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Automation on an Apple – Batch renaming files on a Mac

The subtitle of this page could be “how to carefully rename 1,000 files.”

In my work with the Center for Railroad Photography and Art I handled a range of digitization and file management project. Each has required it’s own approach and I’ve learned a lot about Apple automation technologies working in a recent aspect of the project. It’s using the Apple tool “Automator” in two different ways. While I have some experience using other automation programs like MacroExpress and other File Renaming tools on a PC this was my first attempt on a Mac. And I think it went pretty well! Here was the problem and the solution I developed to solve this problem.

The Problem

Springer file names

The digital files were named using the actual photographic metadata. While this might seem great, it created two fundamental problems: (1) the digital files were out of order (relative to the original order of the collection) and (2) it did not match the file naming conventions I had established for this collection. So my task was to remedy this problem and (1) put the digital files in the same order as the physical collection and (2) extend the current file naming conventions to this part of the collection.

Organizing the Files

The first step was to organize the files. To do this, I decided to rename each file in some sort of alpha-numeric system. This seemed both easy and tedious. To make it slightly easier, I using the Automator service on the Mac to create a service. On a macro level, I could click a button and make a copy of the file that would then be organized in box order in a separate folder.

Here is this workflow in detail:

Screenshot of Apple Automator

  1. Copy Finder Item to a new folder – This created a second copy of the file that allowed me to explore and experiment without trouble.
  2. Rename the folder by adding the date/time function “seconds from midnight” to the front of the file name- The “seconds from midnight” function was totally arbitrary but provided a nice, easy way to sort the files.
  3. Save this as a “service” – Saving this as a service gave me easy access to trigger this automated workflow from anywhere in the finder.

After I established this workflow, I started going though the box. Once I found the digital file that corresponded to my first negative I would trigger this service. Thus, as I progressed through the box of negatives I would create a new folder of digital images in the correct order. Huzzah!

Renaming the Files

The end result of the first automated process was a folder of files in the correct order. However, the file names were terrible. For example:

Screenshot of organized files.

The leading numbers allow this list to be sorted into the correct order but this file naming convention was a huge mess. However, another automated workflow quickly solved this problem. The steps of this process were:

  1. Find Finder Items – This step ingested the files I created through the rename service
  2. Sort Finder Items – Although this step might seem redundant it provided to be critical to get the sorting correct. I simply sorted by name in ascending order to make this workflow work.
  3. Copy Finder Items – Again, because this was my first time using the Automator I wanted to create back-up copies of my work. I copied the items to yet another folder so that I could sort them.
  4. Make Sequential – This is the important step! I made them sequential by adding a new name (in this case I replaced the existing name with “Springer_01”) and then by placing a number after the name. I separated this number with an underscore and asked the program to make all numbers three digits long.
Apple's Automator - my new best friend.
Apple’s Automator – my new best friend.

The End Result

The result of these two processes created a perfectly organized folder of items that was named according to our established conventions. Doing this renaming work manually (without the Automated workflows) would have been possible but extremely labor intensive and prone to many different errors. This workflow saved hours of work and streamlined the process to prevent errors.

Additionally, this workflow is very general and could easily be applied to other file renaming projects.

Relative to other automation tools, Apple’s Automator is a strong contender. Because it is part of the Mac OS it integrates perfectly and natively with many Apple services and systems and offers a wide range of options. I would definitely seek to use the Automator on all future digital projects in a Mac environment.

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Reflections on the processing the Springer collection – Notes

Overview of the process

  1. Overview of the Springer Collection
    1. I’ve been working with a collection of black and white negatives donated to the Center for Railroad Photography and Art by Fred Springer.
    2. Fred Springer traveled through the United States and world taking pictures of trains, train workers, and other buildings and equipment.
    3. This collection is contained in 6 boxes and likely contains around 8,000 images.
    4. A particularly strong collection of steam trains and narrow gauge trains.
  2. Scanning
    1. Done by a Lake Forest College student workers.
    2. Overall, the quality of scans was pretty good.
    3. Some minimal cleanup (re-scanning blurring images, scanning “skipped” images)
  3. Metadata Creation/Entry
    1. Here is the metadata we are recording for each image:
      1. File Name (Identifier)
      2. Railroad Reporting Mark
      3. Railroad Name
      4. Description on Envelope
      5. Location (City)
      6. Location (State)
      7. Location (Country)
      8. Date Created (yyyy-mm-dd)
      9. Location (Mile Post)
      10. Original Extent (Physical Size of the Original)
      11. Original Format = black and white negative
      12. Type = Image
      13. Creator = Springer, Fred or
      14. Collection = Springer Collection
      15. Scanning Issues [to record technical issues with the scanning process; not for public display!]
    2. Our metadata standards really focused on transcribing existing metadata.
      1. I didn’t attempt to determine the location of a station or the type of train if that information didn’t exist on the envelope.
      2. I made some minimal corrections for obvious mistakes (spelling errors) but relied heavily on the original descriptions.
  4. Processing/Quality Control
    1. Make sure the digital file name correspond to the metadata.
    2. Preserve original order and context to the extent possible.

