Collection Description Metadata Element Sets Pete Johnston UKOLN, University of Bath Chair, DC CD WG NISO Metasearch Initiative, Task Group 2 Durham, NC, USA April

Outline Collections & collection-level description Collection description metadata schemas –JISC e-Lib "Simple Collection Description", –Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP) Model & Schema, –The European Library (TEL) Collection Description Application Profile, –Dublin Core Collection Description Application Profile, –ISO 2146 draft version 3.0, 2003-

Collections Collection –“an aggregation of one or more items” –aggregation by e.g. location, type/form of item, provenance of item, source/ownership of item, nature of item content, etc! –varying size, degrees of permanence –varying types of items natural objects, created objects, digital resources, digital surrogates of physical objects, metadata records –items may not be physically juxtaposed

Collections and collection description “What is a collection (and what is not)?” "Functional granularity" (Heaney) –Pragmatic choice –Based on what is "useful or necessary for the purposes of resource discovery or collection management" Collection-level description –"unitary finding aid" (Heaney) –information about the collection as a whole, rather than the individual items

Why collection-level description? Enable user to –discover/locate collections –select collections to explore on basis of summary description –compare collections as broadly similar objects (even where items heterogeneous) –understand conditions of access & use –interpret collections Enable software agents to –discover/locate/select collections to search on behalf of user –control searches across collections

e-Lib Simple Collection Description JISC e-Lib programme, –"An exploration of ways IT could assist libraries" context: UK HE re-organisation, emergence of Web not strictly a "digital library research programme", but did include elements of applied research – Phase 3 : consolidation, extension in key areas Interest in collection-level description –Primarily to support resource discovery –"Landscaping" eLib Collection Description WG –"Simple Collection Description" schema (draft) –Collection made available by Service (many-to-many)

Collection attributes Titledc:title Subject/keywordsdc:subject Descriptiondc:description Ownerelib:owner Publisherdc:publisher Datedc:date Languagedc:language Sourcedc:source Coveragedc:coverage Collection Typedc:type Noteselib:notes Purpose/Policyelib:purpose Rights managementdc:rights Use constraintselib:useConstraints Collection Logoelib:logo Relations between Collections Is Part Ofdcterms:isPartOf Has Partdcterms:hasPart Is Catalogue Forelib:isCatalogueFor Has Catalogueelib:hasCatalogue Relation between Collection & Service Accesselib:access e-Lib Simple Collection Description Service attributes Identifierdc:identifier Access timeselib:accessTimes Physical location/accesselib:location Administratorelib:administrator Access Policyelib:accessPolicy Charging Policyelib:chargingPolicy

Research Support Libraries Programme, –Support for academic research –Improve disclosure/discovery of, access to collections –Improve collaborative management of collections –Primarily describing physical library/archive collections –Recognition of CLD as important mechanism for disclosure/discovery RSLP CD Model and Schema

RSLP CD Model RSLP Collection Description Project, –Funded by RSLP, OCLC –Provide means of consistent collection description in RSLP Entity-Relation model (Michael Heaney, University of Oxford) –Implementation independent –Intended to be applicable to wide range of collections –Informed by IFLA FRBR approach as well as existing descriptive standards –Models structures not transactions –Support Finding (access points for discovery) Identifying (sufficient for user interpretation)

RSLP CD Model

RSLP CD Schema RSLP Collection Description metadata schema (Andy Powell, UKOLN) –Set of metadata elements (based on Dublin Core) –Also collection/catalogue type vocabulary –Expresses subset of RSLP model Collection, Location, Agents –Simplification of model Relations as elements/properties –Supports creation of "unitary" finding aid (collection-level description) –Recommends use of RDF/XML syntax for representation

RSLP CD Schema v Model ContentCreator creates Collector Owner collects owns Administrator administers ItemProducer produces is-embodied-in Collection is-gathered-into Location is-located-in

Collection attributes Identifierdc:identifier Titledc:title Descriptiondc:description Strengthrslpcd:strength Physical Characteristicsdc:format Languagedc:language Typedc:type Access Controlrslpcd:accessControl Accrual Statusrslpcd:accrualStatus Legal Statusrslpcd:legalStatus Custodial Historyrslpcd:custodialHistory Noterslpcd:note Accumulation Date Range rslpcd:accumulationDate Range Contents Date Rangerslpcd:contentsDate Range Relation between Collection & Location Locationrslpcd:hasLocation RSLP CD Schema Relations between Collection & Agents Collectordc:creator Ownerrslpcd:owner Collection attributes (continued) Conceptdc:subject Objectrslpcd:objectName Namerslpcd:agentName Placedcterms:spatial Timedcterms:temporal

