Guideline

Guidelines for the Creation of Content for Resource Discovery Metadata

This is an updated version of the printed publication under the same title issued in February 2002.

Prepared by the National Library of Australia and the State Library of Tasmania.

What is Metadata

Metadata is information in a structured format that describes a resource. A resource may be a publication such as a report or journal, a web page about a particular topic or service, or a digital object such as an image. Good quality metadata improves the efficiency of searching, making it much easier to find something specific and relevant. This contrasts with the general indexing employed by major Internet search engines where a search can often retrieve thousands of results, many of which are irrelevant.

Metadata can be embedded within a resource, i.e. included as part of the HTML code. It may also be created and stored separately from the resource in a metadata repository or datastore (similar to a library catalogue).

Role of the Guidelines

The Guidelines are intended to assist with the creation of quality, consistent descriptive metadata for online resources that will improve resource discovery services for these resources. There are a number of different metadata schemes in use. These Guidelines are based on one of the most widely used metadata schemes – the Dublin Core Element Set http://www.dublincore.org/usage/terms/dc/current-elements/.

The Guidelines supplement existing metadata practice, and do not give details of the complete element sets for these schemes, the syntax required for coding the elements, or the element qualifiers and value components that may be used. If not using a specific scheme, it is strongly recommended that you consult the Dublin Core website http://www.dublincore.org/.

If using a specific application scheme, such as the Australian Government Locator Service (AGLS) http://www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/gov_online/agls/summary.html, or the DC-Library Application Profile
http://dublincore.org/documents/2001/08/08/library-application-profile/ consult the specific scheme.

The Guidelines are intended to provide advice on determining the content for the Dublin Core/AGLS metadata elements that are most useful for resource discovery. The elements addressed are TITLE, CREATOR, SUBJECT, DESCRIPTION, PUBLISHER, DATE, IDENTIFIER and COVERAGE.

Users of the Guidelines

The Guidelines are intended to provide assistance across a range of sectors, so they are written in general terms. They are designed to aid web managers in the government, academic and commercial sectors who wish to add metadata to the pages on their sites. They may also be used to describe other resources such as digitized versions of pictures or objects that have been created by libraries, museums, galleries and other institutions.

Recommended elements

Complete as many resource discovery elements as possible, as all these fields are useful for both discovery and display. The more elements completed, the greater the opportunity for systems to utilize the metadata in various ways. Note that specific application schemes will have their own requirements about which elements must be used and which are optional.

All tags are repeatable. In general for multiple entries, use repeated tags rather than putting them all in one tag. Multilingual sites require multiple sets of tags, a set for each language.

Sources of information

The resource, including the source code if necessary, together with any accompanying documentation, e.g. email, letter, should be used to create the content in the metadata elements.

TITLE

Definition A name given to the resource
Obligation Recommended in DC
Mandatory in AGLS
Guidelines Main title
  1. Use the title that is most obvious on the resource. This will usually appear near the top of the resource and will often be in a different font type or size to other information on the resource

  2. Do not include initial articles, such as A, An The. External systems may not be able to handle initial articles

  3. Avoid introductory phrases such as Welcome to…, unless the title makes no sense without them. For example:

    Prime Minister of Australia’s Homepage not Welcome to the Prime Minister of Australia’s Homepage

  4. Consider rearranging the order of significant introductory phrases such as public comment, or draft if they obscure the major title. For example:

    Wastewater Management Guidelines for Meat Premises: Draft: Public Comment Invited not Public Comment Invited on Draft Wastewater Management Guidelines for Meat Premises

  5. A date should be included in the title when it is adjacent to the title and adds meaning to it. For example:

    Tasmanian Safe Boating Handbook Amendments: Issued 1 February 2001

  6. If the resource has a subtitle (i.e. a portion of the title that is in a smaller font, or separated from the main title by a colon or other punctuation), use a colon to distinguish it from the main part of the title. For example:

    Metadata Guidelines: Everything You Wanted to Know but were Afraid to Ask

  7. Qualify a title by organisation name if the title alone is not distinctive enough to provide meaningful search results. For example:

    a media releases pages on the National Archives site should be entered as Media Releases: National Archives of Australia not Media Releases