What I learned

  1. The importance of metadata in special collections.
    1. Metadata is context specific
      1. Railroad markings
      2. Mile post
      3. “Whyte notation” to classify wheel arrangement on steam locomotives
    2. Metadata should be context independent.
      1. Entering “standard” metadata fields for each item.
      2. Thinking about future (computerized) systems re-using and re-interpreting the data in interesting ways.
      3. Serials podcast daydream.
    3. Metadata creation balances current needs (user groups, uses, resources, staff expertise) and future needs (anticipates a larger world, metadata standardization for computerized processing, etc.)
  2. Effective processing requires conceptual and technical abilities.
    1. There really isn’t a distinction between the two.
    2. Hardware constraints (better equipment is better).
    3. It also requires self-reflection. Is this working? Is that scan good enough? Is that worth the time?
  3. The art of project management; there are advantages and disadvantages to dividing projects.
    1. Scanning and description were separate processes. Doing both together may have been faster…but it might not have been.
    2. The combined process (scanning and metadata) involved switching between many programs. Lots of opportunities for errors.
    3. The divided process created smaller “chunks” and more levels of accountability but also required duplicate labor (and physical processing)
    4. Also aware that Anne, for example, is managing many different projects and responsibilities simultaneously.
  4. More Product, Less Process (MPLP)
    1. A major archival philosophy in the last 10 years.
      1. Essentially, don’t hold all collections to the same “golden standard”
      2. Adequate processing and description is totally adequate – don’t think of it as “cutting corners”
    2. In my estimation, we followed the MPLP philosophy when processing this collection.
      1. The digital scans are of decent quality but were not done at the highest resolution possible. Publication would require re-scanning and editing.
      2. The metadata we created is good but isn’t comprehensive.
    3. Given the nature and size of this collection, the MPLP philosophy fits this collection perfectly. How could we justify a “more process less product” approach to this collection?
    4. However….I must confess that I still had some emotion pulls to abide by “the gold standard” of processing and description.

These lessons in metadata creation, effective processing, project management, and the “more product, less process” philosophy have made this internship a really rich experience for me.

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Springer Collection Procedures

I’m back for the second day of my internship with the Center for Railroad Photography and Art and wanted to record some of the technical parts of our process.

ScanningScanner Settings

While most of this collection has already been scanned, some needs to be scanned for the first time. Here is the process I’m using for the scanning process.

I’m scanning using Lake Forest College’s “Epson Perfection V750 Pro” scanner with the frame for negatives. I am scanning at 600 dpi in 16-bit grayscale and saving as jpg. The purpose of these scans is to create decent access copies for the Center with the option to add them to online databases (Flickr or the Center’s website) in the future so that this level of scanning is appropriate.

File Naming

Most of the files are named using the following convention: Collection Name/Box/Envelope. For example

  • Springer_02_123 = Springer Collection, Box 2, Envelope 123
  • Springer_04_067 = Springer Collection, Box 4, Envelope 67

I’m proposing that we standardize this practice across the entire collection. Additionally – to account for instances where one envelope contains multiple photos, I’m proposing that we extend this convention to be: Collection Name/Box/Envelope/Image. For example,

  • Springer_01_049_A = Springer Collection, Box 1, Envelope 49, First Image
  • Springer_01_049_B = Springer Collection, Box 1, Envelope 49, Second Image
  • Springer_01_050 = Springer Collection, Box 1, Envelope 50 (the only image).

I think it makes sense to supply the alphabetical distinction only when needed and to use letters instead of numbers because (1) it will improve computer sorting and (2) the original order (within the individual envelopes) is difficult to preserve.

Metadata

This is the core metadata for the collection

  • File Name (see above!) – This will serve as the unique identifier for each image in the collection.
  • Railroad – This collection is organized by railroad so that information will be preserved. I would imagine that acronyms and abbreviations will be replaced by the standard form of the name
  • Railroad Number – Because I lack the context, I’m transcribing as I find on the object. Again, I think standardizing to a formal, controlled vocabulary will be important at some point.
    • QUESTION – what should I do when multiple trains are listed. Should I create two fields for this data or combine them in one field?
  • Description – A few images have short (2-3 word) annotations. I wanted to preserve these notes and couldn’t think of a better field.
  • Location – I’ve seperated city from state in the spreadsheet on the basis that (1) it would be easy to combine these fields in the future and (2) this separation is easier to manipulate.
    • QUESTION – some cards contain information like “MP 60” which I’m interpreting as “Mile Post 60.” This seems like valuable metadata but data that doesn’t fit squarely in the “Location” field. Is this information worth preserving and – if so – how should I record it.
  • Date – So far, all photos have a clearly marked date. I’m recording that using the YYYY-MM-DD standard recommended by the Center.
  • Collection – This is all the Springer Collection.
  • Original Format – This collection is black and white negatives in several standard sizes.
  • Digital Format – I am creating jpegs.
  • Date Scanned – This technical metadata is recorded in the system.

