Lifecycle Metadata for Digital Objects

September 11, 2002

Major archival and digital library metadata schemes

NHPRC Initiative, 1991

• Research Issues in Electronic Records

• http://www.archives.gov/nhprc_and_other_grants/electronic_records/research_issues_report.html#recommendations

• 1992 review of research agenda, MN Historical Society

University of Pittsburgh Project

• 1992-1996• “Business Acceptable Communications”• “Warrant” for functional requirements

– Legal– Records Management– Management– Medical– Archival

Pittsburgh metadata reference model in six layers

• Handle

• Terms & Conditions

• Structural• Contextual• Content• Use History

Handle layer

• Unique identifier– Record declaration– Transaction domain– Transaction instance

• Discovery metadata– Description standard– Descriptors– Language

Terms & Conditions Layer

• Restrictions status

• Access conditions

• Use conditions

• Disposition requirements

Structural Layer

• File identification metadata

• File encoding metadata

• File rendering metadata

• Record rendering metadata

• Content structure metadata

• Source metadata

Contextual Layer

• Transaction context metadata

• Responsibility metadata

• System accountability metadata

Content Layer(actual data)

Use History Layertypeinstanceuserconsequences

Indiana University test of BAC

• Evaluating administrative recordkeeping systems at IU

• Testing functional requirements• Mapping metadata requirements

– Elimination of “metadata encapsulated objects”– Reduction in structural metadata– Pulled back from record-level metadata to record, file,

class levels– Influenced by MoReq– Lacks understanding of implementation issues

InterPARES Project

• Initially a University of British Columbia project that led to DoD STD 5015.2

• Aim to establish characteristics of a reliable and authentic electronic record

• InterPARES is international project funded by NHPRC, SSRC, etc.

• Aim to establish rest of record life cycle

InterPARES case studies

• Examine digital recordkeeping systems in wide variety of contexts worldwide

• Qualitative methods used to discover how records are used, carry out functional analysis

• Data used to provide basis for modeling preservation processes

InterPARES basis in diplomatics

• 19th-century method for establishing genuineness of documents

• Defines four types of records:– Dispositive (form is essence of evidence)– Probative (written form part of evidence)– Supporting (written form discretionary,

procedurally linked to action)– Narrative (provide context)

InterPARES Authenticity template

• Documentary form– Extrinsic elements– Intrinsic elements

• Annotations

• Medium

• Context

InterPARES findings, 2002

• Hopes for a clear typology dashed after four rounds

• Contemporary systems too fluid for model– No fixed form or content– No annotations– Embedded in social contexts– Managed procedurally

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative

• Supported by OCLC

• Primarily a surrogate/discovery metadata scheme

• Does not aim to document everything

• Useful for management of active digital objects

Dublin Core elements

• Title• Creator• Subject• Description• Publisher• Contributor• Date• Type

• Format• Identifier• Source• Language• Relation• Coverage• Rights

Dublin Core development

• Initial development of simple elements

• Subelements and user communities

• Warwick Framework

• RDF and XML

Dublin Core in HTML environment

• Example: MDAH

• http://www.mdah.state.ms.us

• Example:

Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS)

• Developed out of LoC’s MOA project

• Designed to support maintenance of library of digital objects

• Three overall types of metadata– Descriptive– Administrative– Structural

METS Descriptive metadata

• External (e.g., finding aid)

• Internal (part of the document)

METS Administrative metadata

• Technical metadata

• Intellectual property rights metadata

• Source metadata (re analog source)

• Digital provenance metadata– Relations between files– Migration/transformation data

METS Structural metadata

• File groups list

• Structural map (defines relations between files and METS element structure)

• Behavior segment (associates executable methods with specific content elements, e.g. for display)

METS and XML

• The METS XML schema

• http://www.loc.gov/standards/mets/mets_xsd/mets.html

• Why is it all so complicated?

• How can anyone ever keep track of all this metadata?