Metadata issues and challenges facing by the libraries and what to learn for link data

1. Metadata Trends, Issues
&
Opportunities: Link Data
Amna Farzand Ali
PhD. Scholar
DOIM-PU.
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2. Contents..
 Concepts/definitions
– What do all these means?
 Categories of metadata schemes and tools
– How do they relate to each other?
 Issues, Opportunities & Recommendations
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3. Metadata - What is it?
 Data about data
 Structured information that describes,
explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier
to retrieve, use, or manage an information
resource.
 Used to describe anything- both physical and
digital.
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4. Types of Metadata
 Descriptive
– What is it?
 Structural
– What files comprise it?
 Administrative
– Origin and access rights
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5. Seven Purposes of Metadata
1. Resource description
2. Resource discovery
3. Administration and management of resources
4. Record of intellectual property rights
5. Documenting software and hardware environments
6. Preservation management of digital resources
7. Providing information on context and authenticity.
(Day,1999).
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6. Five-Point Metadata Model
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(Hayness, 2004)

7. Metadata Standards Types
 Data structures
 Data contents
 Data values
 Data exchange
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8. Metadata schema
 A set of descriptive elements with well-defined
interpretations (semantics) that collectively
form a description of a resource.
 Metadata schemas are also called element
sets, property vocabularies.
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9. Metadata schema-Example-1
 Dublin Core
- 15 core elements set to describe variety of resources
 Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC)
- information about a bibliographic items in libraries
 Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
-Extension in MARC fields, language-based tags rather than
numeric ones.
 Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS)
- Especially MARC standards of the Library of Congress
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10. Metadata schema-Example-2
Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME)
- Likely replace MARC as the foundation for data-exchange and sharing of
information
Schema.org
-Common types of data are related to creative works, embedded objects,
events, organization and peoples.
Friend of a Friend (FOAF)
-Everybody can provide/link his/her own FOAF file on his/her own webpage.
Resource Description Framework (RDF)
-A structured framework for multiple resource description schemas
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11. Metadata - Who needs it?
 Impact of metadata on collection access
– Without metadata there is no service to users
– Metadata provides the meaning for resource discovery, grouping,
filtering, matching user needs
– Keyword searching works only for resources that are text-based -
excludes photographs, data sets, objects, maps, audio, video…
 Metadata itself as valuable content
– Item descriptions, Finding aids, Reviews etc.

12. Metadata- Why?
 Interoperability
– Works with other systems
– Share data across systems
 Extensibility
– Modify to suit local needs
 Granularity
– Level at which item or collection of items is
described

13. Metadata & Link Data
 Metadata is structured information that is called “data
about data”.
 Linked Data is a set of best practices for “publishing
and connecting structured data on the web”.
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14. Why Does This ALL Matter?
“Our descriptions no longer stand alone!
Connect our data with the rest of the WEB
allow others to reuse more easily”
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15. Challenges…
 Metadata quality issues
 Technical barrier to understand the link data and other
technologies
- Extensive use of the MARC
- web-based standards & Terminologies
- complexity of Linked data technologies (RDF/XML, RDFS, OWL
etc.)
 Diversity in Resources & Users Needs
 Emerging Technologies
 Interoperability issues
 Design Patterns
 Technical Infrastructure etc.
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16. Opportunities…
 Metadata enhances retrieval performance-across the web.
 Metadata is Shareable, extensible, and easily re-usable.
 Metadata can help to determine the authenticity of data.
 Metadata is the key to interoperability.
 Metadata provides more soundly modeled bibliographic,
- Discovery Services
- Web Services
- User Profiling
- Collaboration tools
 Endless opportunities to cope the changes of time and needs.
 In short, Metadata is the future.
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17. Recommendations for making a
conceptual shift
 Libraries shall rise to the challenges presented by Linked Data
 Adopt the minimum requirements of Linked Data principles
 Develop ontologies: entities (classes), elements (properties) and
values (instances)
 Deciding on what needs to be retained
 Become part of the Linked Data web
 Adopt a mixed-metadata approach
(Alemu, 2012)
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18. Summary…
 It is here to stay.
 Metadata will be an integral part of information systems.
 Metadata will be invisible to most users.
 A need for a universal model for metadata to encourage future
developments.
 To cope with the challenges planning and goal setting are two
important factors for information professionals/librarians.
 Need to keep an eye on metadata standards and schema.
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19. References…
 Mitchell, E. T. (2013). Metadata developments in libraries and other cultural
heritage institutions. Library Technology Reports, 49(5), 5-10.
 Riley, J. (2017). Understanding Metadata What is Metadata, and What is it for?
Baltimore, USA: National Information Standards Organization, NISO.
 Zeng, M. L. (2016). Metadata Basics, 13/03/2017, from
http://marciazeng.slis.kent.edu/metadatabasics/standards.htm
 Hooland, S. v. a., & Verborgh, R. a. (2014). Linked data for libraries, archives and
museums : how to clean, link and publish your metadata. London: Facet
Publishing.
 Day, M. (1999) Issues and Approaches to Preservation Metadata. Paper at Joint
RLG and NPO Preservation Conference on Guidelines for Digital Imaging,
www.rlg.org/preserv/joint/day.html [accessed 25/2/2004I).
 Haynes, David. (2004) Metadata for information management and retrieval
 Alemu, Getaneh. (2012) Linked Data for Libraries: Benefits of a Conceptual Shift
from Library-Specific Record Structures to RDF-based Data Models
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20. Thanks!
Questions?
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