Metadata Options

There are several options to choose from for your archive's metadata. But first, we need to understand what metadata is and how it enables access to the archive.

What is metadata?

Traditionally defined as data about data, metadata adds an information layer on top of the archived item.

Consider a picture of a chair in a digital archive/catalog. While the picture does capture several aspects of the actual object, adding certain other information (metadata) enhances the usability of the digital artifact. For instance physical dimensions (length, width, height, weight) in a specific unit of measurement might be useful for those planing to house the chair in an exhibition, the provenance information would be useful in constructing a story around the object, format of the digital artifact could be needed to transfer it over a network or in rendering it at a presentation site.

Providing such information which is not inherently available in the object but which is essential for managing or accessing the object could be done under several categories:

• Administrative Metadata

• Descriptive Metadata

• Preservation Metadata

• Structural Metadata

Metadata Standards

• DublinCore

• VRA

• CDWA/CCO

• MARC