A centre of expertise in digital information management UKOLN is supported by: Metadata – what, why and how Ann Chapman Policy and Advice Team

A centre of expertise in digital information management Metadata is…. –Structured data about “something” Text, images, sound, movement, objects, events, services –Encountered every day Timetables, directories, Internet shopping sites, etc. –In the information world Catalogues, indexes, finding aids, inventories, etc

A centre of expertise in digital information management And metadata is ….. Elements and attributes –Discrete pieces of information Stored in –Databases, repositories –Web pages Carriers –Formats (e.g. MARC) –Markup languages (e.g. HTML, SGML, XML)

A centre of expertise in digital information management Mark-up languages SGML = Standard Generalised Markup Language - controls document formatting for publication XML = Extensible Markup Language - “next generation” SGML HTML = Hyper Text Markup Language - SGML subset, controls display of web pages All use tags (usually paired) to structure text into elements e.g. headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.

A centre of expertise in digital information management What does it do? Structured information enables us to: –Describe –Explain –Locate –Helps retrieve / use / manage a resource

A centre of expertise in digital information management Types of metadata Descriptive –Providing a surrogate of a resource Structural –Providing ways of finding a resource Administrative –Supporting the managers of a database or repository (e.g. rights management, preservation, etc.)

A centre of expertise in digital information management Standards – Fit for Purpose Which standard? – Dublin Core (Simple, Qualified, Application Profiles) –MARC, ONIX –EAD –MODS, METS, DIDL, PREMIS, MIX, RSLP-CD etc. “Standards are like toothbrushes, everyone agrees that they’re a good idea but nobody wants to use anyone else’s.” From a Murtha Baca presentation.

A centre of expertise in digital information management Application profiles Typically a modification or extension of an existing metadata scheme Can be created as an original metadata scheme Features: –May combine data elements from one or more schemas –May add data elements not used by anyone else –May exclude data elements from a source metadata scheme Specific to a user community, organisation, information provider or type of resource

A centre of expertise in digital information management Metadata in use elsewhere Case study 1: MARC –Libraries Case study 2: ONIX - Book trade Case study 3: DC - Digital community

A centre of expertise in digital information management MARC Formats Library catalogues Structured format / carrier –Bibliographic, Authority, Holdings, Classification, Community Information Numeric and alpha tags Fixed fields –Leader, , Variable fields –100, 110, 111, 245, 260, etc.

A centre of expertise in digital information management MARC Bibliographic - elements 1XX Main entry 2XX Title, Statement of Responsibility, edition, publication 3XX Physical description 4XX Series information 5XX Notes 6XX Subject access 7XX Added entries (alternative titles, multiple authors, etc.) 8XX Added entries for series 9XX References and local use fields

A centre of expertise in digital information management MARC 21 record 021 $a $s $c $a Nederveen Pieterse, Jan P. 245 $a Development theory: $b deconstruction. 260 $a London: $b Sage, $c $a xii, 195p. $c 25cm $e cased 440 $a Theory, culture and society 650 $a Economic development

A centre of expertise in digital information management ONIX Formats Primary use –Publishers to Internet booksellers –Rich product information 3 Formats for product information metadata –Books –Serials –Licensing Terms Carrier – XML Elements – XML reference name and tag

A centre of expertise in digital information management ONIX - elements Message header Product record –identifiers, author, title, edition, language, subject, audience, descriptions, publisher, dates –territorial rights, dimensions, suppliers, availability, promotions Main series and sub-series records

A centre of expertise in digital information management ONIX for Books - record Alice in Wonderland Author Carroll, Lewis Collins 2000

A centre of expertise in digital information management Dublin Core - structure Simple resource discovery DCMES – Dublin Core Metadata Element set HTML the most common ‘carrier’ Comprises 15 elements with –Element qualifiers –Element encoding schemes –Optional/mandatory elements Application profiles

A centre of expertise in digital information management Dublin Core - elements TitleFormat CreatorResource identifier SubjectSource DescriptionLanguage PublisherRelation ContributorCoverage DateRights Resource Type

A centre of expertise in digital information management Dublin Core - record Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll Fiction Project Gutenberg 2000 ASCII file via FTP htttp://promo.net/pg/…

A centre of expertise in digital information management Contact details Ann Chapman UKOLN University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY