Metadata for Digital Collections: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual

Citation

Likonelo Bitso, C. (2012), "Metadata for Digital Collections: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual", The Electronic Library, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 449-450. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471211241744

The book is a manual that provides clear guidance for the creation of metadata in digital environments. It is coherent and systematic, clarifying key concepts for one to understand fundamental principles in metadata creation. Chapter 1 is a clarification of metadata, its functions, the various types, standards, and the most common digital collections. Every concept alluded to in the text is well explained no matter how basic it may appear. The chapter gives examples of software such as CONTENTdm and Greenstone, then zooms to metadata for digital environments, designing and documenting a metadata scheme, creating metadata for digital objects, and metadata sharing, harvesting and aggregating.

Chapter 2 introduces resource description and Dublin Core (DC) metadata for digital objects. It recognises related terms such as metadata creation, cataloguing, and indexing, but emphasises that metadata creation includes analysing the resource's subject content. Granularity, element repeatability, and functionality are explained and the DC Metadata Element set is introduced. Chapter 3 continues with DC's resource identification and responsibility elements such as title, identifier, date, language, and intellectual property elements, offering useful tables for comparison with Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), and Visual Resource Association (VRA) Core Categories (VRA 3.0 and VRA 4.0).

Chapter 4 continues with DC elements related to the intellectual content of digital resources. It guides practitioners on DC types and genres such as still and moving images, text, sound, etc. It impressively clarifies elements that are often confused such as type, format, relation and source. The chapter guides practitioners on physical description, subject representation and retrieval, and analysis of the about‐ness, of‐ness, is‐ness and facets. Chapter 5 is about the importance of controlled vocabularies for improved resource discovery. It explains types of controlled vocabularies, including the pros and cons of using established vocabularies vs creating vocabularies. Chapter 6 is a brief introduction to Extensible Markup Language (XML) metadata coding presented in a simple and easy to understand manner. Chapter 7 offers a detailed overview of MODS' top level elements and sub‐elements showing its XML, and chapter eight presents an overview of the VRA Core categories, specifically VRA 3.0 and 4.0 as metadata standards for museums. In chapter two, Miller alludes to designing a local or consortial metadata schema thus leading practitioners to issues of metadata interoperability, shareability and quality which are further articulated in chapter nine. Related issues of interoperability such as viability of the metadata migration, sharing for consortia, conversion and aggregation are discussed. Chapter 10 guides practitioners on designing and documenting a metadata scheme including how to analyse context, content, users and determine appropriate functional requirements. Selection and development of an element set as well as factors to consider when choosing a metadata element set, with illustrations from OhioLINK MAP and CONTENTdm provided. Chapter 11 explains metadata, Linked Open Data and the Semantic Web.

The book foreshadows what to expect in each chapter and subsequent chapters, uses signposts linking related sections, and ends each chapter with a useful summary. It has a companion website www.neal‐schuman.com/metadata‐digital‐collections that offers review questions, and suggestions for exercises useful for students. The website also includes other resources related to issues discussed in each chapter. The book has an array of useful illustrations (figures, photos and tables) and examples that further clarify the text and provide a clear picture about metadata schemes such as Dublin Core, VRA, and MODs. I was particularly impressed by illustrative tables of each element in these metadata schemes. It is an informative and useful textbook for information organisation and representation. While Miller makes reference to important and relevant sources in each chapter, he also provides a bibliography and an index at the end. It is certainly an enlightening metadata book recommended for students, lecturers and practitioners.