Skill Four: Metadata Standards
Metadata is defined as data about data, information about information. If this sounds confusing, TechTerms.com provides a simple definition of how metadata “describes other data” citing examples such as: image size, document length, and creation date. A much more comprehensive guide called Understanding Metadata was published in 2004 by The National Information Standards Organization (NISO).
The NISO publication is meaty, but concise at just 15 pages and that includes a resource list and a glossary! Though the word “metadata” sounds enigmatic to librarians and laypersons alike, compiling metadata is really similar to standard cataloging using MARC 21 – which is itself a metadata standard. There are three types of metadata as defined by NISO: descriptive metadata, structural metadata, and administrative metadata. Anyone working with digital collections should become intimately familiar with all three.
Descriptive metadata can be defined as basic cataloging information about the object itself. This includes the title, author or creator, publisher or other entity responsible for the object, subjects, keywords, and anything else that would be useful for someone attempting to locate a particular item.
Structural metadata is information about the structure of compound objects. Simply put, structural metadata links together records for objects with more than one record. For example, a newspaper is a compound object because, though it is considered one object, its structure includes several pages to create that one object. Each page is individually digitized, but the collection of digital records for each page comprises the compound object – the newspaper. In this instance, structural metadata includes how many pages the digital record spans and it works to connect these records.
Administrative metadata covers a variety of issues including copyright, creation methods, and other technical aspects. In addition to a statement covering intellectual property rights, complete metadata records include information about the creation of the digital object such as: date of digitization, name of file, type of file, image resolution, and equipment used, and sometimes the name of the metadata creator.
Combining the three types of metadata for one record can be very confusing because both the physical object and the digital surrogate are being described. Remembering which aspect is required for each field in the catalog record is easier with practice. Descriptive metadata covers the physical object, while structural metadata connects the digital objects required to simulate the physical object, and administrative metadata is wholly concerned with the digital object. Fortunately, many software programs designed for digital collections include customizable templates for inputting metadata.
There are many established and viable metadata standards currently in use. These include Dublin Core and EAD. NISO’s Understanding Metadata explains these two standards and several more. When deciding which schema to follow, consider how similar collections have been handled. For those who are part of a consortia or other resource sharing group, ask if there is already an established standard. Conforming to an established records format allows for smoother interoperability now and in the future ensuring your collections will be able to migrate into the next new technological wave.
Next Up: Skill Five: Project Management
