curves ahead! a sunday driver’s tour of metadata, metasearch, and open linking

Curves Ahead! A Sunday Curves Ahead! A Sunday Driver’s Tour of Metadata, Driver’s Tour of Metadata,

Metasearch, and Open LinkingMetasearch, and Open Linking

Curves Ahead! A Sunday Curves Ahead! A Sunday Driver’s Tour of Metadata, Driver’s Tour of Metadata,

Metasearch, and Open LinkingMetasearch, and Open LinkingKaren CalhounKaren Calhoun

Cornell University Library Cornell University Library Prepared for the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin RetreatPrepared for the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Retreat

March 18, 2005March 18, 2005

March 2005 Calhoun, Cornell University Library

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Four Easy Lessons1. Why you should care about

metadata2. What metadata is3. Where metadata comes from and

how it’s shared4. Metadata and information

discovery systems

1.Why You Should Care: Strategic Decisions and Actions


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A Strategy for Libraries• Internal and external pressures

– External: library user communities have many choices for discovering the info they need

– Internal: lost opportunities because library staff skill sets lag behind

• Mandate: Carry forward the library’s role to organize the world’s information – Apply this role in the digital age– Embrace metadata as a sustainable strategic

advantage (the one with the best metadata, wins)


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Benefits of Metadata• Overcomes chaos

and infoglut (makes stuff easier to find and manage)

• Saves time• Lowers costs• Complements what

search engines, lists and directories do

• Can be shared, reused, and redistributed


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2. What Metadata Is• Definitions• Evolution: Before and After the Web

(B.W. and A.W.)• Thematic charts of metadata types

and functions• Recognizing metadata when you see

it• Examples: metadata record displays


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Definitions• “Data about data”

(what?)• ALA CC:DA studied 46

definitions!• “Structured, encoded

data that describe characteristics of information-bearing entities…”


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A Functional Definition*• Helps you find and/or manage

information• Serves particular purposes• Can be used by people or by machines• Often has structure and/or content rules• Can be created by people or by

machines*With thanks to Tom Turner, former Metadata Librarian, Mann Library, Cornell University


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Evolution: Metadata B.W. and A.W.

• B.W.– For finding and managing

library materials (mostly print)

– Catalog records (AACR and MARC)

– Shared cooperative cataloging systems

– Usually handcrafted, one at a time

– Highly structured and content-rich

– Expensive

• A.W.– For finding and managing

many types of materials, for many user communities

– Many types of records– Many metadata

repositories (most not shared or sharable)

– Sometimes handcrafted, sometimes machine-made, sometimes both

– Varied structure and content

– Can be less or more expensive than library cataloging

Types of Materials anda Sampling of StandardsText

Audio

Video

Numeric data

Images and objects

Geospatial data

Archival materials

Metadata Functions

Descriptive

Structural

Administrative

MARC, DublinCore, TEI

EAD

FGDC

VRA

ICPSRMPEG

Describes oridentifies inforesources

Facilitatesnavigation, retrieval, display

Facilitatesmanaging,using inforesources


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Recognizing Metadata When You See It (and When You Don’t)

• Embedded in HTML document• Database records• Many ways to display metadata

records• Examples


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3. Where Metadata Comes From and Where It

Can Go• Metadata projects• Creation and tools• Mapping and crosswalks• Interoperability


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Metadata projects: a checklist of questions to

consider• Who will be using the

digital collection, and how?

• How large is the digital project? What software and hardware will you use?

• What is the role of metadata in the project, and at what point will it be created? What is the workflow?

• What is the desired scope and depth of the metadata records?

• Who will be creating the metadata, and how? Is there existing metadata?

• Is staffing adequate? Can you afford the metadata you want?

• What standards will you use or adapt?

• Who needs to be involved in decision-making?

• How will this metadata be integrated into the library’s other collections, databases or catalogs?


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Metadata creation and tools

• Manual• Using templates

– DC-dot (http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/dcdot/)

• Re-using existing metadata– Cornell “sleek” records

What do we know about this image?Bowdoin College baseball team, c. 1896MMN item number 12388Brunswick, Cumberland County, MainePhotographic print25 x 34 cmContributed by Maine Historical SocietyDigitized by Maine Memory Network

Manual MetadataCreation -1-

What do we know about this image?Hedge Laboratory – Bates CollegePhotograph taken circa 1900MMN item number 7394Lewiston, Androscoggin County, MainePhoto transparency2.25 x 3.5 cmContributed by Lewiston Public LibraryFrom Gridley Barrows CollectionDigitized by Maine Memory Network

Manual MetadataCreation -2-


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Manual Metadata Creation: Sample

questions to discuss• What kind of metadata content do

you want to be searchable in your system?

• What is your policy regarding the form of corporate names?

• What is your policy regarding the formatting of dates?

Automated Generation of Metadata / Reuse of Metadata

Automated Generation of Metadata: A “Sleek” Catalog Record


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Mapping and Crosswalks

• Basis for sharing, reusing, redistributing metadata

• Basis for integrating multiple metadata types for federated searching (simultaneous searching of multiple collections)

• Example of a crosswalk: MARC to Dublin Core (http://www.loc.gov/marc/marc2dc.html)


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Interoperability• Defined by CC:DA

as:– “The ability of two or

more systems or components to exchange information and use the exchanged information without special effort on either system.”


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4. Metadata and Information Discovery

Systems• Key problems and issues• Next generation library systems

– ENCompass (Endeavor)– MetaLib (Ex Libris)– Others

• Metasearching and open linking under the hood

• Metadata’s role


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Key Problems and Needs

• PROBLEMS

– Countless information resources, little time

– Searchers on their own to be aware of collections, know how to link, know how to search

– • WE NEED TO HELP USERS QUICKLY AND CONVENIENTLY…

– Learn what collections are available

– Learn which collections are relevant to their needs

– Find the particular parts of collections that meet their needs


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A Next Generation Library System

• Manages metadata diversity• Integrates heterogeneous metadata

types for searching• Provides federated searching of local

and remote collections• Open linking: Provides seamless linking

among related information objects (e.g., a citation and the full text of the article)


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21st Century CatalogingLibraries need to

combine robust shared cataloging systems with new forms of metadata and with tying multiple forms of metadata into a single system.

Federated Searching (Metasearch) Under the

Hood• Web client

displays!• Metadata “lingua

franca”

• Metadata mappings

• Descriptive metadata definitions

• XML data

Dinner is served! Mixing bowls,

cooking, and serving dishes

Recipes

Characteristics of ingredients and how they are packaged

Raw ingredients

Open Linking & Link Resolvers

Source Link Resolver

MetadataOPAC

Link

Full Text

ILL

Link

Link

Open linking introduces a “resolver” into the linking process

OpenURL standardizesthis part of the communication


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Metadata’s Role

West Quoddy Head LighthouseMaine


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Your Turn to Work

curves ahead! a sunday driver’s tour of metadata, metasearch, and open linking

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