controlled vocabulary for the current collection. This is useful if you have assigned a controlled vocabulary to a field after items have been added to the collection. When verifying controlled vocabulary, any terms that are found that are not in the controlled vocabulary list are listed in a separate window. You must go back to the Add Term text box to add the terms.
Tip: Use CTRL+C to copy the unverified terms from the Verify text box and then use the back button in your browser to navigate back to the Administer Vocabulary page. Use CTRL+V to paste the unverified terms into the Add Term text box. Make any edits to the list before clicking the Add button.
Note: This name will later display in the Choose the Controlled Vocabulary drop-down list and will be available when editing other fields and collections. The name also will be used on administration pages as an identifier. (After the controlled vocabulary is named and saved, you cannot change the name later. Be sure to consider the naming across your organization.)
A shared controlled vocabulary is a single controlled vocabulary file, stored in the server conf directory. Each field that uses the shared controlled vocabulary uses the same file, and all fields associated with that file have the same relationship to it. In other words, after sharing is enabled and the controlled vocabulary is used by another field or by another field in a different collection, there is no designation for which field originated the shared controlled vocabulary. Anyone administering the fields using the shared controlled vocabulary can make changes to the terms list, and those changes are reflected wherever the controlled vocabulary is used. (Controlled vocabularies cannot be used with administrative fields.)
Before you decide to enable a shared controlled vocabulary, consider how it will be used across your organization and over time. Define guidelines for acceptable changes and conventions, or other issues that may be important for your collections as they grow. You also need to define a name for the vocabulary that will work over time as a unique identifier because the name you create for the shared controlled vocabulary cannot be edited after you have saved it and enabled sharing.
In addition to administering the terms list, shared controlled vocabularies can be disabled for individual fields, deleted from the server, and imported when importing a collection.
A shared controlled vocabulary can be enabled when you are adding a new field, editing a field, or administering a controlled vocabulary. The procedures for enabling shared controlled vocabularies are explained in earlier sections of this topic:
Administering a shared controlled vocabulary means you can view and edit the vocabulary terms list and verify it.
The process for administering the terms list of a shared controlled vocabulary is the same as administering a controlled vocabulary that is not shared with other fields or collections (see Administering Controlled Vocabulary).
However, if you are administering a shared controlled vocabulary, any changes will also change the vocabulary in other fields and collections that use it. A good practice is to always review the list of fields and collections sharing the controlled vocabulary before making changes to help you determine how that change may impact other fields and collections. You can access this list by clicking View List of Fields and Collections Sharing this Controlled Vocabulary. The list of fields and collections displays in a new window.
Disabling a shared controlled vocabulary means you do not want the controlled vocabulary for a particular field to be used by other fields and collections.
When you choose not to share a previously shared controlled vocabulary when you are working with a particular field, a copy is made of the original shared controlled vocabulary file, and it becomes a controlled vocabulary for that field and is not shared by any fields or collections. Any changes to the controlled vocabulary from that point on impact that field only. The original shared controlled vocabulary still exists for other fields and collections using it.
If the shared controlled vocabulary was only used for that one field, then it is deleted. For more information about removing a shared controlled vocabulary from the server, see Deleting a Shared Controlled Vocabulary.
A shared controlled vocabulary is stored on the server as long as one or more fields are set to use it and sharing is enabled. To delete a shared controlled vocabulary, all fields using that shared controlled vocabulary must be edited so that they are no longer associated with the shared controlled vocabulary file.
If you need to base one or more fields on the terms list of the shared controlled vocabulary before it is deleted, you can disable sharing of the controlled vocabulary for each of those fields. Disabling sharing while controlled vocabulary is still enabled makes a local copy of the shared controlled vocabulary for that field, which is then an unshared version of the controlled vocabulary. When sharing is disabled on the last field using that controlled vocabulary, the shared controlled vocabulary file is deleted from the server and is no longer available to be used by other fields from the Choose the Controlled Vocabulary drop-down list on the Add Field and Edit Field pages.
When sharing is disabled on the last field using that controlled vocabulary, the shared controlled vocabulary file is deleted from the server and is no longer available to be used by other fields from the Choose the Controlled Vocabulary drop-down list on the Add Field and Edit Field pages.
Caution: If the controlled vocabulary setting is changed to No for all fields sharing the controlled vocabulary, then the shared controlled vocabulary is not deleted and would still be available from the drop-down list and could be used by other fields. You must change the sharing when only one field is still using the shared controlled vocabulary. Disabling this last sharing connection alerts CONTENTdm that it should never be shared or exist in the future, and the shared controlled vocabulary is deleted from the server.