METADATA:
The
prefix "meta" simply means one level of description
higher. Metadata is therefore data that describes data.
It is used to index and classify material.
Much like the card catalogue in a library, metadata
is designed to aid in the online search for relevant
sources. It uses a number of pre-defined elements to
represent attributes of the resource. An example of
these elements would be title, author, format and description.
Because there is no standard for metadata on the Internet,
researchers, educators and students quickly become frustrated
in their attempts to find relevant and useful educational
material. Developing a "standard" metadata
set, such as CanCore, is therefore an essential part
of an educational object repository. For eduSourceCanada,
CanCore will be used as its metadata application profile.
It
is important that resources (or learning objects) be
catalogued in a way that allows easy recognition and
searching. Not only will this provide a much greater
level of access to relevant online sources across Canada
but it will act as a lead for any other repository projects
that are created. As the amount of digital information
contained within these repositories continues to grow,
they will have a backbone of interoperability that will
avoid the fundamental problem of "information blindness"
on the Internet.
OTHER
RESOURCES:
An Introduction to Metadata By Chris Taylor.
University of Queensland, April 1, 1999. A good introduction
to metadata and searching.
DESIRE
Information Gateway Handbooks chapter 2.3
"Metadata formats"
DESIRE Information Gateways Handbook chapter 2.4
"Cataloguing"
The DESIRE (Development of a European Service for Information
on Research and Education) group has compiled an extensive
and comprehensive handbook designed to support libraries
and other organizations interested in setting up large-scale
information gateways on the Internet. These two chapters
address metadata attributes and formats, and cataloguing
guidelines and maintenance.
Meta-Objects
- An Object Oriented approach to metadata
by Matthew Dovey. Ariadne Vol. 19, March 19, 1999
Author Matthew Dovey argues for the adoption of an object-oriented
approach to metadata to reflect shifts in computer science.
Canadian Core Application Profile
The Canadian specification for metadata, known as "CanCore".
Dublin
Core Metadata Element Set
The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, is a community
of individuals from organizations and institutions all
over the world.
IMS
Metadata Set
IMS is a global consortium working to develop and promote
open specifications for facilitating online distributed
learning activities.
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