Ebook: Introduction to metadata

Metadata provides a means of indexing, accessing, preserving, and discovering digital resources. The volume of digital information available over electronic networks has created a pressing need for standards that assist in locating, retrieving, and managing this vast and complex universe.

This revised edition of Introduction to Metadata , first published in 1998 and updated in an online version in 2000, provides an overview of metadata—its types, roles, and characteristics; a discussion of metadata as it relates to Web resources; a description of methods, tools, standards, and protocols for publishing and disseminating digital collections; and a handy glossary. Newly added to this edition are an essay on the importance of standards-based rights metadata for cultural institutions; and a section entitled “Practical Principles for Metadata Creation and Maintenance.”