Lifecycle Metadata for Digital Objects September 25, 2006 Major archival and digital library metadata schemes: How (or how not) to go about scheming

NHPRC Initiatives, Research Issues in Electronic Records publication (no longer online) ectronic_records/research_issues_report.html#recom mendations ectronic_records/research_issues_report.html#recom mendations 1996 conference on electronic records research du/e-recs/Report du/e-recs/Report review of research agenda, MN Historical Society ml ml

NHPRC Initiatives, cont. For links to extant online NHPRC project results, see: interpares/bibliography/NHPRC.htm interpares/bibliography/NHPRC.htm For a list of all funded NHPRC e- records projects, see: /electronic-records/projects.html /electronic-records/projects.html

University of Pittsburgh Project NHPRC funding, Overlapped with “Camp Pitt”, (which spread the word about need) “Business Acceptable Communications” assured by warrant from non-archival contexts Emphasis on evidence and on postcustodial strategies for managing records Emphasis on transactions as records

Warrant by Functional Requirements (for system) Conscientious organization 1 Compliant Accountable recordkeeping system 2 Responsible 3 Implemented 4 Consistent Captured Records 5 Comprehensive 6 Identifiable 7 Complete 8 Authorized Maintained Records 9 Preserved 10 Removable Usable Records 11 Exportable 12 Accessible 13 Redactable Major elements here are organization, recordkeeping system, records

Warrant by Practice Lawyers Auditors Records Managers Information Technologists Managers (mostly ISO 9000, 9001) Medical Professions

Pittsburgh metadata reference model in six layers Note now available (rescued from loss at Pittsburgh) at ml ml Handle [URI] Terms & Conditions [IP, privacy, etc] Structura l Contextual Content Use History [entire life history] Ordering depends on the assumption that metadata will be encapsulated as part of the record

I. Handle layer (ID + description) Unique identifier Record declaration (i.e., as record) Transaction domain (creation context) Transaction instance (date-stamp etc.) Discovery metadata Description standard (e.g. namespace) Descriptors Language

II. Terms & Conditions Layer Restrictions status (any “holds” on data) Access conditions (for restricted records) Use conditions (licenses, redactions, etc. Disposition requirements (retention, destruction)

III. Structural Layer (technical + preservation) File identification metadata (of constituent files) File encoding metadata (standards used) File rendering metadata (standards required) Record rendering metadata (standards required) Content structure metadata (for e.g. databases) Source metadata (creator + capture event)

IV. Contextual Layer (provenance + evidence) Transaction context metadata (people + transaction) Responsibility metadata (Organizational information; org chart, etc.) System accountability metadata (system audit)

V. Content Layer Actual data Any constituent files Any internal markup

VI. Use History Layer Type Instance User Consequences

Indiana University test of BAC Funded by NHPRC Evaluating administrative recordkeeping systems at IU Testing functional requirements Mapping metadata requirements Elimination of “metadata encapsulated objects” (record separated from metadata) Reduction in structural metadata Pulled back from record-level metadata to record, file, class levels in many cases Influenced by MoReq (I.e., )

InterPARES Project Funded by NHPRC, SSHRC Initially a University of British Columbia project that led to DoD STD Aim to establish characteristics of a reliable and authentic electronic record InterPARES is international project funded by NHPRC, SSRC, etc. Aim to establish rest of record life cycle (i.e., after creation and classification)

InterPARES case studies Examine digital recordkeeping systems in wide variety of contexts worldwide Qualitative methods used to discover how records are used, carry out functional analysis Data used to provide basis for modeling preservation processes

InterPARES basis in diplomatics 16 th -19 th -century method for establishing genuineness of documents Defines four types of records: Dispositive (form is essence of evidence) Probative (written form part of evidence) Supporting (written form discretionary, procedurally linked to action) Narrative (provides context)

InterPARES Authenticity template Documentary form Extrinsic elements Intrinsic elements Annotations Medium Context

A quick example e/ delay2.html Do we believe this document? Why? What metadata does it incorporate?

