This document provides an overview of metadata standards and sources of information about standards. It describes what metadata standards are and their purposes. Sources discussed provide basic information on metadata in general and information on specific standards. The document also describes the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) standard in detail, including its benefits and sources of information about EAD. Finally, it discusses cross-walking between standards and upcoming changes to the EAD standard.

1. Metadata StandardsA Literature Review May 1, 2011 Sonia Archer-Capuzzo Melissa Kammerer Leatha Miles-Edmonson

2. Metadata Standards An overview

3. What is a metadata standard? A metadata standard is a “named metadata element set and/or schema that has been approved by a national or international standard body, a community, or a professional association” (Zeng & Qin, 2008, 322). Metadata standards provide a way to organize information, make it available for access, and share it with users and other electronic information repositories.

4. Sources providing basic information on metadata in general National Information Standards Organization (NISO). (2004). Understanding metadata. Bethesda, MD: NISO Press. Retrieved from http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf. Describes what metadata is, why it is necessary, what it does Describes what standards are, and provides explanations of several standards, including Encoded Archival Description (EAD)

5. Sources providing basic information on metadata in general Ahronheim, J.R. (September, 1998). Descriptive metadata: Emerging standards. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 24 (5), 395. Retrieved from EBSCOHost, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). As with NISO: Describes what metadata is, why it is necessary, what it does Describes what standards are, and provides explanations of several standards, including Encoded Archival Description (EAD)

6. Sources providing basic information on metadata in general Hillmann, D.I., Marker, R., & Brady, C. (May, 2008). Metadata standards and applications. Serials Librarian, 54 (1), 7-21. Retrieved from EBSCOHost, UNCG. Most recent of the publications thus far. Breaks standards into five descriptive categories: Descriptive metadata- title, author, subject, etc. Administrative metadata- who created the metadata, when created, etc. Access/use metadata- rights & restrictions for use of information Preservation metadata- ensures access over time Structural- relates digital files to one another

7. Sources providing information specific to metadata standards Metadata standards. (September/October, 2002). Library Technology Reports, 38 (5), 19. Retrieved from EBSCOHost, UNCG. Sets forth 6 areas of standard description: General metadata- title, author, etc.- like Hillmann et al.’s, descriptive metadata Transportation models- for interoperability, transfer, and transportation of information among standards Education metadata- assist educators, educational vendors, and learners in manipulating and using electronic tools Media-specific metadata- addresses issues unique to specific media Preservation metadata- manage and preserve digital materials- like Hillmann et al.’s preservation metadata Rights metadata- deal with copyright issues in the digital arena- like Hillmann et al.’s access/use metadata

8. Sources providing information specific to metadata standards Gilliand, A.J. (2008). Setting the stage. Introduction to metadata: Online edition, version 3.0. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved from http://www.getty.edu/research/publications/electronic_publications/intrometadata/setting.html. Sets forth a set of 4 categories of metadata standards Data structure standards- the categories of data that make up a record, organized with element sets, schemas Data value standards- “terms, names, and other values that are used to populate data structure standards or metadata element sets,” provided by controlled vocabularies, controlled lists, etc. Data content standards- “guidelines for the format and syntax of the data values used to populate metadata elements,” like cataloging rules and codes Data format/technical interchange standards- machine-readable versions of data structure standards

9. Sources providing information specific to metadata standards Elings, M.W. & Waibel, G. (2007). Metadata for all: Descriptive standards and metadata sharing across libraries, archives and museums. First Monday, 12 (3). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap.bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/1628/1543. Explains metadata standards using the metaphor of a case of bottles Data fields and structures- elements, “organized into a record by a data structure.” Metaphor: bottles waiting to be filled. Data content and data values- rules for filling in data, like controlled vocabularies. Metaphor: they determine what goes into each bottle. Data format- “the particular encoding of information contained within a file.” Metaphor: the crate in which the bottle are stored and shipped. Data exchange- “the particular protocol used to share a collection of records.” Metaphor: a person delivering the crate of bottles.

10. Encoded Archival Description (EAD) A specific application of a metadata standard

11. Basics of Encoded Archival Description(EAD) EAD is a metadata standard designed to meet the specific needs of the archival community. It is an XML based Document Type Definition. It is a hierarchical standard comprised of nested elements. It provides an electronic equivalent to archival finding aids (Metadata Standards, 2002, p 22)

12. Benefits of EAD It removes the need for paper supplements to electronic catalog entries by allowing multi-level descriptions. It is closely related to MARC, and can easily be cross-walked to most other major metadata standards. It has helped create a standard for archival descriptions which has improved sharing of resources and data between archives.

13. Sources Providing Information on EAD Network Development and MARC Standards Office of the Library of Congress. “Encoded Archival Description Version 2002 Official Site.” Library of Congress. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/ead/ This office maintains the EAD standard along with the Society of American Archivists. Current source of information on the EAD standard Access to the EAD Tag Library and a list of conversion tools to help with the encoding of finding aids

16. Sources Providing Information on EAD Sweet, M. (2001). The internationalisation of EAD (Encoded Archival Description). Journal of the Society of Archivists, 22 (1), 33-38. doi:10.1080/00379810120037487 Details the rapid increase in the use of EAD among the international community. Describes the benefits of EAD including providing a low-cost option for smaller institutions and enabling sharing of information and data between institutions in different countries. Explains specific challenges in the implementation of EAD including: Difficulties in translating EAD into other languages Problems combining EAD with the series centered description method common in Australian archives Issues of compatibility with national standards and customization of the DTD