ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 56 | April 2002
Create the Metadata You Have Always Wanted!
The National Library of Australia has developed a new how-to guide to metadata entitled Guidelines for the Creation of Content for Resource Discovery Metadata. The focus is on the creation of high quality content that will aid resource discovery by users.
Many agencies are now using metadata schemes such as Dublin Core and Australian Government Locator Service (AGLS) to describe their resources. Quality and consistency in creating metadata is essential to ensure that users can efficiently and reliably discover electronic resources via search engines. In essence, if users cannot find an agencys resources, their metadata creation efforts have been wasted.
To aid the creators of metadata, the National Library of Australia, in collaboration with the State Library of Tasmania and on behalf of the Council of Australian State Libraries, has produced a set of guidelines to creating content for the most important Dublin Core / AGLS resource discovery metadata elements. The elements addressed are: TITLE, CREATOR, SUBJECT, DESCRIPTION, PUBLISHER, DATE, IDENTIFIER and COVERAGE.
The Guidelines are designed to aid web managers in the government, academic and commercial and community sectors who wish to add metadata to the pages on their web sites. They may also be used to describe other resources such as digitised versions of pictures or objects that have been created by libraries, museums, galleries and other institutions.
The Guidelines are available online at
www.nla.gov.au/meta/metaguide.html.
Printed versions may also be requested from the Coordination Support Branch,
National Library of Australia via email at csb@nla.gov.au or by phone (02) 6262 1575.
Feedback on the Guidelines is welcomed.
Danielle Freeman
Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: dthomas@nla.gov.au