Looking to learn about Metadata, how to create research questions, and more?

Are you curious about Metadata? Interested in the expansive collections available on CAIRN? Do you want to create a proper research question? If so, the CEMVC site is for you! While the following topics discussed in this post are all available on our site’s homepage, here is a breakdown of the helpful pages available to you on our site:

1.     Metadata & Detailed Image Descriptions: First of all, our team believes in the importance of metadata and the power that it has in creating new research across numerous fields. On this page, you can read about the ways metadata can aid in research, the act of decolonization through mindful description, and the use of source notes regarding the type of information visible in the database.

2.     Posing In-Depth Research Questions: By using visual culture and metadata, new kinds of research can be initiated. This page can aid researchers by guiding them through processes and examples of creating in-depth questions. For example, say you are interested in learning about the representation of marginalized bodies in visual culture. By analyzing the collections, you could create important connections between the works and create questions such as: How are marginalized bodies represented in visual culture?  How often do marginalized bodies appear in visual culture? How do depictions of marginalized bodies change over time? Etc.

3.     Transhistorical and Global Views of Texts, People, Concepts, and Objects: On this page we discuss the importance of global views and highlight the significance in approaching the images with a critical focus. Researchers can therefore further their understanding of the lens through which the images were created.

4.     Expansive Collections: The CAIRN database currently houses over 10 collections of illustrations including editions of various illustrated literary texts such as La Celestina, Don Quijote, and Gulliver’s Travels. Many of the main collections on CAIRN are organized by language collections, for example, the collection of El Cid is subdivided by English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish Language Editions. All together, the database comprises of over 22,000 images with more added and updated regularly. Therefore, as this page highlights, the CEMVC website is both a companion and portal for the CAIRN database and is a tool to explore the collections available.

For more information on these topics, check out the pages linked in this post.

-The CEMVC Research Team