1. Get to Know Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
Panhandle Library Access Network
August 18, 2016
Karen Snow, MLS, PhD
Graduate School of Library & Information Science
Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois

2. MARC Machine-Readable Cataloging (current version MARC21)
Developed at the Library of Congress during the 1960s by Henriette Avram
Pioneered the widespread use of variable-length fields and records
Originally used as a way for LC to disseminate and print cards more easily & quickly

3. MARCXML & MODS
During the 1990s, LC began experimenting with using XML. The product: MARCXML and the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
MARCXML – an XML markup of MARC21 records that retains the field and subfield codes
MODS – an natively XML-based schema that retains selected data elements from MARC, but uses language-based tags rather than numeric ones. Not as robust as MARC21, but works well for cataloging digital (and digitized) resources

4. Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
Developed in 2002 by the Library of Congress as an XML-based offshoot of MARC, but geared more towards describing digital resources
MODS version 3.6 – current version
“MODS is an XML schema and guidelines for encoding a resource description. It supports discovery and management of resources, and access to them, as well as exchange and management of encoded descriptions.”

6. MODS Features The elements generally inherit the semantics of MARC
Some data has been repackaged; in some cases what is in several data elements in MARC may be brought together into one in MODS
MODS does not assume the use of any specific cataloging code

7. MODS Advantages The element set is richer than Dublin Core
The element set is more compatible with library data than ONIX
The schema is more end user oriented than the full MARCXML schema
The element set is simpler than the full MARC format

8. MODS Lite
Only the MODS elements that correspond to the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (Simple Dublin Core) The MODS elements could include subelements and attributes as defined under each.

9. MODS Goals Support encoding a description for any type of resource
1) Make no restrictions on type of resource described
2) Define new elements and attributes needed for unsupported types of resources
3) Provide a means for encoding descriptive elements that are not otherwise accommodated in MODS (namely, the "extension" element)

10. MODS Goals
Allow full description of whole-to-part and similar types of relationships
Repeat <relatedItem type=“constituent”> as needed to describe the parts of a complex resource
Use <relatedItem> to preserve one-to-one principle if describing analog/digitized versions of a resource

12. MODS Goals Support encoding the relationship of an agent to a resource
Define an element whose value expresses that relationship (namely, the "role/roleTerm" element)

14. MODS 20 top-level elements
No element is mandatory, but a MODS record must have at least one element
All elements are repeatable except for <recordInfo> (administrative metadata about the metadata record)

15. http://www. loc. gov/standards/mods/userguide/generalapp

16. MODS
Elements/subelements are camel case - all begin with a lowercase letter & if the element/subelement contains multiple words, subsequent words begin with an uppercase letter
typeOfResource
dateCreated
displayForm

17. MODS - Structure Nested, hierarchical, parent-child elements
Main elements, subelements (child elements), and attributes
<titleInfo>
<title>Post-Fordism</title>
<subTitle>A Reader</subTitle>
</titleInfo>
<name type="personal">
<namePart type="given">Ash</namePart>
<namePart type="family">Amin</namePart>
<role>
<roleTerm type="text">editor</roleTerm>
</role>
</name>

18. MODS - Elements
Some top-level elements are “container” elements, some are not (about half are container elements)
“Container” (or “wrapper”) elements do not contain values; only the subelements & non-container elements contain values

19. MODS - Elements
<originInfo> Container element <place> Container subelement <placeTerm>Washington, D.C.</placeTerm> </place> <publisher>Library of Congress</publisher> <dateIssued>1998</dateIssued> </originInfo> <typeOfResource>still image</typeOfResource>
Non-container element

20. MODS – Top-Level Elements
titleInfo: A word, phrase, character, or group of characters, normally appearing in a resource, that names it or the work contained in it. (maps to DC Title) name: The name of a person, organization, or event (conference, meeting, etc.) associated in some way with the resource. (maps to DC Creator & Contributor) typeOfResource: A term that specifies the characteristics and general type of content of the resource. (maps to DC Type) genre: A term or terms that designate a category characterizing a particular style, form, or content, such as artistic, musical, literary composition, etc. (maps to DC Type) originInfo: Information about the origin of the resource, including place of origin or publication, publisher/originator, and dates associated with the resource. (maps to DC Publisher and Date) language: A designation of the language in which the content of a resource is expressed. (maps to DC Language)

21. MODS – Top-Level Elements
physicalDescription: Describes the physical attributes of the information resource. (maps to DC Format) abstract: A summary of the content of the resource. (maps to DC Description) tableOfContents: A description of the contents of a resource. (maps to DC Description) targetAudience: A description of the intellectual level of the audience for which the resource is intended. (no direct mapping to any DC element) note: General textual information relating to a resource. (maps to DC Description) subject: A term or phrase representing the primary topic(s) on which a work is focused. (maps to DC Subject and Coverage) classification: A designation applied to a resource that indicates the subject by applying a formal system of coding and organizing resources according to subject areas. (maps to DC Subject)

