Taxonomies and Metadata Class 1: Introduction &

Metadata Basics

April 8, 2008University of Toronto / Faculty of Information Studies /

Professional Learning Centre

Julie Hannaford

jhannaford@oise.utoronto.ca

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Introductions

Instructor:• Julie Hannaford

Students:• Introductions:

• Name• What organization are you from? • What brings you here?

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Basic Stuff

Breaks: 15 minutes per classTaxonomy Guide

Username and password provided by PLC http://plc.fis.utoronto.ca/myplc/myplc.asp

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Class 1 Agenda

Review of course materialsMetadata definitions: elements, schemasKinds of metadataIn-class exercise about metadataPLC’s Taxonomy Guide

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Scenario 1

An Eternal Problem“Everyday living is too fast, too busy, too

complicated. More than at any time in history, it’s important to have good information on just about every aspect of life. And, there is more information available than ever before. Too much in fact. There is simply no time for people to gather and absorb the information they need.”

Source: Delphi Report, June 2004, Information Intelligence: Content Classification and Enterprise Taxonomy Practice

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Scenario 2

Where do I start?“I have one project to implement a metadata framework for

government resource discovery. I am on the first stage of this project, which is to analyse the structure of government resources. I am stuck on this stage. I really don't know the exact method to analyse the structure of a particular resource. I hope I can get some help from professional metadata experts, who can show me a clear method to do this task or give me some references about this!”

Source: http://askdcmi.askvrd.org/default.aspx?from=srch&id=6451&t=

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Scenario 3

What do I have?“The only thing harder than finding any particular

item of information may be finding it again. As organizations and individuals struggle over the intractable problem of data smog, the issue isn’t so much acquiring the information in the first place, but remembering just where it was left.”

Source: http://www.destinationcrm.com/

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Course MaterialsCourse description and objectivesCourse outlineAssignments and marking schemeOther materials

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Information System

A project / service / organization has Documents / objects / resources

Which need to be DESCRIBED

And CLASSIFIED

Via a Data entry system / user interface system

In order to be stored in a Database / software application

For Searching / browsing

Using a User interface application

In order to Retrieve the document / object.

Metadata

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Metadata Defined“Metadata can be defined literally as "data about

data," but the term is normally understood to mean structured data about digital (and non-digital) resources that can be used to help support a wide range of operations. These might include, for example, resource description and discovery, the management of information resources (including rights management) and their long-term preservation.”

Consider the difference between data vs. metadata

(Source: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/ )

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Metadata Defined “Data associated with objects which relieves

their potential users of having to have full advance knowledge of their existence and characteristics." (Source: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/desire/overview/rev_pre.htm)

Sites related to United Kingdom Office for Library and Information Networking:

Home page for UKOLN: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

Adriane Magazine: http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/

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http://main.library.utoronto.ca/webcat/goto_catalogue_url.cfm?where=ckey&what=6148585

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Metadata

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Value of Metadata Identity

Promotes identification and understanding of a resource How old it is, who wrote it, etc.

Consistency Provides business rules across an organization

Relevance Helps people find the information for which they are looking

Unstructured text (i.e. performing a full-text search) or an uncontrolled terminology (i.e. keywords) may yield thousands of results

Allows searching for terms in discrete elements (e.g. title, subject) Search results are fewer and more focused

(Source: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/inter/inter-06-03_e.asp)

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Value of Metadata Inventory

Lists holdings so that know what have Policy compliance

Allows organizations to meet community goals, e.g. resource discovery by Canadians

Interoperability Facilitates exchange/migration of resources

From a logical point of view From a systems/technology point of view

Life cycle management From cradle to grave

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Metadata Element Defined

An element is a property of a resourceProperties are characteristics of a

resource Title Publisher Subject

An element is formally expressed using term/value pair

Source: http://www.dublincore.org/documents/usageguide/glossary.shtml

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Terms and Values

A <term> is an element or property (e.g. Title, Creator, Date)

A <value> is a string that represents the resource

Example: Title: The Three Musketeers Creator: Alexandre Dumas Date: 1843

Term/value pair: <term> = <value>

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Metadata Types

Administrative metadata: “housekeeping” information about the metadata record itself – its creation, modification, relationship to other records, etc.

Descriptive metadata: factual information about the resource being described

Analytical metadata: information analysing and enhancing access to the resource's contents

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Metadata Types

Rights management metadata: information regarding restrictions (legal, financial, etc.) on access to, or use of the resource

Technical metadata: particular hardware or software used in converting an item / object to a digital format, or in storing, displaying, etc.

