Lifecycle Metadata for Digital Objects

October 4, 2004

Creation Metadata

Review class metadata sets: What categories do they fill? Dublin Core EAD FRBR INDECS MARC/MODS METS MIX/NISO MPEG21

NLM Journal OCLC/RLG ONIX PRISM RKMS TEI Lite VRA Core

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

– 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 already provided XML markup of its Document Properties and Custom Document Properties metadata; in Word 2003 a native (and patented) XML schema is used.

Several vendors made plugins for making older Word documents into XML documents:– eXportXML from Schultz: a template installed into Word

using a macro– Xfinity Author Wx from B-Bop: makes Word into an XML

editor for ordinary documents– WorX SE from Xyenterprise: Word as XML editor or

creator of XML objects

Future of XML at Microsoft

XML and the whole model of the way the web works are becoming part of the emerging Microsoft operating environment from servers to desktop

Note already a move to a standard IE interface for system functions

Presently provides tools to programmers under “Information Bridge” framework to allow connecting XML documents created by Microsoft programs via metadata elements to web services

Creation metadata thus vital to this whole scheme

[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

A word on diplomatics 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 Recordkeeping Standard: record 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– Information about creator, intention, receiver– Information about the object itself

Many kinds of non-text objects:– Images, still and moving– Sound– Multimedia

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”/>