Creating a Collection

Creating a collection is a multi-step process which will require some thought and considerations around how your users/patrons will interact with this content.

In this first article on collections, we'll look at the initial steps needed in creating a collection and updating the collection's labels and filter vocabularies.

How to Add a Collection

1. From the Dashboard, click the Collections tile
2. Click +Add Collection
3. In the window that opens
   1. Title, provide a unique title for the collection
   2. Click Branding, to expand the section to select a media item for the collection page
      1. Click Select to publish a logo or image on the collection page
         1. In the window that opens, at the top click either
            1. Image; OR
               1. To upload a new image
            2. My Library
               1. To upload an image that has previously been uploaded to your Stacks site
               2. For optimal user experience see the Recommended Image Sizes article for guidance when uploading/selecting images
   3. Body
      1. This text will appear at the top of the collection page; it’s typically used to provide context for the collection, inform end-users of relevant information, or instruct users on how to explore the collection. For more information on the functionality of this WYSIWYG editor, please see the related user guide article
   4. Review the Publishing Workflow settings and make any necessary changes
4. Click Save

Collection Labels & Filter Vocabularies

Each collection you add to your Stacks site will have it's own unique set of labels and filter vocabularies, this is the next step we will look at in the process of creating and adding collections. Via the labels, you can create meaningful labels for the content that will be displayed in the collections items you add. Filter vocabularies are lists of terms that your users/patrons can use to filter or group the items in your collection. 

Consideration is needed here to ensure you create meaningful labels for your collection; there are two key types of labels we will discuss here, Generic field labels and Filter Vocabulary field labels.

• Generic fields
  • These are fields that display and describe the content of your collection items; each collection can have up to 10 unique generic fields
    • Using a book collection as an example, generic fields could include things like: title, author, description, etc. 
• Filter Vocabulary fields
  • These are the fields that users/patrons can use to filter or group the list of items in your collection; each collection can have up to 12 unique filter vocabulary fields
    • Using a book collection as an example, filter vocabulary fields could be things like: genre, book type, age group, etc. 

Updating Labels

1. From the Dashboard, click the Collections tile
2. Find the Collection to update the labels for by
   1. Browsing the list; or
   2. Searching for the collection by name
3. Once found, under the Operations column, click the drop-down arrow, then click Labels
4. Click the Fields tab on the left
   1. Edit or update any of the fields listed, ensuring you update the filter vocabulary and generic field labels appropriately, based on the field descriptions above
      1. Note! Filter vocabulary and generic field labels will only be displayed if they are edited from the default values
5. Click the Listing View and Search Sorting tabs on the left and update the labels as needed
6. Click Submit at the bottom of the page

Filter Vocabulary List Values

As briefly described above, filter vocabularies are collections of terms or keywords which allow users to search, filter, and customize groupings for displayed content based on specific keywords or terms. Examples could include terms such as topics, tags, categories, or any other relevant keywords that help to classify and organize content.

To create or edit filter vocabulary values:

1. From the Dashboard, click the Collections tile
2. Find the Collection to update the filter vocabulary list terms for by
   1. Browsing the list; or
   2. Searching for the collection by name
3. Once found, under the Operations column, click the drop-down arrow, then click Filter Vocabularies
   1. Click List terms, to the right of the listed filter vocabulary options to view the existing list of terms (if any have been created)
      1. To add new terms
         1. Click + Add term
            1. Name - enter the value for the list term
            2. Click Save, to save the value and add another term; or
            3. Click Save and go to list, to return the list of values for the filter vocabulary option
      2. To edit existing terms
         1. Browse the list, once found under the Operations column, click Edit
            1. Edit the Name as needed
            2. Click Save when finished