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MARC, MODS, MARCXML, TEI, EAD, Dublin Core, METS, RDF, topic maps, ETD-MS... metadata standards abound. How to pick the right ones?

Shockingly, technical merit is close to the bottom of the decision stack. Many other concerns come first.

Executive Summary

Tagging refers to the process by which users assign terms meaningful to them to a resource in the online environment. The rise of social bookmarking Web sites have skyrocketed tagging systems into the mainstream.

I was in a meeting this week where the topic of “Data-centric” vs. “Document-centric” XML arose. These concepts aren’t immediately obvious, and it took me a reasonable amount of time to understand them. So here’s the deal…

Executive Summary

Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) is a conceptual model of the bibliographic universe outlined in a 1998 report from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The report uses entity-relationship analysis to “provide a clearly defined, structured framework for relating the data that are recorded in bibliographic records to the needs of the users of those records.” (FRBR Report, p. 7) The most influential parts of the FRBR report are the definitions of user tasks and bibliographic entities.

A commenter on TechEssence recently wondered "...if knowing about metadata would make me a better librarian even if I'm neither a cataloger nor a repository rat." I'd vehemently argue that the answer is YES.

Executive Summary

The term Dublin Core refers to set of metadata elements intended to represent information that is "core" across all knowledge domains. It is frequently referred to as a "lowest common denominator" metadata format, and is often used as a base metadata format for cross-collection searching.

Executive Summary

The Open Archives Initiative is an ad hoc organization that created a protocol for organizations to share metadata. The OAI Protocol for Metadata Harvesting is being used by hundreds of organizations worldwide to share metadata with others and "harvest" or gather metadata from others. It has emerged as one of the most useful protocols for providing interoperability among repositories of digital content. To get a sense of the breadth and depth of content available via this protocol, see OAIster.org.