As an aside, I thought it would be fun to mention two pieces of train-specific metadata I’ve encountered so far. I’ve mentioned one already – “MP 60.” Again, I think that means “mile post” but I’m really not sure. I think it would be great to record this and could be very useful to certain people in a certain context. However, it doesn’t fit with other standard vocabularies (city/state) and requires additional context to be useful.

The second train-specific information I encountered is this (2-8-4). A quick google search took me to Wikipedia where I learned that is the Whyte Notation for a particular wheel arrangement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-8-4).

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Center for Railroad Photography & Art Internship!

I’m excited to start an internship working with the Center for Railroad Photography & Art and the Lake Forest College Archives! I want to use this space to write up a bit about the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, the collection I’ll be working with, and the some initial thoughts and goals for my particular project.

About the Center

The Center for Railroad Photography & Art is a organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of railroad art as it intersects with American life. There website provides much greater detail about their mission: http://www.railphoto-art.org/about/. They are involved in publication – including the journal “Railroad Heritage” – and maintain an online web portal that serves as a digital collection of railroad photography.

About the Collection

I’ll be working directly with one of the Center’s collections – The Fred M. Springer Collection.  The Center for Railroad photography & Art has compiled a relatively complete biographic section – and he seems like a pretty interesting guy! I’m particularly fascinated by his interest in narrow gauge trains. I’m working with his collection of black and white negatives that are currently housed and curated by the Lake Forest College Archives.

The Project

Preservation

The collection is roughly 7,500 Cellulose Acetate Film Base negatives – most seem to be “Kodak Safety” negatives. Most of the negatives are 3.5 inches wide and 2.25 inches tall. These negatives are currently housed in sleeves and envelopes of various sizes and materials (paper, plastic, etc.) and I do not know if they are archival quality of not. These sleeves contain critical metadata for the collection. The collection seems in very good shape – no signs of deterioration at this point.

Options/Recommendations

  • Invest in A-D strips to check for deterioration (
    http://www.hollingermetaledge.com/modules/store/index.html?dept=27&cat=846&cart=1421953411839179)
  • Re-housing material in archival quality envelopes ($1,500) and boxes ($100) would be expensive – determine if there is need for this.

Organization

The physical negatives are currently arranged alphabetically by railroad (and possibly by train number following that) in what is presumed to be the Springer’s original organization. The collection is also physically divided into 6 boxes. Digital files are currently named used a locally devised scheme of Collection_Box#_Envelope# and seems to correspond closely to the existing physical arrangement.

Options/Recommendations

  • Gather all digital files in one folder and confirm that digital file naming standards match physical arrangement.
  • Add additional dividers within the boxes to reflect envelope numbering (current system makes discovery difficult).
  • Consider writing the unique identifier directly on each envelope/sleeve.
  • Standardize practice when envelopes contain multiple negatives (re-house in new envelopes/sleeves, change file naming structure?)

Metadata and Access

Implement metadata standards that relate to the intended purpose and audience of this collection. Existing metadata is written on the envelope and often includes: train, train number, location, date, and sometimes a short description.

Options/Recommendations

  • Transcribe existing metadata to a spreadsheet – apply controlled vocabulary and standards – and add other descriptive and technical metadata (collection and collector information, original format, digital format, size, color)
  • Create new descriptive metadata (classifications, titles, longer descriptions)

Questions for the Center

To organize my thoughts and get a better sense of the project I wanted to compile a list of questions for the Center for Railroad Photography & Art. Here is a quick list.

  1. What is the intended purpose of digitizing this collection? Who is the intended audience? Where will this live online?
  2. What level of metadata is required for this collection?
    1. Is associating digital files with unique identifiers sufficient for this collection?
    2. Should the unique identifiers be associated with descriptive metadata and – if so – what level of metadata is required?
  3. What is the best way to store this collection?
    1. Preserve existing organization and structure – would it be okay to add additional marking and structure?
    2. Are the current storage systems of archival quality? Are there funds to invest in other storage systems?
  4. Small Questions
    1. The orientation of some of the photos is wrong (i.e. letter/numbers are backwards) – is that something we should fix?
    2. Should I change basic orientation?
    3. One file per photo – extend file naming to be Collection_Box#_Envelope#_A if we continue using the current file naming convention or assign new unique identifier if it is replaced.

Background Information

I’m new to the area and wanted to begin building a body of knowledge and resources as it relates to this project. Here are some helpful resources I’ve found so far.