METADATA What Is It and What Can I Do With It? Vicki L. Gregory Associate Professor School of Library & Information Science University of South Florida

What is Metadata? Data about dataData about data –A library catalog –Database records from indexing and abstracting services –Metatags/descriptors for information available across a network

If the Internet is to continue to thrive, “something very much like traditional library services will be needed to organize access and preserve networked information.” Clifford Lynch, Scientific American

Information Retrieval on the Web: The Impossible Dream? Super- or metacatalog?Super- or metacatalog? Robot-generated indexesRobot-generated indexes Encoded textEncoded text

MARC is a Metadata Format Advantage -- A way of integrating metadata into existing library systemsAdvantage -- A way of integrating metadata into existing library systems Disadvantage -- Personnel intensiveDisadvantage -- Personnel intensive

Robot-Generated Indexes: Harvesting Information from Web Sites HTML META tagsHTML META tags AttributesAttributes –CONTENT –HTTP-EQUIV –NAME ExampleExample – –

Dublin Core Enrichment of information about a document provided either by the author or a third party, such as a library catalogerEnrichment of information about a document provided either by the author or a third party, such as a library cataloger 15-element metadata set allowing metadata to be attached or embedded in a large number of Web documents15-element metadata set allowing metadata to be attached or embedded in a large number of Web documents

Dublin Core Elements TitleTitle AuthorAuthor SubjectSubject DescriptionDescription PublisherPublisher ContributorContributor DateDate TypeType Format Identifier Source Language Relation Coverage Rights

Partial Example of Dublin Core

Example (Continued)

Resource Description Framework (RDF) Another effort to standardize description and resource discovery for the WebAnother effort to standardize description and resource discovery for the Web Developed by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)Developed by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Netscape and Microsoft have developed tools to accommodate RDF specificationsNetscape and Microsoft have developed tools to accommodate RDF specifications

U.S. Government Metadata Standards FGDC’s CSDGM (Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata)FGDC’s CSDGM (Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata) –minus: very complex, over 300 –different elements with differing options for application –plus: allows sharing of data among geographic information systems.

U.S. Government Metadata Standards GILS (Government Information Locator Service)GILS (Government Information Locator Service) –Federal Depository libraries required to provide at least one GILS point of access to the public –GILS locator records may describe libraries, and, thus, incorporate them into the GILS system –Rich source of data co-searchable by Z39.50 online catalogs –GILS has incorporated MARC definitions with one- to-one mapping

Human Selection Selection according to stated criteriaSelection according to stated criteria Addition of descriptive metadata to aid in retrievalAddition of descriptive metadata to aid in retrieval

Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Humanities related text collectionsHumanities related text collections Header elementHeader element –contains bibliographic information about the attached document

TEI Header File DescriptionFile Description –bibliographic information Encoding DescriptionEncoding Description –editing decisions when encoding document Profile DescriptionProfile Description –languages used, setting, etc. Revision DescriptionRevision Description –log of changes made

TEI Header: Partial Example <TEIHEADER><FILEDESC><TITLESTMT> Blood of the Prophets / by Edgar Lee Masters as Dexter Wallace [electronic text] Blood of the Prophets / by Edgar Lee Masters as Dexter Wallace [electronic text] Masters, Edgar Lee, Masters, Edgar Lee, </TITLESTMT>

TEI Example (Continued) ca. 122 kb ca. 122 kb <PUBLICATIONSTMT> University of Michigan Humanities Text Initiative University of Michigan Humanities Text Initiative Ann Arbor, Mich. Ann Arbor, Mich. </FILEDESC><ENCODINGDESC><EDITORIALDECI> All poems, line groups, and lines are represented. Indentation and table of contents have been preserved. All poems, line groups, and lines are represented. Indentation and table of contents have been preserved.

Future of the TEI Header Available to patrons on the Web by using XML, instead of having to convert to HTML (with corresponding loss of information details).Available to patrons on the Web by using XML, instead of having to convert to HTML (with corresponding loss of information details).

Encoded Archival Description (EAD) SGML DTD designed to reflect the structure of archival finding aids and the collections they describe.SGML DTD designed to reflect the structure of archival finding aids and the collections they describe. Response to the need for hierarchical structure and highly contextual information that are part of the nature of archival information.Response to the need for hierarchical structure and highly contextual information that are part of the nature of archival information.

Crosswalks Mapping metadata setsMapping metadata sets ConcernsConcerns –data loss –reversibility –who owns and maintains a given map –map variants

Metadata have an acknowledged role in the organization of and access to networked information. Prediction At some point in the relatively near future, catalogers will probably be creating metadata as commonly as they now do MARC records.