Metadata

Metadata: Types, Advantages, Metadata standards for libraries. by Muhammad Yousuf Ali

Metadata is information that’s used to describe the data that’s contained in something like a web page, document, or file. Another way to think of metadata is as a short explanation or summary of what the data is. This article will discuss following points:-

a. What is Metadata?

Metadata is data about data. It is a short explanation or summary of what the data is. A simple example of metadata for a document might include a collection of information like the author, file size, the date the document was created, and keywords to describe the document. 

b. Types of Metadata in the context of library material/resources

Metadata comes in several types and is used for a variety of broad purposes that can be roughly categorized as a business, technical, or operational.

  • Descriptive metadata properties include title, subject, genre, author, and creation date, for example.
  • Rights metadata might include copyright status, rights holder, or license terms.
  • Technical metadata properties include file types, size, creation date and time, and type of compression. Technical metadata is often used for digital object management and interoperability.
  • Preservation metadata is used in navigation. Example preservation metadata properties include an item’s place in a hierarchy or sequence.
  • Markup languages include metadata used for navigation and interoperability. Properties might include heading, name, date, list, and paragraph.

c. What are the Advantages of Metadata?

Advantages of Metadata

  1. Libraries employ metadata in library catalogues, most commonly as part of an Integrated Library Management System.

2. Metadata is obtained by cataloguing resources such as books,periodicals, DVDs, web pages or digital images.

3. Library metadata helps establishment of digital libraries including e-printrepositories and digital image libraries.

4. Metadata provides quick understanding ot the library data.

5. Metadata provides a way to easy access and movement of data from one point to another point.

d. What are the Metadata standards use in libraries?

There are different metadata standards are used in libraries to digitalized and automate the libraries and digital content following important metadata standards are as under :-

a. Dublin Core

b. Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

c. Machine Readable Catalogue (MARC)

d. Data Document Initiative (DDI)

e. Resource Description Access (RDA)

f. Metadata Encoding and Transmission standards (METS)

Cite this article (APA)

M.Y. Ali (30 Dec 2020).Metadata: Types, Advantages, Metadata standards for libraries. profileusuf.wordpress.com. https://profileusuf.wordpress.com/metadata/