  8. If no title is available, create a title based on the content of the resource. Do not put the created title in brackets or quotation marks, as these may cause problems in external systems. Qualify the created title, for example:

    Caroline Chisholm Portrait (created title)

    Additional titles

  9. Additional TITLE elements can be created if other access points would assist the user

  10. If the main title consists of or includes acronyms, spell these out in an additional title entry, if this would assist the user. For example:

    ANZAM Conference 2000 (main title)Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Conference 2000 (additional title)

  11. Check the title tag in the source code or header, which usually also displays at the top left corner of your browser. If this is different from the main resource title, and it is a useful search point, then enter it as a second TITLE element. However, ignore any extra data added by the browser to the source data display. For example:

    Addressing the New Millennium: National Conference 1998 (main title – as shown on home page)

    BEA National Conference (additional title – from title tag in source code) not BEA National Conference – Microsoft Internet Explorer IE5.5 (source data display in top left of browser window)

  12. If the resource is part of a series, create an additional title for the series name and number. For example:

    Shocks, Stocks and Stocks (main title)

    Working Papers in Economics and Econometrics no. 376 (additional title)

 

CREATOR

Definition An entity primarily responsible for the content of the resource
Obligation Recommended in DC
Mandatory in AGLS
Guidelines
  1. Note that this element should be used for the creator of the intellectual content of the resource, not its presentation (i.e. not the designer or webmaster). For example:

    a paper by John Taylor on the University of Sydney web site would have Taylor, John as the CREATOR

    Bushcare site designed for Environment Australia by Reef Multimedia would have Environment Australia as the CREATOR

  2. Look for a statement of authorship on the resource. If one cannot be found, check for a copyright statement naming a person or organisation. For example:

    a site about the musician Bill Smith with no other information about the creator except for © Metro Music would have Metro Music as the CREATOR and also the PUBLISHER

  3. If the creator and publisher are the same, repeat the name in both the CREATOR and PUBLISHER elements

  4. If the creator of the item is also the subject of the item, enter the name in both the CREATOR and SUBJECT elements. For example:

    publication created by Paul Jennings and about Paul Jennings would have a CREATOR of Jennings, Paul and a SUBJECT of Jennings, Paul

  5. If the document is produced by an individual on behalf of an organisation, then both the individual and organisation should be included in separate CREATOR elements. Do not use the CONTRIBUTOR element. For example:

    report prepared on behalf of the South Australian Environment Protection Agency by Peter Jones would have both Jones, Peter and South Australia. Environment Protection Agency as separate creators

  6. If the nature of the responsibility between an individual and an organization on the resource is unclear, use CREATOR for the individual and PUBLISHER for the organisation

  7. If no other information can be found and the resource is part of an official organisational site, use the name of this organisation as the creator

  8. Hosting or sponsorship statements on a resource such as This site hosted by WRC Internet Services, should not be used for creator or publisher

    Form of Name

  9. Strong preference should be given to using a thesaurus or authority list as this will provide consistency in the use of terms and assist with focused searching, e.g. telephone books, Library of Congress Name Authority Headings http://authorities.loc.gov/, Government On-Line Directory (GOLD) http://www.gold.gov.au/

  10. Personal names should be entered surname or family name first, followed by a comma and then the given name(s). For example:

    Smith, William

  11. If in doubt, give the name as it appears and do not invert. For example:

    Abdullah bin Nuh

  12. For single level organisational names, or where a hierarchy cannot be determined, enter the name as it appears on the resource. For example:

    Office of the Tasmanian Electricity Regulator

  13. For organisational names that are part of a hierarchy (e.g. a division or branch within an organisation), enter the parts of the name from largest to smallest unit separated by full stops. Note that for government departments the first part of the name should be the jurisdiction. For example:

    Tasmania. Department of Premier and Cabinet

    University of Melbourne. Faculty of Education

 

SUBJECT

Definition The topic of the content of the resource
Obligation Recommended in DC
Mandatory in AGLS if there is no FUNCTION element
Guidelines
  1. Strong preference should be given to using a thesaurus for choosing subjects as this will provide consistency in the use of terms and assist with focused searching. There are a number of thesauri available, some general and some targeted for specific sectors such as health or education. Two general thesauri that may be used are the Australian Public Affairs and Information Service (APAIS) Thesaurus http://www.nla.gov.au/apais/thesaurus/ and the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) http://lcweb.loc.gov/cds/lcsh.html

  2. Subjects may also be entered as unstructured keywords if a thesaurus is not available. However this approach lacks the consistency provided by using a thesaurus.

