Metadata for Storytelling

This article describes a case study in which a small metadata team at Illinois State University Milner Library produced a digital humanities project supporting Collections as Data (CAD) and linked data principles. Despite initial sparse descriptive content, the team recognized great potential for experimentation in a significant World War I archival collection to highlight lesser-known stories, including those of the Pioneer Infantry, women, and noncombatants. Discussion focuses on the strategic approaches in creating granular but scalable metadata for the large digital collection, and application of the data with various tools such as ArcGIS and Wikidata to construct interactive data visualizations, mapping, and digital storytelling for the Illinois State Normal University World War I Service Records collection. The article argues that even institutions without a dedicated CAD initiative can incrementally implement principles from the CAD model to add value to their digital collections. The authors first presented the project in 2024 at the Digital Library Federation Forum and the American Library Association Core Forum.