The document is a comprehensive introduction to the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS), aimed at beginners, highlighting its history, structure, and usage in digital libraries. It discusses the various metadata types METS supports, its implementations, and technical requirements, while providing examples of descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of tool support for effective METS usage and includes resources for further information.

1. METS metadata for complete
beginners
NDF 2017
Stuart Yeates
Max Sullivan

2. Housekeeping
• Emergency exit
• Toilets
• Tea break
• Social media – by consent only please
• https://github.com/stuartyeates/METS_metad
ata_for_complete_beginners/

3. Introductions
• Who we are. Max and Stuart
• VUW going live with Rosetta
• Have you used METS?
• Is your institution looking at METS?

4. Overview
• What’s different about METS?
• When is METS the preferred choice?
• Who uses METS?
• Structure of METS records?
• Examples (lots of examples)

5. What is METS?
• Metadata Encoding and Transmission
Standard = METS
• “The METS schema is a standard for encoding
descriptive, administrative, and structural
metadata regarding objects within a digital
library, expressed using the XML schema
language” from: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mets/

6. METADATA ENCODING AND TRANSMISSION STANDARD: PRIMER AND REFERENCE
MANUAL. HTTP://WWW.LOC.GOV/STANDARDS/METS/METS-SCHEMADOCS.HTML

7. History of METS
• From the Library of Congress
• About 15 years old
• Expressed in XML and UTF8
• Used to be associated with MODS

8. METS is a Container
• Does not express any metadata directly
• Uses blocks of other types of metadata
• Bibliographic metadata standards:
– MODS, MARC, DC, EAD, TEI, etc
• Domain-specific metadata standards:
– IPTC, EXIF, SUSHI, NISOIMG, etc
• Proprietary / custom formats (DNX)

9. Describes non-atomic records
• object / structMap / fileGrp / file
• Not infinitely recursive like EAD
• Not flat like MARC

10. Multiple representations possible
(content)
• Archival images + access copies + thumbnails
+ full text
• Origin text + corrected text
• Individual images + PDF + ePub
• 3D model + 2D representations
• All of the above

11. Multiple representations possible
(metadata)
• DC the norm
• DC+ MARC + TEI used at VUW
– Plus others, MODS, PERMIS, DIM,
• Precedence ?

12. Largely automatically generated
• Digitisation or harvesting workflows
• Internal changes tracked

13. Implicit tool support
• Metadata from hardware (scanners, etc)
• Metadata from image / sound / text files
• Metadata from workflow
• Metadata from checksums
• Metadata from virus checking
• Metadata from public usage

14. WHEN IS METS THE PREFERRED
CHOICE?

15. OAIS Model
• Model for ingest and export of digital items

16. Explicit tool support
• Do not use METS without tool support
• JHOVE / PRONOM for file identification
• Import and export
• Object change support

17. Digital content
• Little point of METS for physical
• Good support for obscure digital formats
• Good support for complex structures
• Good support for derivatives (thumbnails, etc)
• Good support for captioning, dubbing etc.

18. Archival preservation aims
• Several METS implementations focused on
archival aims: Archivematica, etc

19. Significant technical (digital, library
and archival) support
• No out-of-the-box implementations
• Everyone needs to learn
• Tools / formats / standards
• Workflows

20. WHO USES METS?

21. Large vendors / Organisations
• Ex Libris have developed several tools that use
METS (Rosetta, Digi Tool)
• Oxford Digital Library
• Dspace (Import/Export)
• Archivematica
• Open Journal Systems (Export)
• List of profiles on METS website
• Locally: NLNZ, Otago and Victoria Uni

22. Profiles
• Detail the exact constraints and features of
METS supported by a particular platform.
• Publicly available.
• http://www.loc.gov/standards/mets/mets-
registered-profiles.html

23. Record level METS
• METS is XML
• METS has 'sections' of descriptive,
administrative, and structural metadata
• Each section/container is in some public
metadata schema (DC, MARC, MODS, TEI, etc),
some private metadata schema (DNX, etc) or
some combination of schemas
• Sections can be at the object level or lower

24. Internal structure of METS records
• Records have one or more 'file groups'
('representations') of the content TIFF, JPEG,
thumbnail
• File Groups are files which share metadata
• Files are files or streams
• Structural Maps are logical views of the object
• Descriptive, administrative, and structural
metadata can be on the object, File Group or
File.

25. Internal structure of METS records
• Structural link tags
– Used for expressing internal links within record
between files
– We considered using them for the NZETC content
– We've never seen them used
• Behaviour tags
– Used for expressing behaviors
– We've never seen them used

27. Where to find more info?
• LoC website. Main source of info.
• Mailing lists and documentation. Each tool or
vendor will likely have detailed information on
METS eg:
https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/DSPACE/DSpa
ceMETSSIPProfile
• Schema validation (issues). If you can ingest METS
into your new system you should be able validate
your mets first. EG: against an xsd.
• Talking to people over coffee. Setting up a regular
set up.

