Take Control of Your Metadata
This course is built on one premise: every search begins with metadata. If your metadata is in a mess, then your search results will be too.
Imagery has the power to influence consumers and increase sales. In fact, images are business assets in their own right. Yet all too often, organizations invest heavily in producing high quality content, only to fail at the last hurdle. They have all the right assets, but not necessarily the right keywords to deliver a high quality search experience.
DAM systems come with search functionality, but search is only as good as the metadata behind it. Without keywords, there is no search. The problem is, DAM vendors can’t create a keywording methodology for your organization, or provide you with a keywording handbook, because every collection is different. As such, keywording is not part of the typical DAM onboarding process. In reality, organizations are left to figure it out for themselves. Without the necessary controls in place, metadata loses its meaning and users lose confidence. Messy keywords lead to messy search results.
The challenge many face is how to ensure metadata keeps up when uploading assets at scale?
About the course
This course is designed as a vendor-neutral practical resource for those already working within a DAM, or those considering implementing one. It’s relevant to image collections and archives across multiple sectors (corporate, commercial, GLAM and non-profit). The sessions focus on key strategies to help transform metadata from loose, unstructured free-text into sustainable, structured formats.
As AI continues to redefine the way we gather, measure and interpret information, the gap is widening between those organizations committed to understanding how and why to use AI, and those trying to undo the mistakes caused by AI. If there is one thing we can agree on, it’s that structured metadata allows us to be in control of the quality produced by AI tools, rather than it being the other way round.
The course is broken into four sessions, including a Practical Workshop. Participants will have the opportunity to submit examples and queries from their own organizations, which will be used as reference material when relevant.
We’ll adopt a “learning by doing” approach including tasks, exercises and collaborative workshops, enabling participants to gain first-hand experience in how to create meaningful metadata that delivers real business value. You’ll learn how to spot the warning signs when metadata drifts off-course, and how to get back on track.
The goal of this course is to provide a flexible, adaptable framework which you can use to provide your stakeholders with a premium search experience.
Schedule
Session 1: April 7, 2027 - Introduction to Controlled Vocabulary
Session 2: April 14, 2027 - Real life case studies (what works, what doesn’t and why)
Session 3: April 21, 2027 - Take control! Practical participatory session with peer-review and course leader supervision
Session 4: April 28, 2027 - Review and course summary
Each session is 75 minutes, including a Q&A. You can view the full series summary here.