RSLP CD Schema Location attributes Identifierdc:identifier Namedc:title Access Conditionsrslpcd:accessConditions Physical Location attributes Postal addressrslpcd:address Post/zip coderslpcd:postcode Countryrslpcd:country Digital Location attributes Locatorrslpcd:locator Relations between Collection & Other entities Associated Publicationrslpcd:hasPublication Relations between Collections Is Part Ofdcterms:isPartOf Has Partdcterms:hasPart Catalogue or Descriptionrslpcd:hasDescription Described Collectionrslpcd:isDescriptionOf Associated Collectionrslpcd:hasAssociation Relations between Location & Agents Administratorrslpcd:administrator Relation between Location & Collection Held collectionrslpcd:isLocationOf Relation between Location & Other entities See alsorslpcd:seeAlso Agent attributes Identifierdc:identifier Namevcard:FN Organisationvcard:ORG Rolevcard:ROLE Telephone numbervcard:VOICE Fax numbervcard:FAX addressvcard: Agent historyrslpcd:agentHistory

RSLP CD Schema implementation RSLP projects –Model and/or schema by number of RSLP projects as basis for database structure –Mostly to deliver Web sites for human readers –Limited exchange of CLD metadata between applications Influence on other initiatives –The European Library (TEL) –Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Collection Register –Enrich-UK (portal for digitisation programme) –Cornucopia (UK museum collections) –JISC Information Environment Service Registry (IESR)

The European Library (TEL) Co-operative project under the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL) –8 European national libraries & ICCU (Italian central cataloguing institution) –Project completed Jan 2004, plans to develop service Portal providing access to distributed collections –Use of collection-level description to select services –TEL application profile for collection-level description Based on DC Libraries AP and Collection and Location attributes from RSLP CD Schema Some overlap between properties? Includes access point of Service as dc:identifier of Collection

Collection attributes Identifierdc:identifier Titledc:title Alternative Titledcterms:alternative Creatordc:creator Contributordc:contributor Publisherdc:publisher Subjectdc:subject Object Namerslpcd:objectName Agent Namerslpcd:agentName Descriptiondc:description Thumbnailtel:thumbnail Strengthrslpcd:strength Accrual Statusrslpcd:accrualStatus Legal Statusrslpcd:legalStatus Custodial Historyrslpcd:custodialHistory Noterslpcd:note Edition TEL AP for Collection Description Collection attributes (continued) Datedc:date Date createddcterms:created Date capturedmods:dateCaptured Accumulation Date Range rslpcd:accumulationDate Range Contents Date Range rslpcd:contentsDate Range Typedc:type Collection Typetel:collectionType Formatdc:format Mediumdcterms:medium Record Schematel:recordSchema Sourcedc:source Languagedc:language Coveragedc:coverage Spatial coveragedcterms:spatial Temporal coveragedcterms:temporal

TEL AP for Collection Description Relations between Collections Is Part Ofdcterms:isPartOf Has Partdcterms:hasPart Has Descriptionrslpcd:hasDescription Is Description Ofrslpcd:isDescriptionOf Has Associationrslpcd:hasAssociation Relations between Collection & Other entities Has Publicationrslpcd:hasPublication Has Locationrslpcd:hasLocation Location attributes Access Conditionsrslpcd:accessConditions Digital Location attributes Locatorrslpcd:locator Relations between Location & Agents Administratorrslpcd:administrator Relation between Location & Collection Held collectionrslpcd:isLocationOf Relation between Location & Other entities See alsorslpcd:seeAlso Relation between Collection & Location Locationrslpcd:hasLocation Collection attributes (continued) Rightsdc:rights Access Controldcterms:accessControl Audiencedcterms:audience Locationmods:location RecordIdtel:recordId Ownerrslpcd:owner

