METADATAMETADATA

What Is It and What What Is It and What Can I Do With It?Can I Do With It?

Vicki L. GregoryVicki L. GregoryAssociate ProfessorAssociate Professor

School of Library & Information School of Library & Information ScienceScience

University of South FloridaUniversity of South Floridagregory@luna.cas.usf.edugregory@luna.cas.usf.edu

What is Metadata?What is Metadata?

• Data about dataData about data

– A library catalogA library catalog

– Database records from indexing Database records from indexing and abstracting servicesand abstracting services

– Metatags/descriptors for Metatags/descriptors for information available across a information available across a networknetwork

If the Internet is to continue to If the Internet is to continue to thrive, “something very much thrive, “something very much like traditional library services like traditional library services will be needed to organize will be needed to organize access and preserve access and preserve networked information.”networked information.”

Clifford Lynch, Clifford Lynch, Scientific Scientific AmericanAmerican

Information Retrieval on Information Retrieval on the Web: The Impossible the Web: The Impossible Dream?Dream?

• Super- or metacatalog?Super- or metacatalog?

• Robot-generated indexesRobot-generated indexes

• Encoded textEncoded text

MARC is a Metadata MARC is a Metadata FormatFormat• Advantage -- A Advantage -- A

way of way of integrating integrating metadata into metadata into existing library existing library systemssystems

• Disadvantage -- Disadvantage -- Personnel Personnel intensiveintensive

Robot-Generated Indexes:Robot-Generated Indexes:Harvesting Information Harvesting Information

from Web Sitesfrom Web Sites• HTML META tagsHTML META tags

•AttributesAttributes– CONTENTCONTENT– HTTP-EQUIVHTTP-EQUIV– NAMENAME

•ExampleExample– <META NAME = “Keywords” CONTENT = <META NAME = “Keywords” CONTENT =

“metadata, Dublin Core, TEI”>“metadata, Dublin Core, TEI”>– <META NAME = “Description” CONTENT = <META NAME = “Description” CONTENT =

“Discusses the concept of metadata, its “Discusses the concept of metadata, its various formats, and the strengths and various formats, and the strengths and weaknesses of each.”>weaknesses of each.”>

Dublin Core Dublin Core

• Enrichment of information about Enrichment of information about a document provided either by a document provided either by the author or a third party, such the author or a third party, such as a library catalogeras a library cataloger

• 15-element metadata set15-element metadata set allowing metadata to be attached allowing metadata to be attached or embedded in a large number or embedded in a large number of Web documentsof Web documents

Dublin Core ElementsDublin Core Elements• TitleTitle

• AuthorAuthor

• SubjectSubject

• DescriptionDescription

• PublisherPublisher

• ContributorContributor

• DateDate

• TypeType

• FormatFormat

• IdentifierIdentifier

• SourceSource

• LanguageLanguage

• RelationRelation

• CoverageCoverage

• RightsRights

Partial Example of Dublin Partial Example of Dublin CoreCore

• <meta NAME = “D.C. identifier” CONTENT <meta NAME = “D.C. identifier” CONTENT = “http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/lis6511/”>= “http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/lis6511/”>

• <meta NAME = “D.C. author” CONTENT = <meta NAME = “D.C. author” CONTENT = “Vicki L. Gregory”>“Vicki L. Gregory”>

• <meta NAME = “D.C. subject” CONTENT <meta NAME = “D.C. subject” CONTENT = “collection development, selection, = “collection development, selection, weeding, preservation, intellectual weeding, preservation, intellectual freedom”>freedom”>

Example (Continued)Example (Continued)• <meta NAME = “D.C. description” <meta NAME = “D.C. description”

CONTENT = A survey course dealing with CONTENT = A survey course dealing with all aspects of collection development and all aspects of collection development and collection maintenance issues.”>collection maintenance issues.”>

• <meta NAME = “D.C. date” Content = <meta NAME = “D.C. date” Content = “January 5, 1999”>“January 5, 1999”>

• <meta NAME = “D.C. language” CONTENT <meta NAME = “D.C. language” CONTENT = “English”>= “English”>

• <meta NAME = “D.C. format” CONTENT = <meta NAME = “D.C. format” CONTENT = “HTML”>“HTML”>

Resource Description Resource Description Framework (RDF)Framework (RDF)

• Another effort to standardize description Another effort to standardize description and resource discovery for the Weband resource discovery for the Web

• Developed by World Wide Web Developed by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)Consortium (W3C)

• Netscape and Microsoft have developed Netscape and Microsoft have developed tools to accommodate RDF specificationstools to accommodate RDF specifications

U.S. Government U.S. Government Metadata StandardsMetadata Standards

• FGDC’s CSDGM (Content Standard for FGDC’s CSDGM (Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata)Digital Geospatial Metadata)

– minus: very complex, over 300 minus: very complex, over 300

– different elements with differing different elements with differing options for applicationoptions for application

– plus: allows sharing of data among plus: allows sharing of data among geographic information systems.geographic information systems.