Other, as determined

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Metadata Types: Administrative

“Housekeeping” information about the metadata record itself – its creation, modification, relationship to other metadata records, etc., e.g.: Record number Date of metadata record creation Date of last modification Identification of creator/revisor of metadata record Language of metadata record Notes Relationship of this metadata record to other(s) Etc.

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Metadata Types: Descriptive

Factual information about the resource being described, e.g.: Title (also alternative and parallel titles; subtitles; short titles; etc.) Creator (author; composer; cartographer; artist; etc.) Date Publisher Unique identifiers Dynamic links (URI; URL; etc.) Physical media; format; etc. Summary; descriptive note; review; etc. Audience level Language of the resource Version Etc.

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Metadata Types: Analytical

Information analysing and enhancing access to the resource's contents. Sometimes referred to as “subject metadata”, e.g.: Controlled subject terms, e.g., subject headings, descriptors Subject/topic keywords Abstract; Table of Contents (TOC) Codes derived from classification systems or categorization

schemes Other elements of local importance, e.g., department affiliation;

project name/code; links to other related e-content

Etc.   

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Metadata Types: Rights Management

Details restrictions (legal, financial, etc.) on access to, or use of a resource, e.g.: Security access rights Permission statements Subscriber/licensing/pay-per-use fees Acknowledgements Copyright notice Use disclaimers Etc.

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A

A

A

D

D

D

Metadata: Administrative, Descriptive, Analytical, Rights

R

ASource: Ontario History Quest: http://ohqdigit.tpl.toronto.on.ca/

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Metadata Types: Technical

Particular hardware or software used in converting a resource to a digital format, or in storing, displaying, etc., e.g.: Digitizing equipment specifications Camera positions Shooting conditions Coding parameters Voice recognition and/or read-back hardware and software Optical scanner specifications Image rendering equipment Type of file and conversion software requirements Etc.

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Technical Metadata: Examples

Collection: JPEG with Photoshop quality setting on 10 (maximum)

Colour: 24-bit RGB ColourColour Bar or Gray Scale: Kodak Color

Control PatchesResolution: 600 dpiCapture Details: ScanWizard Pro 3.06,

Photoshop 5.5, ThumbsPlus 4.0

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Metadata Types: Other

Other particular and/or applicable information, as determined, e.g.: Metadata elements based on local, regional, and/or

organizational requirements Metadata elements that are required in accordance with

a nationally mandated metadata standard Other required metadata not subsumed within any

metadata type above Etc.

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“Other” Metadata Elements

CanCore: http://www.cancore.ca Intended End User Role: Principal user(s)

for which this learning object was designed – teacher, learner, etc.

Typical Age Range: Age of the typical intended user.

In-class Exercise

Metadata for Plays

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In-class exercise Break up into groups of two or three. Your job: create a simple, non-structured

metadata scheme about plays. Identify the kinds of metadata needed for a

system to organize information about them. Audience: People who want to read or stage a

play, not attend a play. 15 minutes, then we’ll discuss.

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1. Browse Categories

2. View Results

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Play sites on the Internet

Samuel French, Inc. (www.samuelfrench.com)

Dramatists Play Service (www.dramatists.com)

Playwrights Guild of Canada (http://www.playwrightsguild.ca/pgc/main.asp )

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Where to Put Metadata

Embed in resource itself Examples:

HTML head area Microsoft Office properties Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP)

Author-created metadata Ensures metadata always with the resource Metadata and resource updated at same time But:

May be difficult to search (e.g. CIP data) Difficult to exchange

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Where to Put Metadata

Store separately – database Example

EDMS document profile (Electronic Document Management System) Library catalogue: http://www.library.utoronto.ca

Linked to resource Efficient for non-HTML resources Simplifies management of metadata Facilitates search and retrieval Facilitates exchange of metadata But:

Links must be maintained When resources change must update profile Must expose database to users

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Metadata Quality

Good metadata should: Be appropriate for the materials in the collection Support interoperability Use standard controlled vocabularies where

appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Getty Vocabularies:

http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies

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Metadata Quality

Good metadata should: Include a clear statement of conditions and terms of

use of the resource Itself have the quality of archivability, persistence and

unique identification Support the long term management of resources

(migration of content that becomes obsolete) Examples:

D-Space: http://www.dspace.org/ T-Space: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/

(Source: FSG Consultants)

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Sources of Elements

Home grown You have complete control

From another authority (e.g. Dublin Core, LOM, etc.) You are constrained by their element name,

definition and rules

Metadata Schemas

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Metadata Schema Defined

“A metadata schema is a set of metadata elements chosen to describe or catalogue a particular type of information resource – e.g. learning objects, geographic data, images, government information, etc.”

