1. Document, Index, Discover, Access
Metadata
Document, Index, Discover, Access
Purdue University Libraries
Amy Barton
Assistant Professor of Library Science, Metadata Specialist

2. OBJECTIVES METADATA Understand what metadata is, and what it does
Explain in the context of data, why metadata is important
Understand the components of a metadata standard, and explain the benefits for using a standard
Identify appropriate metadata standards and tools for your disciplinary metadata

3. What is metadata? Data about data
Metadata is a means to document the context of a “thing.”
A “thing” can be:
An archeological artifact
A published paper
A photograph
A dataset
Context includes:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How

4. PURR dataset
Published dataset example
What
When
Who
Where
Why

5. Controlled vocabulary
Important for subject terms/key words indexed for discoverability
The more specific, the better…
What

6. Types of metadata
Different types of metadata used in different contexts
Descriptive metadata
Administrative metadata
Technical metadata
Structural metadata
Rights metadata
Preservation metadata
Typical representation
Extensible Markup Language (XML) file
Markup in bracketed elements, attributes and qualifiers
Well-formed & validated

7. Types of metadata DATA DISCOVERABILITY, REUSE & VALIDATION
Importance of descriptive metadata
Descriptive Metadata = The Who, What, Where & Why
Why is Descriptive Metadata important?
DATA DISCOVERABILITY, REUSE & VALIDATION

8. Candy bar Exercise Candy bar Dataset
Each group has a candy bar dataset.
Based on what you have learned about descriptive metadata, describe your dataset.
Think in terms of context:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
Your group has ~10 minutes to record your metadata.
Each group will then share with the class the group’s descriptive metadata.

9. Why use a metadata schema?
Standards-based
Best Practice = Use of a standardized, maintained metadata schema to document a “thing.”
Benefits of using a standard schema:
Rules for documenting and representing context
Structure
Interoperability
e.g., Can be expressed in XML and programmatically parsed for use in other systems/applications
Can be extended to fit with local needs
Generic or discipline-specific
Tools developed to support standards
Deposit in repositories

10. What does a standard look like?
Schema and documentation
Example: Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
Components:
Metadata documentation – what are the elements and attributes
User guide – how do I use the schema and implement
Schema – rules, structure, representation, validation (XML,XSD)

11. Morpho tool brings it all together
Metadata standard, controlled vocab (thesaurus), complete dataset description

12. Tool to find metadata standards
Disciplinary metadata repository

13. METADATA Questions for you Who can explain…
What metadata is and what does it do?
In the context of data, why is metadata important?
What is a metadata standard, and what are some benefits for using a standard?
I encourage you to explore the Disciplinary Metadata Repository or Google to find metadata standards & tools appropriate for your data, and to think through how best to describe your data for sharing, discovery, reuse and validation.
Contact Information:
Amy Barton, (765) , STEW 279