Metadata 101Metadata 101

Sandy McIntyre Colby

SOASIS- Dayton

2000-11-30

Sandy McIntyre Colby

SOASIS- Dayton

2000-11-30

OutlineOutline

Environment Scan

Metadata Basics

Dublin Core 101

Selected Standards

Discussion & Questions

Environment Scan

Environment Scan

How big?How big?

7.1 million unique web sites, a 50 percent increase over the previous year's total of 4.7 million

41 percent of the Web, or about 2.9 million sites are Private– “OCLC Researchers Measure the World Wide Web” Oct. 16, 2000

(http://www.oclc.org/oclc/press/20001016a.htm)

MetadataMetadata

Known items vs. a topic – Data about data– Or: Structured Data about data

Structure – Lots of communities do metadata

Metadata basics

Metadata basics

MetadataMetadata

What is “metadata”?– Data about data– Or: Structured Data about data

Sound familiar?– Lots of communities do metadata

Why metadata?Why metadata?

Improves discovery

Enables retrieval

Supports administration

DiscoveryDiscovery

Navigating large collections is challenging!

Used to build databases to answer key what, who, where, when questions like:– What exists on a topic, in a genre, by an author, for a specific

audience, published in a given year?

Brings out content, value, relationships that are not expressed in the resource

Supports fast, arm’s-length evaluation of resources to optimize retrieval, save users’ time

Is often used to “market” resources to users – Catalogs / directories / search engines– Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI))

RetrievalRetrieval Identifiers that assist manual and automated

systems in retrieval– Shelf location for physical resource– File location for electronic resource

System requirements for e-resources– User’s system responds to file type with correct application

Captures rights and privileges information– Circulation– Document delivery– Interlibrary loan

So what’s the big fuss?So what’s the big fuss? The Web is large and growing quickly

Many producers, many users on the Web

Navigating networked resources is difficult

Good description = – better access– better control

Control and access = big business

Convergence of interests = collaboration in building standards (interoperability)

Types of metadata

Descriptive

Structural

Administrative1111

2222

3333

Title = Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

File type = jpg

Rights holder = NGDB

Concepts to know:Concepts to know:

Concepts to know (cont.):Concepts to know (cont.):

Semantics – What’s in a name?

Syntax – We gots grammar

Interoperability – Sharing...

Concepts to know (cont.):Concepts to know (cont.):

Metadata objects can be:

– Embedded in the resource

– Separate from the resource

– Both embedded and separate

MM

MM

MMMM

Dublin Core101

Dublin Core101

“Dublin Core”“Dublin Core”

Common name for the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES)

DCMES is a – a common core of semantics for resource description– it appears to be very useful in facilitating:

• retrieval of described resources

• as a lingua franca for the exchange of resource descriptions

DCMES is maintained by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) hosted by OCLC

purl.org/dcpurl.org/dc

International in ScopeInternational in Scope

Purl.oclc.org/dc/project/index.htmPurl.oclc.org/dc/project/index.htm

Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES)Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES)

A set 15 elements designed to enhance discovery and retrieval of resources

Goals of DCMES:• Simplicity of creation and maintenance

• Commonly understood semantics

• Conformance to existing and emerging standards

• International scope and applicability

• Extensibility

• Interoperability among collections and indexing systems

“Rules” for DCMES“Rules” for DCMES

DCMES is extensible:– Additional elements, schemes, qualifiers may be defined and

used in conjunction with DCMES– DCMES may be modified by DCMI to add more elements,

schemes, qualifiers over time

Approved elements, schemes qualifiers may only be used with appropriate elements

All elements, qualifiers, schemes are optional

All elements, qualifiers, schemes are repeatable

DCMES special practice may be defined by individuals, agencies, communities

Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES) (cont.)Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES) (cont.)

Selected StandardsSelected

Standards

Selected metadata standardsSelected metadata standards

ISBD (AACR2 / MARC)

Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) headers

Encoded Archival Description (EAD)

VRA Core Categories (VRA CC)

Global Information Locator Service (GILS)

Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM, formerly FGDC)

Metadata transport standardsMetadata transport standards MARC (MAchine Readable Cataloging)

SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language)– HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)– XML (Extensible Markup Language)

RDF (Resource Description Framework)

Character encoding– MARC 21 repertoire– Unicode

Character EncodingCharacter Encoding

Many standards available

Of critical importance to be sure that systems correctly process, index, display textual data

MARC 21 uses various ISO standards plus EACC, etc.

Global standard gaining acceptance: Unicode

http://www.unicode.org/http://www.unicode.org/

http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/specifications/speccharintro.htmlhttp://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/specifications/speccharintro.html

Who uses metadata?Who uses metadata?

Elementary students

Publishers, authors, institutions

Librarians Reference/Catalogers

International in scope

Elementary studentsElementary students

Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 51(2): 193-201, 2000: 193- 201.Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 51(2): 193-201, 2000: 193- 201.

Publishers, authorsPublishers, authors

Crossref- Ovid

The Association of American Publishers and Andersen Consulting recommended E-Book metadata standards

Implement a document-identification scheme worldwide

WebmastersWebmasters

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/alsop/0,5238,88063,00.htmlhttp://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/alsop/0,5238,88063,00.html

LibrariansLibrarians

Librarians– Reference, catalogers

Corporate, academic, government

AcademiaAcademia

40,000+ images215,000+ recordsare in this system

40,000+ images215,000+ recordsare in this system

U. of Michigan's media image services (a search system based on Dublin Core elements)

U. of Michigan's media image services (a search system based on Dublin Core elements)

http://www.images.umdl.umich.eduhttp://www.images.umdl.umich.edu

Applying Dublin CoreApplying Dublin Core

Acquisitions– Often mandated (law or management)

Determine metadata set

Controlled vocabulary

Template (tools)

Indexing

Prototype

CORCCORC

Discovery, harvesting, template, automated HTML

Internal publishing

Leaflets (web resources that end unto themselves)

Global standard gaining acceptance: Unicode

Additional links: Web Characterization:

– Statistics, publications, related links (http://wcp.oclc.org/)

Cataloging & Metadata Resources: – Metadata (http://slis.cua.edu/ihy/catmeta.htm#D2)

Open Archives Initiative:– (http://www.openarchives.org)

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative– Home page (purl.org/DC)

Dublin Core Library Interest Group mailing list: – http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/dc-libraries/

IFLA -- Digital Libraries: Metadata Resources– http://www.ifla.org/II/metadata.htm