Help

This is a brief introduction to the use of Phaidra and to its navigation, search and digital object creation functions.

To find out what Phaidra is and learn about its features, please visit the Information page.

For the use of documents archived in Phaidra, see the Terms of Use.

Do you need assistance?

For support or to report malfunctions, please contact us.

Explore

Navigating Phaidra

There are various ways to explore the contents of Phaidra. Starting from the home page, you can access the latest collections added, view the list of all collections, carry out a free search or go to the search page to set filters.

It is therefore advisable to become familiar with the different areas shown on the home page. Starting from the top:

1. The navigation menu (Language, Change theme, Search, Help, Log in) positioned at the top
2. A scrolling gallery of images representative of some of the most interesting contents available in Phaidra
3. The search input form
4. The "Featured Collections" section, which displays the latest collections added, some particularly significant collections and the link to the page listing all collections
5. At the bottom of the page, links to the websites of the main institutions providing content, to contacts, to the terms of use of the site and to other informational pages about Phaidra.

Navigation menu

• Language (ITA/ENG)

  To set the language of the Phaidra user interface, choose between Italian and English.

• Change theme ( /)

  Allows you to switch from a dark-coloured site appearance (the default appearance) to a light-coloured one.

• Search

  Allows access to the search page.

• Help

  Opens the Help page.

• Login

  Allows you to enter your Phaidra account username and password for access to Phaidra to use the functions reserved for registered users, such as the creation of objects or metadata templates.

When you are logged in to Phaidra, the navigation menu changes:

• Account ()

  Displays the name of the account that you are logged in with. By clicking on the arrow next to the name, you can log out.

• Create object, My objects, Object lists, Templates

  Lead to the corresponding functions.

Search

You can search for one or more words. Both the use of uppercase and lowercase letters and the order of the words are irrelevant.

The AND operator is the default conjunction operator. This means that, if no Boolean operator is used between two terms, the AND operator is used. The AND operator links two terms and finds a matching document if both terms exist in the document.

The * (asterisk) character may be used at the beginning or end of a word for truncation, or within it to mask one or more characters. Examples:

• *est finds est, test, Budapest, etc.
• sac* finds sacco, saccardo, sacro, etc.
• d*e finds ditte, date, due, etc.
• b*anc* finds bianco, biancospino, branca, branchia, etc.

The ? (question mark) character may be used at the beginning, within or at the end of a word to mask at most one character. Examples:

• sac?o finds sacco, sacro, etc.
• test? finds testa, testi, test, etc.
• ?ampo finds campo, lampo, etc.

The NOT logical operator may be used to exclude a word from the search. Example:

pesce NOT carpa finds results containing "pesce" but not containing "carpa",

The OR logical operator may be used between two or more terms to combine searches. Example:

opere OR manifesti finds results containing "opere" or "manifesti" or both.

To search for an exact phrase, for example, the title of a book, the text may be enclosed between two " (double quotation mark) characters. Examples:

• "2: Suffisso d'origine ligure in -mo, -ma nelle voci Balma, Calmus ed altre"
• "Codice Diplomatico Padovano di Giovanni Brunacci - Tomo I (BASVPd Cod. 581.1)"

From the Search page it is also possible to refine the results. The search function, in fact, allows you to filter Phaidra objects through a series of categories visible in the "Filters" section of the Search page: Restricted or Unrestricted Access, Resource Type, File Size, License assigned to the object, Upload Date, relevant Institution, Author of the object, Role to filter based on persons or corporate bodies linked to the object by roles other than the author role. Logged-in users can also filter by Owner, i.e., the Phaidra user account that created the object.

The "Type" category is open by default; to see the filters applicable to the other categories, you have to select the category of interest.

The applied filters use the Boolean operator AND when filters belonging to different categories are selected, and the Boolean operator OR when selecting filters belonging to the same category. Examples:

• Type: Image; Size: 200-500 MB finds images with a file size between 200 and 500 MB.
• Type: Image; Type: Book finds both books and images.

Next to each applicable filter, the number of objects corresponding to that category is shown in brackets. The number changes when a new filter is applied according to the operation described above.

The "Role" category is not a true filter: it allows you to select the role of interest (e.g., "Publisher") and type the name of the person or corporate body you wish to search for (e.g., "Ulrico Hoepli" in order to find all objects in which Ulrico Hoepli is recorded as publisher).

To remove a filter, clear the checkbox that appears to the left of the filter name in the "Filters" column; the "Remove filters" option removes all filters applied up to that point.

By default, search results are sorted by relevance, but you may select a different sorting criterion using the icons next to the search input form: Title ascending, Title descending, Upload date ascending, and Upload date descending.