  3. When allocating subjects, either from a thesaurus or as keywords, avoid using very broad terms that provide little assistance for someone trying to find an item. Use the term appropriate to the breadth of the subject to enable retrieval of a targeted set of results. For example:

    a publication or site dealing with land care might be given subjects like Conservation of natural resources and Soil conservation not something very general like Science

    a resource giving information about nursing homes might be given subjects like Nursing homes and Aged care not something very general like Health

    Names as Subjects

  4. See the Form of Name section in the CREATOR element for details of the correct format for names

  5. Use if the item is about a person or organization. For example:

    publication about Donald Bradman would have a SUBJECT of Bradman, Donald

    a page giving information about the structure and role of the Office of Australian War Graves would have a SUBJECT of Australia. Office of Australian War Graves

  6. If the subject of the item is also the creator of the item, enter the name in both the SUBJECT and the CREATOR elements

    publication about Paul Jennings and created by Paul Jennings would have a SUBJECT of Jennings, Paul and a CREATOR of Jennings, Paul

    Using a thesaurus

  7. Enter each subject as a separate tag. If using LCSH enter [space] [dash] [dash] [space] as a separator for subdivisions. For example:

    Novelists, Australian –- Biography

    Using subject keywords

  8. Enter keywords in a single tag. Use [semi colon] [space] as a separator. Enter names in direct order. For example:

    Paul Jennings; University of Melbourne Faculty of Education

  9. Do not repeat variations of terms, case or tense, or alternate spellings. For example:

    a resource giving tax information might have keywords like tax; gst; rebates; family assistance; hecs not tax; taxes; taxation; gst; GST; rebate; rebates; hecs; HECS

  10. Consider using common synonyms as keywords. For example:

    dole; unemployment benefits

 

DESCRIPTION

Definition An account of the content of the resource
Obligation Recommended in DC
Optional in AGLS (but mandatory for the Commonwealth implementation)
Guidelines
  1. This element provides a free-text summary that describes the resource. It is the least precise method of searching, but it can be useful for picking up terms not included in the SUBJECT element. It is also often used in the display of a search results list, helping the user to identify whether or not the resource appears relevant.

  2. The DESCRIPTION element should provide objective information about the resource, not an evaluation or review

  3. Do not simply repeat the title in this element

  4. Use an abstract or other structured description included within the resource if available (but do not use quotation marks)

  5. Otherwise, provide a brief outline of the content of the resource. It should supply enough information for a user to decide if the item is relevant. For example:

    the DESCRIPTION for the home page of the Tasmanian Office of the Surveyor General:

    Home page of the Office, which is responsible for policy development and implementation, standards and programs in the areas of mapping, cadastral survey, geodetic survey, spatial data, legislation

    the DESCRIPTION for the publication Best Practice Handbook for Australian University Libraries:

    Investigates best practice activities in Australian academic libraries, comparing these with selected countries. Includes implementation of quality frameworks, and the use of benchmarking and performance measurement for continuous improvement.

  6. Use the description to highlight any significant aspects of the resource. For example:

    Links to Victorian legislation relevant to mental health

  7. Details of the format and date of the original version may also be included. For example:

    Scanned image of a cricket match from an original 10x8 inch glass negative taken in 1890 by Henry Cavendish.

  8. As some resource discovery systems display only a limited number of lines from the DESCRIPTION element, describe the most significant aspects of the resource in the beginning of the tag. A description of less than 255 characters is recommended to cater for as many systems as possible. Additional text may be useful for retrieval, but may not display.