InterPARES findings, 2002 Hopes for a clear typology of record forms dashed after four rounds Contemporary systems too fluid for model No fixed form or content No annotations Embedded in social contexts Managed procedurally

InterPARES 2 Follow-on from InterPARES 1 Addresses “new” file formats: Experiential Dynamic Interactive Description cross-domain Metadata Schema Registry Metadata Specification Model Literary Warrant Database

Meanwhile, in Australia… Bearman and Australia (postcustodialism) Specifics of Australian problems Relatively young government Relatively small government Swift computerization Context: Australian national government recordkeeping + regulated industries

Sue McKemmish, “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” Application of Frank Upward’s records continuum model Integration of continuum process Importance of continuum (compare to life cycle) Governance and accountability Collective memory and identity Records as assets Can be expanded to the idea of any kind of information, not just records Does not require centralized custodianship Heals records manager/archivist split

Identity Evidentiality Trans- actionality Recordkeeping containers Dimension 1 CREATE Dimension 2 CAPTURE Dimension 3 ORGANISE Dimension 4 PLURALISE Actor(s) Trace Transaction [Archival] Document Unit(s) evidence Activity record(s) Organisation Corporate / Individual Memory Function archive Institution Collective Memory Purpose Archives The Records Continuum c.Frank Upward, all rights reserved

“Yesterday” II Four dimensions of the continuum (all active through life of record): Create: actors, acts, documents, trace Capture: reliable recordkeeping systems Organize: entire recordkeeping regime Pluralize: social/archival context for access Liberatory assumptions provide for multiple views

“Create Once, Use Many Times” project Reuse and inheritance of metadata from many contexts Avoid retrospective description Use standards in schema registries Use web services [Use ontology-matching] “Metadata Broker” concept Note: most archives and library activity so far is concentrated at the attribute space/value space level (see next slide)

“Create Once” metadata layers concept Layer 3 (a) Attribute Space (e.g. LOM, Dublin Core, MES, indecs) (b) Value Space (e.g. ontologies, classifications, controlled vocabularies, taxonomies) Layer ? Left out of model: covers cultural and temporal conceptual change Layer 2 Representation (e.g. XML, RDF, DAML-OIL) Layer 1 Transport and Exchange (e.g. HTTP Get, OAI Protocol for Metadata Harvesting)

RKMS Australian Metadata standard Agent Rights Management Title Subject Description Language Relation Coverage Function Date Type Aggregation Level Format Record Identifier Management History Use History Preservation History Location Disposal Mandate

What about EAD? Supported by SAA Archival description focuses on aggregates of objects EAD was created to mark up finding aids, not actual objects So far only experimental use has attempted to add document-level records to EAD descriptions Addition of EAC for detailed name authority control:

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Supported by OCLC Primarily a surrogate/discovery metadata scheme Does not aim to document everything Goal to be easy to use: a “boundary object” for many communities of practice Especially useful for management of active digital objects

Dublin Core elements Title Creator Subject Description Publisher Contributor Date Type Format Identifier Source Language Relation Coverage Rights

Dublin Core development Initial development of simple elements Subelements and user communities: Qualified Dublin Core Warwick Framework container architecture (ca. 1996) RDF and XML: toward namespaces within DC or including DC

Dublin Core in HTML environment Example: MDAH

Library of Congress Metadata Efforts See webpage: MARC (21, AMC, etc.; MARCXML) FRBR multiple-manifestation issue ISBD(G) insistence on nonrepeatable source fields MODS and MADS (Metadata Object/Authority Description Schema) METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard)

Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) Developed out of LoC’s MOA project, available 2003 Initially designed to support maintenance of library of digitized digital objects Note importance of transmission emphasis: not meant to be an internal format Compare to the “manifest” idea for structuring multimedia objects (MPEG-21) Three overall types of metadata, introduced by header for METS document creation context

METS Descriptive metadata External (e.g., finding aid) Internal (part of the document) Provides namespace reference for any XML-encoded non-METS metadata LoC is using MODS, DC, and MARCXML Provides an XML “wrapper” for non-XML metadata (e.g. MARC)

METS Administrative metadata Technical metadata (including e.g. NISO still/MIX) Intellectual property rights metadata Source metadata (re analog source) Digital provenance metadata Relations between files Migration/transformation history data

METS Structural metadata File group list (all the files included) Structural map (defines hierarchical relations between files and METS element structure) Behavior segment (associates executable methods like viewers, render engines, etc. with specific content elements)

METS and XML The METS XML schema ts_xsd/mets.html

Why is it all so complicated? Existing library/archives professions have lacked IT skills for substantive innovation Little impetus to re-vision practice Little awareness of successful external practice (cf. data archives) Existing professions have had different goals Providing access to text blocks Providing high-level access to undescribed collections Preserving physical objects

Why should we care about library/archives schemes? Long track record in descriptive metadata Understanding of ontology construction Indeed most of ALL activity on metadata at the attribute space/value space level is based on library/archives understandings, even if restructured Australian “clever recordkeeping” project is a glimmer of what is needed to blend with Semantic Web/web services/distributed intelligence views of a worldwide information appliance…