Once selected, results can be added to (or removed from) an object list or a collection.

If you tick the "Full-text search" box, you can also search within the full text of documents.

Full description of the digital object

The detail page of the digital object is divided into two columns: on the left, an image of the object and its metadata are visible; on the right, there are various boxes containing further details about the object and some additional features.

The object preview is displayed in a different viewer depending on the type of resource of the digital object (Image, Video, PDF Document, Other). Below the preview, the "Open in a new window" button is available.

The metadata shown in the left-hand column consist of a label that qualifies the type of information and the corresponding value. The presence of individual metadata fields depends on how the object has been described. For a detailed explanation of metadata fields, you may consult the Metadata fields overview page.

The boxes in the right-hand column provide further contextual information about the digital object, highlight some data, and allow the file to be downloaded and the object metadata exported. The following boxes may be present:

• Cite this object: contains the Phaidra permanent URL of the object and the Handle persistent identifier of the object, which may be used to cite the object.
• Other links and identifiers: the box is displayed if other identifiers have been assigned to the object (e.g., DOI, ISBN, etc.).
• Content: contains the link for downloading the object and, in the case of images, two links that allow the preview to be viewed at different scales.
• Rights: shows the licence assigned to the digital object with the link to its full definition and any additional rights-related information. The licence expresses the conditions for re-use of the object.
• Details: name and contact details of the institution or person that created the object (reference body or person) and information on resource type, file format, and date of creation of the digital object in Phaidra.
• Usage statistics: number of views and downloads of the digital object.
• Versions: the box is displayed if different versions of a digital object exist. It contains the link to the version and the date of its creation.
• This object is in collection / This object has a back side / This object references: these boxes, if displayed, provide contextual information about the digital object, such as its belonging to one or more collections, the presence of a verso (or a recto) relationship, and the existence of other related objects.
• Metadata: includes links for viewing metadata in XML or JSON-LD format. In the case of images, the link to the IIIF Manifest is also available.
• Export formats: allows metadata to be exported according to different standards (Dublin Core, DataCite, LOM – Learning Object Metadata, EDM – Europeana Data Model, OpenAIRE).
• Edit: this box is available only on your own objects when you are logged in. From here, it is possible to edit metadata, add the object to an existing collection, create a related object, modify object access rights, and add or remove relationships between this and other objects.

Viewing a book

Books are displayed through Mirador, a viewer that supports the IIIF protocol and allows the book to be browsed. The viewer is embedded in the object detail page and can be viewed full screen using the "Open in a new window" button.

On the left-hand side of the viewer, some buttons open different tabs:

• Information: contains the main metadata of the object, information on the pages currently being viewed, the link to the object detail page and to the IIIF Manifest of the book.
• Rights: contains the licence assigned to the digital object.
• Index: allows navigation through the chapters or parts of the book, if a table of contents has been created at upload time.
• Search: for searching within the full text of the book. It displays only for books equipped with OCR.

Viewing a collection

A collection is also a digital object and, as such, is provided with metadata, persistent identifiers, and relationships.

The display of a collection is similar to that of a single object, but the metadata are found at the top and are followed by the list of objects belonging to the collection. For each object in the collection, the thumbnail, title, Phaidra object identifier, and the creation date are shown. By clicking on the title or preview image of an object, you can reach the corresponding object detail page.

The boxes in the right-hand column are the same as those present for single objects, but the "Content" box contains the "Show members" button, which leads to a search page allowing you to search only among the objects in the collection.

Archive

There are two destinations where you may archive objects:

• Phaidra: to make objects public.
• Phaidra Sandbox: to try out the functionalities of Phaidra.

Authentication

To log in, you must have a Phaidra account (username and password). Contact us if you need the credentials.

By logging in to Phaidra, you may make use of the functions reserved for registered users: create digital objects, edit the metadata of your objects, group objects into collections, create and edit relationships between objects, create metadata templates, create object lists and manage access rights to your objects. The possibility of deleting your digital objects is only available in Phaidra Sandbox.

File formats

Which file formats does Phaidra accept? And which formats are to be preferred?

Phaidra accepts any file format. For each type of resource (image, video, audio, etc.), only some file formats are supported; for unsupported ones, conversion to a supported format is recommended. If this is not possible, when uploading the object you must choose the resource type "Other".
The choice of the file format is important because of its implications for long-term preservation as well as for web access. In particular for long-term archiving, formats in wide use are preferable, with characteristics of openness, portability, transparency and self-documentation.

There are no absolute criteria in the choice of file formats. The choice always depends on the different assessments that the person who archives the digital object will have to make carefully, case by case, and will often result in a compromise between the best quality obtainable and the limits imposed by the costs of production, processing and storage of files, as well as – in the case of pre-existing material – by the opportunity of conversion to a new file format.

