Skip to content | Change text size

About metadata

Metadata is usually defined as 'data about data'. It is data in a structured format that describes a resource (National Library of Australia 2001). A metadata record is a set of attributes, or elements (eg author, title, publisher, date, subject, coverage and the call number or URL specifying the location of the item) required to describe a resource. For example, the library catalogue contains a set of metadata records which describe books or other library resources; indexing and abstracting services create metadata for journal article descriptions, etc.

Metadata formats

"A prescribed set of possible descriptive statements is known as a metadata 'format' or 'schema' (although 'schema' is used in a variety of other contexts and can be confusing when used in this one). There are many metadata formats, differing either in basic purpose (administrative, structural or descriptive), depth and richness, or specificity for a particular domain. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' metadata solution, although there are ways to 'translate' one format into another, similar to the ways one language can be translated into another." (Hillmann, Diane (2005) NSDL Metadata Primer)

Benefits of metadata

  • accessibility: rich consistent descriptions of information resources increases accessibility, within and across collections.
  • identification and location: metadata helps identify resources and gives location information.
  • classification: metadata helps classify or categorise content according to one or more vocabularies.
  • search and discovery: metadata makes information retrieval not only faster and easier but also more accurate and cost-effective. Web search engines generally retrieve huge lists of irrelevant information as well as missing relevant information. Metadata can be used to target searches by identifying key elements of the information resource eg author, title, publisher, date, subject etc. to greatly improve the accuracy and precision of information to the user.
  • interoperability: metadata that conforms with recognised international and national standards allows searching seamlessly across multiple systems, worldwide, regardless of hardware and software platforms, data structures and interfaces.
  • reuse: metadata enables content to be searched, reused and repurposed in multiple areas.
  • organisation and management: metadata based on agreed standards, can be used to organize, store and retrieve content for management purposes. Metadata can be applied to content at each stage of the workflow to enable the content management system to manage it.
  • rights: relevant intellectual property rights and terms and conditions of use of digital objects can be captured through metadata.
  • preservation: preservation metadata can record special characteristics of the resource to ensure that resources will be accessible in the future.

Metadata storage

A metadata record may be stored separate from the item as in the library catalogue and linked to the print item through the call number or the electronic resource via the URL or the metadata record can be embedded in the resource itself as in Cataloging In Publication (CIP) data printed on the verso of a book's title page or the HTML header in a web resource.

Metadata harvesting

Metadata in or associated with a repository can be harvested. The Open Archives Initiative's Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) was created to facilitate discovery of distributed collections. It providing a mechanism for harvesting metadata records from OAI-compliant repositories which can then be used to create services providing access to aggregated collections contained in several repositories.

Key links

Need help? Library frequently asked questions and online enquiries: current students/staff | public users, online chat, or phone +61 3 9905 5054
Something to say? Use our online enquiry service to send us your feedback and suggestions: current students/staff | public users