JENN RILEY METADATA LIBRARIAN IU DIGITAL LIBRARY PROGRAM Introduction to Metadata

Many definitions of metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall “Data about data” “Structured information about an information resource of any media type or format.” (Caplan) “Structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource.” (NISO) …

More definition, in libraries 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Structure Control Origin  Machine-generated  Human-generated The difference between data, metadata, and meta-metadata is often one of perspective

Some uses of metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall By information specialists  Describing “non-traditional” materials  Cataloging Web sites  Navigating within digital objects  Managing digital objects over the long term By novices  Preparing Web sites for search engines  Depositing materials into an institutional repository  Managing citation lists  iTunes  Tagging – flickr, del.icio.us, etc.  LibraryThing

Metadata and cataloging 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Depends on what you mean by:  metadata, and  cataloging! But, in general:  Metadata is broader in scope than cataloging  Much metadata creation takes place outside of libraries  Good metadata practitioners use key cataloging principles in non-MARC environments  Metadata created for many different types of materials Metadata is NOT only for Internet resources!

Creating metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall HTML tags Spreadsheets Databases XML Library catalogs Digital library/content management systems  ContentDM ContentDM  DigiTool DigiTool  DSpace DSpace

Types of metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Descriptive metadata Administrative metadata  Technical metadata  Preservation metadata  Rights metadata Structural metadata

How metadata is used 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 8 S504 Fall 2009

Descriptive metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Purpose  Discovery  Description to support use and interpretation Some common general schemas  MARC  MARCXML  MODS  Dublin Core LOTS of domain-specific schemas

MODS 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall “Metadata Object Description Schema” Developed and maintained by the Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office For encoding bibliographic information Influenced by MARC, but not equivalent Quickly gaining adoption

Dublin Core (1) 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall “Core” across all knowledge domains National and international standard  2001: Released as ANSI/NISO Z39.85ANSI/NISO Z39.85  2003: Released as ISO 15836ISO No element required All elements repeatable 1:1 principle

Dublin Core (2) 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Two “flavors”  Unqualified – 15 elements  Qualified  Additional elements  Element refinements  Encoding schemes (vocabulary and syntax)  All qualifiers must follow “dumb-down” principle Unqualified DC required for sharing metadata via the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata HarvestingOpen Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting

DCMI Abstract Model 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall New direction for the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative An “information model which is independent of any particular encoding syntax” RDF-inspired, but not RDF DCMI resource model DCMI description set model DCMI vocabulary model Full abstract model recommendationabstract model recommendation Still too early to really know where this is going

Comparing descriptive metadata formats 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall MARC [example]example MARCXML [example]example MODS [example]example Dublin Core [DC example]DC example [QDC example]QDC example Record format Binary (ISO 2709) XML RDF, XML, HTML, et al. Field labels Numeric Text Reliance on AACR Strong ImpliedNone Common method of creation By specialists By derivation By specialists and by derivation By novices and by specialists

Levels of control 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Data structure standards (e.g., MARC) Data content standards (e.g., AACR2r, RDA) Controlled vocabularies (e.g., LCSH) Very few metadata standards include a counterpart to the AACR “chief source of information”

Data content standards 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2 nd edition (AACR2)AACR2 Resource Description and Access (RDA)RDA  Actually in some sense also a set of “properties” (which are not quite elements)  Intention is “principles” rather than “rules” Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)DACS Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO)CCO Also many format-specific guidelines  Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (DCRM) series  Archival Moving Image Materials: A Cataloging Manual  Betz: Graphic Materials  …

Vocabulary encoding schemes 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall TGM I TGM II TGN GeoNet AAT LCSH LCNAF DCMI Type MIME Types …etc. aka, controlled vocabularies

Syntax encoding schemes 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall ISO8601 W3CDTF URI …etc.

Technical metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall One type of administrative metadata For recording technical aspects of digital objects Of use for long-term maintenance of data Some examples:  NISO Z39.87: Data Dictionary – Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images & MIX NISO Z39.87: Data Dictionary – Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images MIX  Schema for Technical Metadata for Text Schema for Technical Metadata for Text

Structural metadata 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall For creating a logical structure between digital objects  Locating the same intellectual content on multiple representations  Noting points of interest within a single resource  Grouping and sequencing multiple files that make up a logical whole METS is the current primary schema METS

21 Sharing Metadata: What Does This Record Describe? identifier State University Museum of Ichthyology, Fish Field Notes jpeg image 1926; 0070; 06; Little S. Br. Pere Marquette R.; THL26-68; 71300; 71301; 71302; 71303; 71304; 71305; 71306; 71307; 71308; 71309; 07; 1926/07/06; R12W; S09; Second collector Moody; T16N Cottus bairdi; Esox lucius; Cottus cognatus; Etheostoma nigrum; Salmo trutta; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Catostomus commersoni; Pimephales notatus; Margariscus margarita; Rhinichthys atratulus; mottled sculpin; northern pike; slimy sculpin; johnny darter; brown trout; rainbow trout; white sucker; bluntnose minnow; pearl dace; blacknose dace; bairdi; lucius; cognatus; nigrum; trutta; mykiss; commersoni; notatus; margarita; atratulus; Cottus; Esox; Cottus; Etheostoma; Salmo; Oncorhynchus; Catostomus; Pimephales; Margariscus; Rhinichthys; ; UND Michigan 1926 Langlois, v ; Record harvested via OAI PMH /30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall 2009

It’s a field note for a fish specimen. Surprise! 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall

Where your metadata can go 23 Collection Registries ????? Photograph from Indiana University Charles W. Cushman Collection 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall 2009

Shareable metadata… Is quality metadata Promotes search interoperability - “the ability to perform a search over diverse sets of metadata records and obtain meaningful results” (Priscilla Caplan) Is human understandable outside of its local context Is useful outside of its local context Preferably is machine processable 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall

How do I pick a metadata format? 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall Genre/format of materials being described Nature of holding institution Use and audience for the metadata What others in the community are doing Describing analog vs. digitized item Relationships between records Plan for interoperability, including repeatability of elements More information on handouthandout

Further information 11/30/09 and 12/2/09 S504 Fall These presentation slides: 09fall/s504/s504.ppt Metadata librarians listserv: Priscilla Caplan: Metadata Fundamentals for all Librarians, 2003