(Source: TG)

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Metadata Schema Defined

“An enterprise metadata schema comprises the set of elements used to describe information held throughout the information systems of the enterprise.”

(Source: TG)

Example vendor products:Sharepoint: http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/default.mspx

Knowledge Tree: http://www.knowledgetree.com

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Metadata Schema Defined

“A metadata schema usually provides guidelines on what each element (or field) means, what values or vocabulary should be used and how they should be expressed.” (Source: TG)

“Application profiles” will be discussed in Class 2 and 3.

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Unstructured MetadataSearch Engines

Contain unstructured data Inverted indices – built automatically by web crawlers Can also include <meta> tags in the HTML header

Sometimes ignored by search engines due to “keyword stuffing”

Include proprietary formats of search engines and directories:

Yahoo! Google

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http://ca.yahoo.com/

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49http://www.google.ca/

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Metadata Schemas Contain fielded data

Are often based on international standards

Schemas vary in terms of level of complexity

Metadata can be authored by the creator of the resource or by trained specialists – depends on the standard chosen

Dublin Core

http://www.dublincore.org/

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Simple Dublin Core

ContributorCoverageCreatorDateDescription FormatIdentifier Language

Publisher RelationRightsSourceSubjectTitleType

Australian Government Locator Service

http://www.agls.gov.au/

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National Archives of Australia: AGLS AGLS = Australian Government Locator Service “The AGLS Metadata Standard is a set of 19 descriptive elements

which government departments and agencies can use to improve the visibility and accessibility of their services and information over the Internet.... The AGLS is based upon the leading international online resource discovery metadata standard, the Dublin Core standard.”

AGLS = DC + Availability + Audience + Function + Mandate + various qualifiers for the other elements such as Date

AGLS Metadata Standard: http://www.naa.gov.au/records-management/publications/AGLS-Element.aspx

Implementation Manual: http://www.naa.gov.au/records-management/publications/AGLS-manual.aspx

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http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/index.aspx

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http://www.australia.gov.au/

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http://www.defence.gov.au/army/

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Visual Resources Association Core Element Set

http://www.vraweb.org/projects/vracore4/index.html

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VRA Core

To describe works of visual culture as well as images that document them

Only one object may be described within a single metadata record

Guidelines: http://www.vraweb.org/projects/vracore4/index.html Examples of usage:

Visual Arts Data Service: http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/collections/index.html

ArtSTOR

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http://gort.ucsd.edu/escowles/vracore4/examples/06-display.html

IEEE Learning Object Metadata

http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/

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IEEE LOM 1484.12.1-2002

Standard to describe learning resources Entity, digital or non-digital, which can be used, re-used or

referenced during technology supported learning Learning objects include:

multimedia content instructional software and software tools Examples: http://elearningontario.ca/eng/bank/Default.aspx

Technology supported learning includes: computer-based training systems interactive learning environments distance learning systems

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IEEE LOM 1484.12.1-2002

76 data elements Hierarchical 9 main data elements divided into

Aggregate data elements Simple data elements (leaf nodes)

Only leaf nodes can hold a value Draft available for free viewing

http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/files/LOM_1484_12_1_v1_Final_Draft.pdf

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LOM Element Attributes

Name – name of the element Explanation or definition Size – how any times should it appear? Is it

repeatable? Order – if it is repeatable, how should it be

ordered? Example – best practices Value space – specifies specific vocabularies Datatype

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Catalogablog http://catalogablog.blogspot.com/ Weblog about cataloguing, metadata, and classification. Run by David Bigwood, a librarian at the Universities

Space Research Association, in Texas.

David Bigwood likes metadata.

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Taxonomy Guide

http://ce.fis.utoronto.ca/myplc/myplc.asp

Log in with your username and password.

Choose “Taxonomy Guide” link.

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Homework

Taxonomy Guide Read: Taxonomy Basics: Metadata

(Find under: Basics | Metadata) Definitions Types of Metadata Importance of Metadata Metadata Standards (if you have time)

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