File Use Vocabulary

The File Use Vocabulary is a list of subclasses of pcdm:File that describe the role a pcdm:File plays within a pcdm:Object.  These classes, combined with technical metadata (mime type, image resolution, etc.), should be used to determine which file to use in a given context.

File Use Values

• Original File: the original file uploaded by the user
• Thumbnail Image: low resolution placeholder image
• Extracted Text: text extracted from documents/OCR
• Preservation Master File: best quality file in a format appropriate for long-term preservation
• Intermediate File: high quality representation of the Object, appropriate for generating derivatives or other additional processing
• Service File: a format generated for serving to users, such as the PDF generated from a Word/LaTeX source file, MP3 generated from a WAV file, JPEG generated from a TIFF, etc.
• Transcript: text representation that can be a substitute or complement for accessibility purposes, such as a transcript, subtitles, or closed captions

Examples

Using Multiple Types

Multiple types may be appropriate for a single file, such as an image originally created as a medium-resolution JPEG.  In that case, you can assign both Original File (because it's the original creation format) and Service File (because it's appropriate for serving to end users).