Publications

My scholarly research concentrates on assessing digital repository systems, objects, and workflows, which are key building blocks for digital research and scholarship services. My work, done in collaboration with other librarians, reinforces major trends that shape the current understanding of digital repositories and their users.


Highlights

“A Case Study of ETD Metadata Remediation at the University of Houston Libraries”

Santi Thompson, Xiping Liu, Albert Duran, and Anne Washington. Library Resources & Technical Services, Vol. 63, No. 1 (2019): 62-74

Abstract: This paper provides a case study on remediating electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) metadata at the University of Houston Libraries. The authors provide an overview of the team’s efforts to revise existing ETD metadata in its institutional repository as part of their commitment to aligning ETD records with the Texas Digital Library Descriptive Metadata Guidelines for Electronic Theses and Dissertations, Version 2.0 (TDL guidelines, version 2).

“Embedded Metadata Patterns Across Web Sharing Environments.”

Santi Thompson and Michele Reilly. International Journal of Digital Curation Vol. 13, No. 1 (2018): 223-234.

Abstract: This research project tried to determine how or if embedded metadata followed the digital object as it was shared on social media platforms by using EXIFTool, a variety of social media platforms and user profiles, the embedded metadata extracted from selected New York Public Library (NYPL) and Europeana images, PDFs from open access science journals, and captured mobile phone images. The goal of the project was to clarify which embedded metadata fields, if any, migrated with the object as it was shared across social media.

“Moving Beyond the Union Catalog: An Analysis of Descriptive Metadata Models and Practices for Electronic Theses and Dissertations.”

Sarah Potvin and Santi Thompson. Library Resources & Technical Services Vol. 60, No. 2 (April 2016): 99-114.

Abstract: This study uses a mixed methods approach to raise awareness of divergences between and among current practices and metadata standards and guidelines for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Analysis is rooted in literatures on metadata quality, shareable or federated metadata, and interoperability, with attention to the impact of systems, tools, and practices on ETD date metadata. We consider the philosophies that have guided the design of several metadata standards. An examination of semantic interoperability issues serves as an articulation of the need for a more robust ideal moving forward, rooted in lifecycle models of metadata and concerned with the long-term curation and preservation of ETDs.

For a full list of publications, please see my CV.