28. EXAMPLES

29. Examples of descriptive metadata
Record level DC
<dmdSec ID="ie-dmd">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="DC">
<xmlData>
<dc:title>The “Sure to Rise” ... </dc:title>
<dc:title xml:lang="en"> The ...</dc:title>
...
</xmlData>
</mdWrap >
</dmdSec>

30. Examples of descriptive metadata
Record level DC
<dmdSec ID="ie-dmd">
<mets:mdWrap MDTYPE="DC">
<mets:xmlData>
<dc:record>
<dc:contributor>Huff, Sid</dc:contributor>
<dc:contributor>Gorman, Gary</dc:contributor>
<dc:creator>Chawner, Brenda</dc:creator>
<dcterms:dateAccepted>2011-07-
28T21:18:40Z</dcterms:dateAccepted>
...
</xmlData>
</mdWrap >
</dmdSec>

31. Examples of descriptive metadata
Record level MODS
<dmdSec ID="dmdSec_1">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="MODS">
<xmlData xmlns:mods="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xsi:schemaLocation="http://w../oai-found/0.0.1/raw
ww.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-1.xsd">
<mods:mods xmlns:mods="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-
1.xsd">
<mods:name>
<mods:role>
<mods:roleTerm type="text">advisor</mods:roleTerm>
</mods:role>
<mods:namePart>Huff, Sid</mods:namePart>
</mods:name>
...
</mods:mods>
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</dmdSec>

32. Examples of descriptive metadata
Record level MODS
<dmdSec ID="dmdSec_1">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="MODS">
<xmlData>
<mods:mods>
<mods:name>
<mods:role>
<mods:roleTerm type="text">advisor</mods:roleTerm>
</mods:role>
<mods:namePart>Huff, Sid</mods:namePart>
</mods:name>
...
</mods:mods>
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</dmdSec>

33. Examples of descriptive metadata
Record level DIM
<dmdSec ID="dmdSec_2">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="DIM">
<xmlData>
<dim:dim>
<dim:field mdschema="dc" element="contributor" qualifier="advisor"
lang="">Huff, Sid</dim:field>
<dim:field mdschema="dc" element="contributor" qualifier="author"
lang="">Chawner, Brenda</dim:field>
...
</dim:dim>
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</dmdSec>

34. Examples of descriptive metadata
Record level QDC
<dmdSec ID="dmdSec_3">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="QDC">
<xmlData>
<dcterms:advisor xml:lang="">Huff, Sid</dcterms:advisor>
<dcterms:author xml:lang="">Chawner,
Brenda</dcterms:author>
...
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</dmdSec>

35. Examples of descriptive metadata
File level DC
<dmdSec ID="rep3-EdmCook001-jpg-dmd">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="DC">
<xmlData>
<dc:record>
<dc:identifier
type="dcterms:URI">http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/etext/Ed
mCook/EdmCook001.jpg</dc:identifier>
</dc:record>
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</dmdSec>

36. Examples of descriptive metadata
File level DC
<mets:dmdSec ID="amd_56-dmd">
<mets:mdWrap MDTYPE="DC">
<mets:xmlData>
<dc:record>
<dc:description type="filename">thesis.pdf</dc:description>
<dc:description>Thesis</dc:description>
<dc:identifier
type="dcterms:URI">http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/bitstream/10063/1710/4/thesi
s.pdf</dc:identifier>
<dc:format type="dcterms:mimeType">application/pdf</dc:format>
<dcterms:hasFormat
type="dcterms:mimeType">application/pdf</dcterms:hasFormat>
</dc:record>
</mets:xmlData>
</mets:mdWrap>
</mets:dmdSec>

37. Examples of administrative metadata
Record level
<amdSec ID="ie-amd">
<techMD ID="ie-amd-tech">
....
</techMD>
<rightsMD ID="ie-amd-rights">
....
</rightsMD>
<sourceMD ID="ie-amd-source-MARC">
....
</sourceMD>
<sourceMD ID="ie-amd-source-TEIHDR">
....
</sourceMD>
</amdSec>

38. Examples of administrative metadata
<techMD ID="ie-amd-tech">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="dnx">
<xmlData>
<dnx:dnx>
<dnx:section id="generalIECharacteristics">
<dnx:record>
<dnx:key id="IEEntityType">Book</dnx:key>
</dnx:record>
</dnx:section>
</dnx:dnx>
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</techMD>

