noteeratavaa

Noteeratavaa is a term used in archival science and library metadata to describe material that requires special attention during processing. In Finnish, noteera- means to annotate or record, and the suffix -vatava indicates something that must be acted upon; together noteeratavaa roughly means "to be noted" or "noteworthy material" that warrants further handling.

In practice, noteeratavaa items are those whose bibliographic or archival metadata is incomplete, uncertain, or sensitive, or which demand policy-based actions such as restricted access, preservation planning, or verification of provenance. Catalogers may attach a note field or flag to mark these items and assign follow-up tasks to staff or to cross-institutional workflows. The designation helps prioritize work streams, audits, and risk management in large repositories.

Noteeratavaa is not a formal standard on its own, but a conventional label used within organizations or communities operating Finnish-language metadata practices. Its interpretation can vary by institution, but common criteria include insufficient or conflicting source data, missing identifiers, fragile physical condition, or questions about provenance that require archival research. In digital repositories, noteeratavaa items may trigger additional metadata records, task lists, or access restrictions until clarifications are resolved.

See also: metadata, archival metadata, annotation, provenance, access control in libraries and archives.