U.S. Government U.S. Government Metadata StandardsMetadata Standards

• GILS (Government Information Locator Service)GILS (Government Information Locator Service)

– Federal Depository libraries required to provide at least Federal Depository libraries required to provide at least one GILS point of access to the publicone GILS point of access to the public

– GILS locator records may describe libraries, and, thus, GILS locator records may describe libraries, and, thus, incorporate them into the GILS systemincorporate them into the GILS system

– Rich source of data co-searchable by Z39.50 online Rich source of data co-searchable by Z39.50 online catalogscatalogs

– GILS has incorporated MARC definitions with one-to-one GILS has incorporated MARC definitions with one-to-one mappingmapping

Human SelectionHuman Selection

• Selection according to stated Selection according to stated criteriacriteria

• Addition of descriptive metadata Addition of descriptive metadata to aid in retrievalto aid in retrieval

Text Encoding Initiative Text Encoding Initiative (TEI)(TEI)

• Humanities related text Humanities related text collectionscollections

• Header elementHeader element

– contains bibliographic contains bibliographic information about the information about the attached documentattached document

TEI HeaderTEI Header• File DescriptionFile Description

– bibliographic informationbibliographic information

• Encoding DescriptionEncoding Description

– editing decisions when encoding documentediting decisions when encoding document

• Profile DescriptionProfile Description

– languages used, setting, etc.languages used, setting, etc.

• Revision Description Revision Description

– log of changes madelog of changes made

TEI Header: Partial TEI Header: Partial ExampleExample<TEIHEADER><TEIHEADER>

<FILEDESC><FILEDESC>

<TITLESTMT><TITLESTMT>

<TITLE TYPE = “245”> Blood of the Prophets / by <TITLE TYPE = “245”> Blood of the Prophets / by Edgar Lee Masters as Dexter Wallace [electronic Edgar Lee Masters as Dexter Wallace [electronic text]</TITLE>text]</TITLE>

<AUTHOR> Masters, Edgar Lee, <AUTHOR> Masters, Edgar Lee, 1868-1950</AUTHOR>1868-1950</AUTHOR>

</TITLESTMT></TITLESTMT>

TEI Example (Continued)TEI Example (Continued)<EXTENT> ca. 122 kb</EXTENT><EXTENT> ca. 122 kb</EXTENT>

<PUBLICATIONSTMT><PUBLICATIONSTMT>

<PUBLISHER>University of Michigan Humanities Text <PUBLISHER>University of Michigan Humanities Text Initiative</PUBLISHER>Initiative</PUBLISHER>

<PUBPLACE> Ann Arbor, Mich. </PUBPLACE><PUBPLACE> Ann Arbor, Mich. </PUBPLACE>

</FILEDESC></FILEDESC>

<ENCODINGDESC><ENCODINGDESC>

<EDITORIALDECI><EDITORIALDECI>

<p> All poems, line groups, and lines are represented. <p> All poems, line groups, and lines are represented. Indentation and table of contents have been preserved. Indentation and table of contents have been preserved. </P></EDITORIALDECI></TEIHEADER></P></EDITORIALDECI></TEIHEADER>

Future of the TEI HeaderFuture of the TEI Header

• Available to patrons on the Web Available to patrons on the Web by using XML, instead of having by using XML, instead of having to convert to HTML (with to convert to HTML (with corresponding loss of information corresponding loss of information details).details).

Encoded Archival Encoded Archival Description (EAD)Description (EAD)

• SGML DTD designed to reflect the SGML DTD designed to reflect the structure of archival finding aids and structure of archival finding aids and the collections they describe.the collections they describe.

• Response to the need for Response to the need for hierarchical structure and highly hierarchical structure and highly contextual information that are part contextual information that are part of the nature of archival information.of the nature of archival information.

CrosswalksCrosswalks• Mapping metadata setsMapping metadata sets

• ConcernsConcerns

– data lossdata loss

– reversibilityreversibility

– who owns and maintains a given who owns and maintains a given mapmap

– map variantsmap variants

Metadata have an Metadata have an acknowledged role in acknowledged role in the organization of and the organization of and access to networked access to networked information.information.

PredictionAt some point in the relatively near future,

catalogers will probably be creating metadata as commonly as they

now do MARC records.