Lifecycle Metadata for Digital Objects

October 23, 2006

Creation Metadata

What happens at file creation?

Consciously You place into the file everything you think it needs in order

to be useful You save it with a file name that will help you find it again

(you hope) Unconsciously (or unwillingly)

Metadata is added using environmental information Metadata is added using information elicited from you

Metadata from creating app (Word 2000 Statistics)

Metadata from creating app (Word 2000 General)

Metadata controlled by the user (Word 2000 Summary)

Metadata controlled by the user (Word 2000 Custom)

Viewing Word Metadata in XML

Add relevant metadata to your Word document as outlined above

If you have Word 2003, save the document as XML Open the document in an XML editor If not, save the document as HTML View the document in Notepad or another ASCII

editor or view source from the HTML document displayed in a browser

The future of XML in Word?

Word has already provided XML markup of its Document Properties and Custom Document Properties metadata for several versions back

In Word 2003 a native (and patented) XML schema was used

In Office 2007 XML will be systematically included in the form of a configurable RM template

Future of XML at Microsoft XML and the whole WC3 model are becoming part of the

emerging Microsoft operating environment from servers to desktop

Note move to a standard IE interface for system functions Steps ongoing to build 5015.2-like records management

functions into office suite as part of the Enterprise Content Management architecture based on the SharePoint Portal Server, so as to get business from governments

Creation metadata thus vital to this whole scheme

Open Office metadata

Note Open Office metadata itself is just as complex as the new Microsoft standard

OO object is packaged as a group of files (see specification, pp. 541-545: the package is a zip file with an XML manifest file containing a list of files and their types)

This means also being concerned with zip file format standard, compression, etc. etc.

[non-Microsoft] Uses of creation metadata

Establishing prior art for an invention Identifying who knew what and when Showing how an object fits into the larger scheme of

things (preserving the “archival bond”) Keeping track of versions of an object Providing assurance of reliability: that the object is

what it purports to be Anchoring the object in the place and time of its

origin

Placement of creation metadata

Same options as for all metadata Embedded within the object (Word metadata) Wrapped around the object (object is embedded in

metadata document: Word document containing metadata embedded in XML document extracting reliability metadata)

Captured, communicated, or kept separately from the object (non-text objects but not only them)

UBC Creation Metadata I

The notion of a complete record Medium Content Form Persons (author, writer, addressee, creator) Acts Archival bond Transmission (intent, capability, success)

UBC Creation Metadata II

“Elements of intellectual form” inside the record: Date (time of transmission and receipt; place of

transmission) Superscription or attestation (author/originator) Inscription (all addressees and receivers) Title and/or subject Disposition/purpose (the intention of the record)

UBC Creation Metadata III

The notion of reliable record; must in addition to completeness have:

“Document profile” as container for the object Date available (created or received) Time available (created or received) [Date and time of further transmission] Author Addressee Subject [classification code, registry number]

DoD 5015.2 Recordkeeping Standard: Assumptions

Note that 5015.2 assumes an entire detailed recordkeeping system that fully accounts for all records at the series, folder, and individual level

The “file plan” defines the recordkeeping system; the “schedule” is applied to entities defined in the file plan

DoD 5015.2 metadata, *=mandatory

Unique identifier* Supplemental marking list Subject/Title* Media type* Format* Date filed* Publication date* Date received

Author/Originator* Addressee* Other addressees* Originating organization* Location Vital record indicator Vital record review/update

cycle* User-defined fields

DoD 5015.2 email metadata mapping

Sender (Author/Originator) Primary addressees (Addressee) Other addressees (Other addressee) Date/time sent (Publication date) Date/time received (Date received) Subject (Subject/Title)

Date/time and persons: vital to records’ reliability

Without date/time, not possible to manage records by date: cutoffs, retention, destruction

Without persons (author, recipient, creator), nobody would care

Without hierarchical set of data categories, no structure

Note dependence on systems in which records creation are embedded

What about non-text objects?

Creation metadata for non-text objects covers much the same ground: Information about occasion of creation, including

technical information (version of coftware, settings)

Information about creator, intention, receiver Information about the object itself

Connecting metadata to a non-text object

Object is kept in specifically-defined file structure File name/ID is crucial to the connection XLink is used to connect the two using a series of

XML attributes:<graphicxmlns:xlink=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink”xlink:type=“simple”xlink:href=“usr/local/coll1/object9.tif”xlink:show=“new”xlink:actuate=“onRequest”/>