As informed guidance for choosing the preferred file format for the various resource types, you may consult the File formats page.

Creating an object

From the Phaidra user interface, you can create the following resource types: Image, Audio, Video, PDF Document, Other.

To create books, you must use the Book Importer. The authentication credentials for the Book Importer are the same as for Phaidra. For the use of the Book Importer, please refer to the Guida al Book Importer (ITA).

The following are the steps to create an object in Phaidra:

1. Log in
2. Go to Create object in the navigation menu
3. Choose the object resource type
4. Select the file from your device and upload it
5. Fill in the metadata in the metadata Submit Form
6. Preview and check the metadata entered
7. Upload

Mandatory metadata – Object type, Title, Description, Keywords, Role, Licence – are identified by an asterisk. In addition to the immediately visible fields, other fields are available by opening the expandable sections: Terminology services, Coverage (spatial-temporal), Project, Represented object, Bibliographic metadata, and Accessibility. It is also possible to add further metadata using the "Add metadata fields" button. For a detailed description of the metadata fields, please refer to the Metadata fields overview page.

For a detailed explanation of the procedure to be followed for creating an object, consult the Guida alla creazione degli oggetti (ITA).

You may edit the metadata of the object at any time. You cannot replace or delete the uploaded file, but you can create a new version of the object. If you need to request changes to the file or to delete the object in Phaidra, please contact us.

When logged in, the "My objects" button is visible in the navigation menu, allowing you to quickly reach all the objects you have created.

Phaidra objects are accessible to everyone unless you decide to restrict access to them. The metadata remain public and always available. To modify the access rights to one of your objects, you must use the "Access rights" function, available as a tab in the Submit form during the creation of the object and in the "Edit" box on the object detail page after it has been created.

Creating a collection

A collection is a set of digital objects and is itself a digital object. As such, it is provided with metadata, including a permanent identifier and a Handle identifier, may be related to other objects and may belong to a higher-level collection.

Its "data" is not a single file, but the set of digital objects of which it consists. An object may belong to more than one collection.

To create a collection, go to "Create object" and choose the Collection resource type. The Submit Form for describing a collection is the same as that which opens when creating a single object, with some small differences (for example, the "Licence" field is not available). Complete the fields with the whole collection in mind.

After creating the collection, you may add objects to it:

1. Search for the objects using the Search page
2. Select individual objects from the results list using the "Select results" function
3. Click on "Selected results" at the top right
4. Select "Add to Collection"
5. Select the desired collection (all those created by you will appear)

Alternatively, on the object detail page, after the object has been created, you can add objects individually to your collection using the "Add to collection" function in the "Edit" box, or by means of the "bookmark" icon next to the object title.
For a more detailed explanation of the procedure to follow and for information on how to remove objects from a collection or reorder its objects, please refer to the Guida alla creazione degli oggetti (ITA).

Once the collection has been created, please contact us if you would like it to be featured on the Phaidra home page in the "Featured collections" section.

Quickly creating a new object

Templates

A template is a reusable metadata draft that allows objects with common metadata to be quickly created.

To create a template, after entering the metadata of an object in the Submit Form, click on the "Save as template" button.

Templates are visible by clicking the "Templates" link in the navigation menu or by going to the "Create object" page and then choosing the "Open template" option.

Import from DOI

If the object you intend to upload to Phaidra has already been assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), you can quickly import its metadata from those registered in the DOI.

To use this function:

1. Choose "Create object" in the navigation menu
2. Click on the "Create object" button in the "Create object" page
3. Go to the "DOI Import" tab
4. Enter the DOI of the resource
5. Click on "Import" and then on "Load metadata"
6. The Submit Form opens: check the imported metadata and add any missing information
7. Upload the object

The metadata imported from the DOI may not be exhaustive: verify and, if necessary, complete it. Furthermore, the import may not work with the DOI identifiers from some registration agencies.

Bulk upload

If you need to upload a very large number of objects, please contact us.

Creating relationships between objects

The "Edit relationships" function is located in the "Edit" box on the detail page of your own objects, when you are logged in. It allows you to relate objects to each other through a series of qualified relationships (e.g., refers to, is backside of, is alternative version of).

To create a relationship, click on "Edit relationships": a page opens where you can choose the type of relationship to create and the object to relate it to (searchable by Phaidra identifier or by title). The created relationships are shown on the detail pages of all the objects involved.

To remove a relationship, click on "Edit relationships" and then on the "bin" icon.

For further information about Phaidra, you may consult the Information page.