 

PUBLISHER

Definition An entity responsible for making the resource available
Obligation Recommended in DC
Mandatory in AGLS, except when describing services
Guidelines
  1. Note that this element should be used for the agency responsible for making the information available in its present form, not for the presentation (i.e. not the webmaster or web page designer). For example:

    for a case study by Jim Jones on the Sugar Research and Development Corporation web site, which is designed by Plugged In Software, the publisher would be Sugar Research and Development Corporation

  2. If having trouble identifying the publisher, use a copyright statement as a guide. For example:

    a site about ANZAC Day with © ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee would have ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee as the PUBLISHER

  3. If the creator and publisher are the same, repeat the name in both the PUBLISHER and CREATOR elements

  4. If no other information can be found and the resource is part of an official organisational site, use the name of this organisation as the publisher

  5. Hosting or sponsorship statements on a resource such as This site hosted by WRC Internet Services, should not be used as the publisher

  6. If the nature of the responsibility between an individual and an organisation on the site is unclear, use CREATOR for the individual and PUBLISHER for the organization

    Form of Name

  7. See the Form of Name section in the CREATOR element for details of the correct format for names

 

DATE

Definition A date associated with an event in the life cycle of the resource
Obligations Recommended in DC
Mandatory in AGLS
Guidelines
  1. The date associated with the creation or availability of the resource. For example, the date created, date formally issued, date modified or date(s) for which the resource is valid

  2. It is recommended that appropriate qualifiers be used with this element to clarify the type of date entered

  3. If the full date is unknown, month and year or just year may be used. For example:

    2001-02-17

    2001-02

    2001

  4. If unsure of the date, a question mark can be used to indicate a probable date. For example:

    1999?

  5. Use the latest date on the website if no other date is available. For example:

    Last updated 17 January 2001, use 2001-01-17

  6. If the modified date on website is obviously incorrect, check for a more recent date. The Page Information on some browsers (e.g. View Info in Netscape; Properties in Internet Explorer) can sometimes provide creation and modification dates. For example:

    Last modified 17 January 2000 but the contents of the resource details activities that occurred in June 2000, use 2000-06

 

IDENTIFIER

Definition An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Obligation Recommended in DC
Mandatory in AGLS for descriptions of online resources
Guidelines
  1. The identifier for most electronic resources will be a web address. For example:

    http://www.pictureaustralia.org/

  2. Other unique forms of identification can be used for both electronic and non-electronic resources, such as:

    ISBN (International Standard Book Number)

    ISSN (International Standard Serial Number)

    X500 (X.500 Directory Services)

    For example:

    0642445141

    0027-9358

  3. For multiple identifiers, repeat the field

 

COVERAGE

Definition The extent or scope of the content of the resource
Obligation Recommended in DC
Optional in AGLS (but mandatory for the Commonwealth implementation when spatial coverage of the resource content is not the whole of Australia)
Guidelines
  1. Use of the COVERAGE element will be determined by the specific application scheme. For general use, these recommendations apply

  2. Prefer SUBJECT to COVERAGE where the resource is about a geographical area

  3. Use COVERAGE only when necessary and in addition to SUBJECT to indicate spatial or temporal characteristics of the resource not covered by SUBJECT

  4. May include spatial coverage, jurisdiction or temporal coverage (i.e. time period)

    Spatial coverage

  5. The geographic locations or areas that are covered and/or discussed in the resource.

  6. Use geographic coordinates, or standard place names from a controlled list (e.g. Postcode list in telephone book, AUSLIG gazetteer http://www.ga.gov.au/map/names/) should be used. Names of states should be spelled out in full. For example:

    a report on community services in Toowoomba would have a COVERAGE of Toowoomba, Queensland

    a tourist guide to the Murray River would have a COVERAGE of Murray River, New South Wales-South Australia

    Jurisdiction

  7. Should be used if the information covered and/or discussed in the resource relates to a political division, rather than a geographic location. This may be a national, state or local government jurisdiction. For example:

    information about transport services in the Wingecarribee Shire (which includes towns such as Bowral, Moss Vale, Mittagong and Bundanoon) would have a COVERAGE of Wingecarribee Shire

    Temporal coverage

  8. Refers to the intellectual content of the resource, not the publication date. For example:

    scanned image of the 1925 Melbourne Cup would have a coverage of 1925

  9. May be used for events that occur at a particular time such as conferences or festivals

  10. Temporal coverage may be expressed in the form of standard period names, however dates should also be included to assist with resource discovery

  11. Use a single date, a date range or a phrase as appropriate. For example:

    2001-05-28

    2001-06-01/2001-06-03

    19th century

    Middle Ages

Last updated 26 October 2002

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