Metadata: background & plan What the issues are and how we intend to map the needs for UNC-CH
Overview Definitions Description schemes Controlled vocabularies Structure & representation
Definitions Metadata = “data about the data” = more-or-less-structured information that describes, contextualizes or explains a data object: –‘Traditional’ cataloging and indexing (helps find) –Use and circulation (helps manage and... ) –Notes, commentary, relationships (a learning catalog?) In the digital realm, may be used to describe: –The digital “item” itself (file format, size, etc.), and/or –The “real-world” object(s) represented by the digital item (content, depiction, etc.)
Definitions Metadata content & taxonomy can (should?) be thought of (managed?) separately from metadata representation in any particular record-keeping system, database or IT application
Definitions Metadata content & structure can be managed separately from its representation in any particular record-keeping system, database or IT application –(but in many cases policy, method, content & structure are conflated with representation in discussion & practice)
Overview Definitions Description schemes Controlled vocabularies Structure & representation
Description schemes More-or-less-structured ways to describe item(s) in a collection, designed to facilitate retrieval, analysis and/or management
Description schemes: examples Visual Resources Association (VRA) Core Categories USMARC (UKMARC, UNIMARC...) International Core Data Standard for Archaeological Sites and Monuments Federal Geographic Data Committee Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC Metadata Standard) CASE Data Interchange Format (EIA/CDIF PN-30) Dublin Core: Content Description Model for Electronic Resources
Description schemes: comparing Any two description schemes will have some areas of overlap
Description schemes: comparing One description scheme may subdivide and separately classify information that is treated as a unit in another scheme
Description schemes: comparing One description scheme may define or limit a particular class of information in a very different way from another scheme
Overview Definitions Description schemes Controlled vocabularies Structure & representation
Controlled vocabularies USMARC code list for countries (code sequence): –aa = Albania –abc = Alberta –-ac = Ashmore and Cartier Islands –ae = Algeria –af = Afghanistan –ag = Argentina –-ai = Anguilla –ai = Armenia (Republic)
Overview Definitions Description schemes Controlled vocabularies Structure & representation
Structure and representation Dublin Core (v.1.1) Element:Creator Name: Creator Identifier: Creator Definition: An entity primarily responsible for making the content of the resource. Comment: Examples of a Creator include a person, an organisation, or a service. Typically, the name of a Creator should be used to indicate the entity.
Structure and representation DC “Creator” in HTML using tags:
Structure and representation DC “Creator” in XML using RDF: Richard Talbert
Structure and representation DC “Creator” in Access database: