Kokoelmatasolla

Kokoelmatasolla is a term used in Finnish library, archive and museum contexts to refer to metadata, management and description at the collection level rather than for individual items. The word derives from kokoelma (collection) and tasolla (on a level). It describes metadata that characterizes an entire collection as a unit, including its scope, provenance, access restrictions, copyright status, and preservation plan.

In practice, kokoelmatasolla metadata is used to support discovery and access to a collection as a whole, to provide curatorial context, and to guide rights and digitization decisions. It complements item-level metadata, which describes specific objects, but it does not replace it. A kokoelmatasolla record may include the collection title, a summary of contents, date range, languages, provenance notes, curatorial statements, institutional holdings, and licensing or use conditions.

The concept aligns with international collection-level metadata practices and can be implemented within cataloging schemas such as Dublin Core or MODS, often alongside standards for digitization and rights management. It is particularly relevant for aggregators, digital libraries and museum collections that want to present a coherent overview of a group of items, enable bulk access or licensing, and manage preservation considerations at the collection level.

See also: collection-level metadata, Dublin Core, METS, rights statements.