1. Developing a Metadata Element Set and/or an Application Profile
Specification/Documentation -- Metadata Element Set 1

2. Major Steps Functional requirements
What do you want to accomplish with your application?
Domain model
What kind of things (entities) your metadata will describe, and what are the relationships between those things?
Existing and desired metadata elements
What elements are desired? Any existing element to consider?
Enforcement
Cardinality enforcement (Required or not?)
Value Space Restriction (Controlled values? How – vocabulary or rule?)
Relationship and dependency specification (Sub-elements?)
Cross-walking
What element in another schema would match your element?
Specification /Documentation
Put into a complete specification of the element set.
Prepare guidelines for use.
Developing a metadata schema involves addressing a set of issues related to the collection and items as well as to the broad context. The digital world is evolving faster than any previous information production history. While we need to keep up with the fast pace of information evolution, we also need to consider local and current practicalities. Keeping a balance between stability and dynamics is not an easy thing to do, but if we create a mechanism flexible enough to allow for future expansion and adaption without destroying the work in which we have invested, then we can be in a better position to serve our users with continuity and satisfaction. 2

3. 7. Specification/Documentation -- Metadata Element Set
Element ('term') and label
Definition
Structure (where this element situate)
Flat (everyone are equal)
Hierarchical (parent-child)
Content constraints
Encoding

4. Example: DC element “DATE”
Definition
Structure
Content constraints

5. Example: VRA Core’s element “DATE”
Definition
Structure
Content constraints

6. Example: VRA Core’s element “DATE”
Encoding