Spring+2005+q3+answer

Spring 2005 Question 3

Courtesy of Sherry Redus.. THANKS SHERRY!

//Metadata plays a crucial role in organizing and representing information resources. In your essay, address the following: a. What is metadata? (You should go beyond the simplistic definition: data about data). b. Why is metadata crucial to organizing and representing information objects? c. Currently, many different metadata schemes are being developed in various environments and disciplines. What are the ramifications of these developments? d. What developments in information technologies have made metadata crucial and why?//

Outline: I. What is metadata? A. Definitions 1. records that describe resources formal scheme of resource description applying to any type of object, digital or non-digital B. Types of metadata 1. descriptive metadata 2. structural metadata 3. administrative metadata II. What does metadata do? A. It increases organization and accessibility (resource discovery) B. It helps to maintain resource context C. It aids in interoperability D. It aids in digital identification E. It aids in archiving and preservation III. What developments in technology have metadata crucial and why: A. Computers and the digital age B. The Internet and World Wide Web IV. Metadata schemes and their ramifications A. Dublin Core B. Other schemes C. Ramifications

Essay: I can't help it; I have to start with "metadata is data about data." It describes a resource to provide information that improves searching. Metadata does not have to be digital, but most of the current discussion about metadata is focused on digital metadata. Information resources have three features-content, context, and structure-all of which can be described through the use of metadata. Content relates to what an information resource contains or what it is about. Context explains the who, what, why, where, and how associated with the resource, and structure relates to the set of associations within or among the resources.

There are basically three types of metadata: descriptive, structural, and administrative. Just as it sounds, descriptive metadata describes a resource for the purpose of discovery and identification. Structural metadata describes how compound objects are structured or put together. Administrative metadata provides information for managing the resource, and there are several subsets to administrative metadata such as rights management metadata and preservation metadata.

The twentieth century brought a revolution in computers and computing technology. The personal computer, the Internet, and the World Wide Web allowed vast amounts of information to be stored digitally by anyone with the equipment and connections, and to be accessed by anyone who had the equipment and connections. It soon became apparent, however, the finding the right information, the information you need, was becoming increasingly more difficult. The reason was that the Internet and Web were just virtual space with no organization. Metadata plays a key role in providing that organization, which then leads to increased accessibility.

Thus, metadata are important for several reasons. The most important is that it increases accessibility. Rich and consistent metadata can improve the effectiveness of searching and make it possible to search across multiple collections. Metadata is also crucial to maintaining context, as many information objects have relationships among themselves and with people, places, and events. Metadata can document and maintain those relationships. Since digital information objects will surely migrate through several generations of computer hardware and software, metadata can help them to exist independently of the system that is currently storing and delivering them. In addition, metadata can assist with linking multiple versions of the same object (like a high resolution image and a thumbnail version of that same image), help improve systems and economics, support preservation and archiving, and document legal or other requirements for use.

There are several metadata schemes. One of the most well known is Dublin Core, which consists of fifteen elements and is meant for use by resource creators because of simplicity. However, while it can be simple, it is also expandable to allow for various disciplines to add attributes for their unique use. Another well known scheme is the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI). It originated with the humanities for use in electronic mark-up of plays, novels, poetry, etc. Other schemes to mention are the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS), the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), and the Encoded Archival Description (EAD). There are many more.

The existence of so many metadata schemes highlights the need for mechanisms that integrate multiple metadata schemes, like the Resource Description Framework (RDF). It also highlights the need for metadata crosswalks that map the elements, semantics, and syntax of one metadata scheme to another. Metadata registries can also be used to provide information about data, and can apply at many levels, including schemes.