22. MODS – Top-Level Elements
relatedItem: Information that identifies other resources related to the one being described. (maps to DC Relation and Source) identifier: Contains a unique standard number or code that distinctively identifies a resource. (maps to DC Identifier) location: Identifies the institution or repository holding the resource, or the electronic location in the form of a URL where it is available. (maps to DC Identifier & possibly Relation?) accessCondition: Information about restrictions imposed on access to a resource. (maps to DC Rights) part: The designation of physical parts of a resource in a detailed form. (no direct mapping to any DC element) extension: Provides additional information not covered by MODS. (no direct mapping to any DC element) recordInfo: Information about the metadata record. (no direct mapping to any DC element)

25. MODS - Subelements Subelements = Refinement for elements For example:
Element = originInfo
Subelements = place; publisher; dateCreated; etc…

28. MODS - Subelements <originInfo> Container element
Some subelements have their own subelements!
<originInfo> Container element
<place> Container subelement
<placeTerm>Washington, D.C.</placeTerm>
</place>
<publisher>Library of Congress</publisher>
<dateIssued>1998</dateIssued>
</originInfo>
Sub-subelement

31. Elements I Will Discuss Today
titleInfo
name
originInfo
subject

32. titleInfo

33. titleInfo - subelements
title: A word, phrase, character, or group of characters that constitutes the chief title of a resource, i.e., the title normally used when citing the resource.
subTitle: A word, phrase, character, or group of characters that contains the remainder of the title information after the title proper.
partNumber: A part or section number of a title.
partName: A part or section name of a title.
nonSort: Characters, including initial articles, punctuation, and spaces that appear at the beginning of a title that should be ignored for indexing of titles.

34. titleInfo

35. titleInfo

36. titleInfo

37. name

38. name

39. name - subelements
namePart: The individual parsed parts that together make up the full name.
displayForm: The unstructured form of the name as given on the resource.
affiliation: The name of an organization, institution, etc. with which the entity recorded in <name> was associated at the time that the resource was created.
role: Designates the relationship (role) of the entity recorded in name to the resource described in the record.
description: A textual description for a name when necessary, for example, to distinguish from other names.
etal: Indicates that there are one or more names that, for whatever reason, cannot be explicitly included in another name element.
nameIdentifier: Indicates a unique standard number or code that distinctively identifies a resource.

40. name - example <name> <namePart>Karen</namePart>
<namePart>Snow</namePart>
<affiliation>GSLIS, Dominican University</affiliation>
<displayForm>Karen Snow, Cataloging Professor</displayForm>
<role>
<roleTerm>professor</roleTerm>
<roleTerm>author</roleTerm>
</role>
<description>Karen Snow is an Associate Professor at Dominican University and has two German Shepherd dogs.</description>

41. name - example

42. name - example

43. originInfo

44. originInfo
place: Name of a place associated with the issuing, publication, release, distribution, manufacture, production, or origin of a resource.
publisher: The name of the entity that published, printed, distributed, released, issued, or produced the resource.
dateIssued: The date that the resource was published, released, or issued.
dateCreated: The date of creation of the resource.
dateCaptured: The date on which the resource was digitized or a subsequent snapshot was taken.
dateValid: A date in which the content of a resource is valid.

45. originInfo
dateModified: The date in which a resource is modified or changed.
copyrightDate: A date in which a resource is copyrighted.
dateOther: A date that does not fall into another category but is important to record.
edition: Information identifying the version of the resource.
issuance: A term that designates how the resource is issued.
frequency: A statement of publication frequency in textual form.

46. originInfo - examples

47. subject

48. subject - subelements
topic: Used as the tag for any topical subjects that are not appropriate in the <geographic>, <temporal>, <titleInfo>, <name>, <genre>, <hierarchicalGeographic>, or <occupation> subelements.
geographic: Used for geographic subject terms that are not appropriate for the <hierarchicalGeographic> element.
temporal: Used for chronological subject terms or temporal coverage.
titleInfo: A title used as a subject.
name: A name used as a subject.

49. subject - subelements
genre: A genre or form used as part of a subject string when the subject authority distinguishes parts of the subject string (e.g. LCSH).
hierarchicalGeographic: A geographic name given in a hierarchical form relating to the resource.
cartographics: Cartographic (maps or charts) data indicating spatial coverage.
geographicCode: A geographic area code associated with a resource.
occupation: A term that is descriptive of the occupation reflected in the contents of the described materials.

50. subject - examples

51. subject - examples

52. subject - examples

53. subject - hierarchicalGeographic

54. subject - hierarchicalGeographic

55. subject - examples

56. Activity
Use the metadata provided in the MODS Metadata handout to populate the values in the MODS Activity XML Template.
Map the local elements below to the appropriate MODS element.
You do not need to add any attributes or additional XML coding.
Many of the MODS subelements in the template will not be used.