7.2 Metadata creation and management

Metadata creation and management are crucial for preserving and organizing rescued stories. It's like giving each story a special ID card with all its important details. This helps us find, understand, and take care of these stories over time.

Good metadata makes stories easy to find and use. It's not just about describing what a story is about, but also keeping track of technical stuff like file types and when it was created. This info helps keep stories safe and accessible for years to come.

Metadata for Access and Discovery

The Role of Metadata in Digital Asset Management

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• Metadata is structured data that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource
  • Provides essential context about a digital asset
  • Enables users to find, identify, and understand digital resources
• Descriptive metadata aids in the discovery and identification of digital assets
  • Includes elements like title, author, subject, and keywords
  • Allows users to find relevant resources through searching and browsing
  • Example elements: "The Great Gatsby" (title), "F. Scott Fitzgerald" (author), "American literature" (subject)
• Administrative metadata helps manage a resource over time
  • Includes information such as creation date, file type, technical details, and access permissions
  • Critical for long-term maintenance and preservation of digital assets
  • Example elements: "2022-01-15" (creation date), "image/jpeg" (file type), "John Doe" (creator)

Metadata for Preservation and Structural Integrity

• Structural metadata indicates how compound objects are put together
  • Defines the relationships between parts of a digital asset
  • Ensures that the resource can be rendered as a coherent whole
  • Example: specifying the order of pages in a digitized book to form chapters
• Preservation metadata documents the provenance and authenticity of a resource
  • Supports long-term access to digital assets, even as file formats and systems change
  • Includes information about the origin, chain of custody, and preservation actions taken
  • Example elements: "Digitized from original manuscript" (provenance), "SHA-256 checksum" (fixity information)

Applying Metadata Standards

Choosing Appropriate Metadata Standards

• Metadata standards provide rules for structuring and encoding metadata
  • Ensure consistency and enable interoperability between systems
  • Choice of standard depends on material type, community of practice, and intended uses
  • Examples: Dublin Core (general purpose), MODS (bibliographic), VRA Core (visual resources)
• Dublin Core is a widely adopted, general purpose metadata standard
  • Defines 15 core elements for describing a wide range of networked resources
  • Known for its simplicity and flexibility
  • Core elements: Title, Creator, Subject, Description, Publisher, Contributor, Date, Type, Format, Identifier, Source, Language, Relation, Coverage, Rights

Applying Specialized Metadata Schemas

• MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) is used for library applications
  • More detailed than Dublin Core, but less complex than full MARC cataloging
  • Suitable for bibliographic resources such as books, articles, and archival materials
• VRA Core describes works of visual culture and their images
  • Consists of a metadata element set and a blueprint for hierarchical structure
  • Used for art, architecture, and other visual resources
• PREMIS (Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies) is the standard for digital preservation metadata
  • Defines a core set of metadata elements for preservation activities
  • Ensures long-term usability of digital objects
  • Example elements: "Object identifier", "Preservation level", "Significant properties", "Event outcome"

Metadata Record Management

Ensuring Metadata Consistency and Accuracy

• Consistency in metadata creation is essential for effective search and retrieval
  • Metadata fields should be used in a uniform manner
  • Data values should be entered according to standard conventions
  • Example: personal names in inverted order (Last name, First name), dates in YYYY-MM-DD format
• Accuracy means the metadata correctly reflects the resource's attributes
  • Inaccurate metadata can lead users to irrelevant resources or make a resource unfindable
  • Metadata should be created by those with sufficient subject knowledge
  • Authority control ensures names, places, and other key values are correct and consistent

Maintaining Metadata Completeness and Currency

• Completeness refers to the extent to which all required metadata fields are populated
  • Missing data can reduce the findability and usability of a resource
  • Required fields should be defined based on user needs and the nature of the collection
  • Completeness can be checked through data audits
• Metadata records should be maintained over time
  • Ensures ongoing accuracy and relevance
  • Involves adding new metadata, correcting errors, and updating values
  • Maintenance activities should be prioritized based on impact and available resources
  • Automated tools can assist in identifying records needing review

Controlled Vocabularies for Metadata

Types of Controlled Vocabularies

• A controlled vocabulary is an organized arrangement of words and phrases used to index and retrieve content
  • Includes preferred and variant terms
  • Has a defined scope or describes a specific domain
  • Examples: subject headings, taxonomies, thesauri
• Taxonomies organize concepts into a hierarchical structure
  • Used to classify content and show relationships between concepts
  • Broader terms represent general concepts, narrower terms represent specific concepts
  • Related terms indicate associative relationships
• Thesauri provide a detailed set of relationships between terms
  • Include hierarchy, equivalence, and association relationships
  • Preferred terms used for indexing, non-preferred terms direct users between concepts
  • Example relationships: Broader Term (BT), Narrower Term (NT), Related Term (RT), Use For (UF)

Developing and Maintaining Controlled Vocabularies

• Developing a controlled vocabulary is an iterative process
  • Define the scope and identify key concepts
  • Determine term relationships and establish term forms
  • Document guidelines for use
  • Requires input from subject experts and users
• Controlled vocabularies and taxonomies should be regularly maintained
  • Add new terms, refine relationships, and ensure continued relevance to user needs
  • Maintenance activities: adding new terms, deprecating outdated terms, refining relationships
  • Based on user feedback and changes in the field