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Demystifying metadata

Ann Chapman

UKOLN

University of Bath

UKOLN is funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the Higher Education Funding Councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC and the European Union. UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath where it is based.

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What is metadata?

Structured data about resources• Library catalogues• Abstracting and indexing services• Archival finding aids• Museum documentation• Community information

Carriers: MARC, HTML, SGML, XML

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Markup languages

SGML - Standard Generalised Markup Language

- controls document formatting for publication

XML - Extensible Markup Language

- “next generation” SGML

HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language

- SGML subset, controls display of web pages

Tags (usually paired) structure text into elementse.g. headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.<title> </title> <p> </p> <li> </li>

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MARC - structure

• Structured format

• Numeric and alpha tags

• Fixed fields

• Leader, 001-008, 010-099

• Variable fields

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MARC – elements

1XX Main entry2XX Title, SR, edition, publication3XX Physical description4XX Series5XX Notes6XX Subject access7XX Added entries8XX Added entries for series9XX References and local fields

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ONIX - structure

• Carrier - XML • Primary use

• publishers to Internet booksellers• rich product information

In use • first version 1999• current version Release 2.0 (2001)

• Elements – XML reference name and tag

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ONIX - elements

• Message header• Product record

• identifiers, author, title, edition, language, subject, audience, descriptions, publisher, dates

• territorial rights, dimensions, suppliers, availability, promotions

• Main series and sub series records

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ONIX record

<ISBN> 0123456789 </ISBN>

<DistinctiveTitle> Alice in Wonderland </Distinctive Title>

<Contributor>

<ContributorRole> Author </ContributorRole> <PersonNameInverted> Carroll, Lewis </PersonNameInverted>

</Contributor>

<PublisherName> Collins </PublisherName>

<PublicationDate> 2000 </Publication Date>

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Dublin Core - structure

• Simple resource discovery• DCMES – Dublin Core Metadata Element Set

• HTML the most common ‘carrier’• Comprises 15 elements with

element qualifiers

element encoding schemes

optional/mandatory elements• Application profiles

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Dublin Core - elements

Title

Creator

Subject

Description

Publisher

Contributor

Date

Resource Type

Format

Resource Identifier

Source

Language

Relation

Coverage

Rights

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Dublin Core - record

<Title> Alice in Wonderland </Title>

<Creator> Lewis Carroll </Creator>

<Subject> <LCSH> Fiction </LCSH> </Subject>

<Publisher> Project Gutenberg </Publisher>

<Date> 2000 </Date>

<Format> ASCII file via FTP </Format>

<Identifier> http://promo.net/pg/….. </Identifier>

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Encoded Archival Description

• EAD• 1993 project to develop standard for

machine-readable finding aids,Version 1 1998

• SGML (and XML compliant)

• Hierarchical structure of archives• repository, management group, fonds, series,

file, item

• Possible to embed MARC elements

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EAD - structure

<ead>

<eadheader>

</eadheader>

<frontmatter> [optional]

</frontmatter>

<archdesc>

<did>

</did>

</archdesc>

</ead>

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EAD - elements

<eadheader> [id + bibliographic inf. for finding aid]

<archdesc> [data on a body of archival materials]

<did> [container, physical description, physical location,

repository, date and title of unit]

<admininfo> [biography, scope, access, arrangement]<controlaccess> [name, place, genre, subject, title]

</archdesc>

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EAD record - <header><ead><eadheader><eadid> LKX-3042 </eadid<filedesc>

<titlestmt> <titleproper> Pitman Shorthand Collection Catalogue </titleproper> <author> Ann Chapman </author> </titlestmt>

<publicationstmt> <date> 1990 </date> <publisher> Bath University Library </publisher> </publicationstmt>

</filedesc> </eadheader>

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EAD record - <archdesc>

<archdesc> collection

<did> <abstract> A collection of materials in and about shorthand collected by Sir Isaac Pitman and James Pitman </abstract> </did>

<controlaccess>

<subject encodinganalog=“MARC650”> Shorthand </subject>

</controlaccess>

</archdesc>

</ead>

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Collection Description

Schema developed May 2000Access version for RSLP – summer 2001Web version for Reveal – spring 2002

General attributesSubjectDatesAssociated agentsExternal relationships

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Coll.Desc. - elements

General: title, identifier, description, strength, physical characteristics, language, type, access control, accrual status, legal status, custodial history, note, location

Subject: concept, object, name, place, time

Dates: accumulation, contents

Agents: creator, owner

Relationships: sub/super collections, catalogues and descriptions, associated collections and publications

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Coll. Desc. - record

Title: Pitman Collection

Strength: Shorthand – national collection

Phys. Desc: Printed texts and manuscripts

Lang: English, Spanish, Esperanto, ……

Access: Written request to the Librarian, Bath Univ.

Accrual: passive, deposit

Location: The Library, Bath University, Bath

Subject: Shorthand, Sir Isaac Pitman

Owner: Pitman Publishing Co.

Catalogue: Bath University OPAC

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M21 Community Information

Same principles as MARC Bibliographic

Leader individual/organization/program/event/other

Fixed fields001-008, 010-099 fixed fields

007 disability facilities

008 special aspects

Variable fields

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M21 Comm. Inf. - elements

1XX Name

2XX Title and Address

3XX Physical description

4XX Series (for events)

5XX Notes

6XX Subject access

7XX Added entries

8XX Other variable fields

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M21 Comm. Inf. - record

110 $a CILIP

245 $a CILIP HQ

247 $a LA HQ $f 19?? - 2002

270 $a 7 Ridgmount St, London, WC1E 7AE $k 020 7255 0505 $m info@cilip.org.uk $r 9am to 6pm

311 $a Ewart Room $d seats 50 $g £100 per day

312 $a Overhead projector $f £10 per day

581 $a Library + Information Update

856 $a http://www.cilip.org.uk

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Metadata – fit for purpose

• MARC Bibliographic

• ONIX

• Dublin Core

• EAD

• Collection description

• M21 Community Information