1. INFORMATION STRUCTURES FOR VISUAL WORKS
Jonathan Furner :: November 30, 2010

2. Information structures
for resource use
for resource access
discovery, retrieval, search ...
for resource description
cataloging, classification, representation, arrangement, organization, documentation, registration ...
resource-description (metadata) standards

3. Two kinds of standards universal, global, generic, one-size-fits-all
vs.
particular, local, specific: different standards for ...
different kinds of resources and/or collections
different kinds of collecting institutions
different kinds of user communities
etc.

4. Many kinds of resources
library / bibliographic resources
books, articles, documents
archival resources
records, manuscripts, papers
museum resources
objects, artifacts, specimens
visual resources
images, photographs, pictures
moving-image resources
motion pictures

5. Differences that make a difference
So, what are the relevant differences among resource-types?
And how do those differences translate into different requirements for metadata standards?

6. There is no WorldCat for objects
the ideal museum/VR discovery service?
a global database of images of visual works ...
... represented by records based on an “International Standard Object Description” ...
... identified by an “International Standard Object Number” ...
... and related to one another using a data model specified by some “Functional Requirements for Object Records” ...
... providing a one-stop-shop for searches for “Monet”
we are some way from this
but some standards exist and are useful, and it’s up to us (a) to promote their use, and (b) to develop some more

7. Categories of metadata standards
structure standards: schemata
MARC, EAD, Dublin Core, CDWA, CDWA Lite, VRA Core, LIDO ...
content standards
RDA, DACS, Spectrum, CCO, AMIM2, FIAF Cataloguing Rules ...
value standards: vocabularies
for names of: kinds of objects, activities, agents, materials, properties; individual people, places, events, subjects, works ...
format/exchange standards: encodings
MARC, XML ...
model standards
FRBR, CIDOC CRM, FRBRoo, CCO data model ...

8. References VRA Core 4.0: http://www.loc.gov/standards/vracore/
LIDO: Lightweight Information Describing Objects:
CCO: Cataloging Cultural Objects:
TGM: Thesaurus for Graphic Materials:
Getty Vocabularies: ml

12. Credits
Evans, Walker Alabama Tenant Farmer Wife. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. _tenant_farmer_wife_walker_evans/objectview.aspx?page=1159&sort=0&sortdir=asc &keyword=&fp=1&dd1=19&dd2=0&vw=1&collID=19&OID= &vT=1&hi= 0&ov=0
Levine, Sherrie After Walker Evans: 4. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. lker_evans_4_sherrie_levine//objectview.aspx?OID= &collID=19&dd1=19
Mandiberg, Michael Untitled (AfterSherrieLevine.com/2.jpg).