DC Collection Description WG Background –Growing interest in use of collection-level metadata to support resource disclosure/discovery –RSLP CD Model and/or RSLP CD schema implemented by several initiatives in UK –Significant influence on other CLD metadata schemas –Status, ownership, persistence issues Charter –Provide forum for sharing information about CLD activity –Develop a DC AP for collection-level description –Develop supporting materials for use of AP

DC Collection Description AP DC CD AP –For simple collection-level descriptions –Suitable for a broad range of collections –Primarily to support discovery and selection of collections –A "core" set of collection description properties to support interoperability –Informed by experience of RSLP, CD Focus (UKOLN), TEL, JISC IESR, IMLS, others –Collection properties (only) of RSLP CD schema as starting point for WG discussion exclude Location/Service, Agent description (for now…) but building on Heaney E-R model

Collection attributes Identifierdc:identifier Titledc:title Alternative Titledcterms:alternative Descriptiondcterms:abstract Physical Characteristicsdc:format Sizedcterms:extent Languagedc:language Typedc:type Access Rightsdcterms:accessRights Accrual Statuscld:accrualStatus Custodial Historygen:provenance Audiencedcterms:audience Logocld:logo Accumulation Date Range ?cld:accumulationDateRange Contents Date Rangecld:contentsDateRange Relation between Collection & Location/Service Is Available At?gen:isAvailableAt DC CD AP ( ) Relations between Collection & Agents Collectordc:creator Ownermarcrel:owner Collection attributes (continued) Subjectdc:subject Placedcterms:spatial Timedcterms:temporal

DC CD AP ( ) Relations between Collection & Other entities Associated Publicationdcterms:isReferencedBy Relations between Collections Is Part Ofdcterms:isPartOf Has Partdcterms:hasPart Catalogue or Descriptiondc:description Associated Collectiondc:relation

Outstanding Issues for DC CD WG/DCMI Clarify Collection-Location/Service relation Decide on how to represent format of items in collection Proposals for additions to DCMI Namepaces –provenance, isAvailableAt (awaiting UB decision) –logo? Collection-specific terms (accrualStatus, accumulationDateRange, contentsDateRange) Review in light of DCMI work on dates, modelling Develop supporting materials –guidelines, schemas, crosswalks

ISO 2146 ISO 2146: Information and documentation – Directories of libraries and related organizations Under revision to form a data dictionary framework for directory applications –Schema/syntax/protocol-independent Object-oriented model for –Organisations –Collections –Services –Activities Shift away from "organisation-centred" model so that each can be primary object

ISO 2146 Service –Integrated approach to physical and digital services –Detailed model for service description Access times, permitted users, charges etc Collection –Name, category, coverage, etc –Relations between collections –Collection profile Item types, accruals, policies (archival, disposal) –Collection strength Current, planned

Collections, Locations & Services Item –A physical or digital entity Collection –An aggregation of one or more items Service –The provision of, or system of supplying, one or more functions of interest to an end-user or software application. –Physical or digital –Digital services may be structured or unstructured Informational services –Provide access to, or metadata about, items and/or collections –JISC Information Environment Architecture: Glossary Location –A place where a collection is held –Michael Heaney, Analytical Model

Collection – Location (RSLP) Collection Location is-located-in Collection Physical Repository is-located-in Collection Electronic Repository is-located-in Network Service Is Service a subtype of Location? Is relation between Collection and Location same as relation between Collection and Service?

Collection – Location – Service? Collection Location is-located-in ServiceCollection Physical Repository is-located-in Physical ServiceCollection Electronic Repository is-located-in Network Service

Summary RSLP model influence on several CD schemas RSLP CD Schema –Subset/simplification of RSLP model –Collection, Location, Agents TEL AP –builds on RSLP CD and DC Libraries AP DC CD AP as a core CD element set –supports description of Collection only –still in progress –relationship of Collection and Location/Service ISO 2146 –Object model –Rich service description

Some questions What range of collections and services are we describing? What are our "functional requirements" for collection/service description? –What operations should metadata support? –Human readers? Software agents? What information required to enable those operations? –Attributes, relations Do existing models/schemas meet those requirements?

Acknowledgements UKOLN is funded by the UK Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK higher and further education funding councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC and the European Union. UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath where it is based.

Collection Description Metadata Element Sets Pete Johnston UKOLN, University of Bath Chair, DC CD WG NISO Metasearch Initiative, Task Group 2 Durham, NC, USA April