39. Examples of administrative metadata
<rightsMD ID="ie-amd-rights">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="dnx">
<xmlData>
<dnx:dnx>
<dnx:section id="accessRightsPolicy">
<dnx:record>
<dnx:key id="policyId">AR_EVERYONE</dnx:key>
<dnx:key id="policyParameters"/>
<dnx:key id="policyDescription">No restrictions</dnx:key>
</dnx:record>
</dnx:section>
</dnx:dnx>
</xmlData>
</mdWrap>
</rightsMD>

40. Examples of source metadata
Record level MARC
<sourceMD ID="ie-amd-source-MARC">
<mdWrap MDTYPE="MARC">
<xmlData>
<collection xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/MARC21/slim">
<record>
<leader>01436cam a2200349 a 4500</leader>
<controlfield tag="001">9910086044002386</controlfield>
<controlfield tag="005">20150115155557.0</controlfield>
<controlfield tag="007">cr |n|||||||||</controlfield>
<controlfield tag="008">070115s2006 nz a 000 0 eng d</controlfield>
<datafield tag="035" ind1=" " ind2=" ">
<subfield code="a">(NZ-WeVUL)1008604</subfield>
</datafield>
...

41. Examples of structural metadata
File groups
<fileSec>
<fileGrp ADMID="rep1-amd" ID="rep1">
<file ID="rep1-EdmCook-xml" MIMETYPE="application/tei+xml">
<FLocat LOCTYPE="URL" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="EdmCook.xml"/>
</file>
</fileGrp>
<fileGrp ADMID="rep2-amd" ID="rep2"> ... </fileGrp>
<fileGrp ADMID="rep3-amd" ID="rep3">
<file ID="rep3-EdmCook001-jpg" MIMETYPE="image/jpeg" DMDID="rep3-
EdmCook001-jpg-dmd">
<FLocat LOCTYPE="URL" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="EdmCook001.jpg"/>
</file>
...
</fileSec>

42. Examples of structural metadata
Structure Maps
<structMap ID="rep1-1" TYPE="LOGICAL">
<div ID="rep1-1-1" LABEL="TEI/XML file for EdmCook">
<div ID="rep1-1-1-1" LABEL="TEI/XML file" TYPE="FILE">
<fptr FILEID="rep1-EdmCook-xml"/>
</div>
</div>
</structMap>
<structMap ID="rep3-1" TYPE="LOGICAL">
<div ID="rep3-1-1" LABEL="JPG images">
<div ID="rep3-1-1-1-EdmCook001" LABEL="EdmCook001" TYPE="FILE">
<fptr FILEID="rep3-EdmCook001-jpg"/>
</div>
...
</div>
</structMap>

43. POST-INGEST METADATA

44. Administrative metadata
File Group (=REP) level DNX
<mets:amdSec ID="REP156305-amd">
<mets:techMD ID="REP156305-amd-tech">
<mets:mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="dnx">
<mets:xmlData>
<dnx xmlns="http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/dps/dnx">
<section id="generalRepCharacteristics">
<record>
<key id="preservationType">DERIVATIVE_COPY</key>
<key id="representationEntityType">PDF</key>
<key id="usageType">VIEW</key>
</record>
</section>
<section id="internalIdentifier">
<record>
<key id="internalIdentifierType">SIPID</key>
<key id="internalIdentifierValue">20681</key>
</record>

45. Administrative metadata
File Group level DNX (continued)
<mets:amdSec ID="REP156305-amd">
<mets:techMD ID="REP156305-amd-tech">
<mets:mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="dnx">
<mets:xmlData>
<dnx>
....
<section id="objectCharacteristics">
<record>
<key id="objectType">REPRESENTATION</key>
<key id="creationDate">2017-05-19 10:48:50</key>
<key id="createdBy">automatedworker</key>
<key id="modificationDate">2017-05-19 10:48:50</key>
<key id="modifiedBy">automatedworker</key>
<key id="owner">CRS00.VUW00.LIBR</key>
</record>

46. Administrative metadata
File level DNX (continued)
<mets:amdSec ID="FL156306-amd">
<mets:techMD ID="FL156306-amd-tech">
<mets:mdWrap MDTYPE="OTHER" OTHERMDTYPE="dnx">
<mets:xmlData>
<dnx>
<section id="fileFixity">
<record>
<key id="agent">REG_SA_JAVA5_FIXITY</key>
<key id="fixityType">MD5</key>
<key
id="fixityValue">f713307137017c14f4d2aa5b27a3334c</key>
</record>

47. Administrative metadata
File level DNX (continued)
....
<section id="vsOutcome">
<record>
<key id="checkDate">2017-05-19 10:48:53</key>
<key id="type">CHECKSUM</key>
<key id="vsAgent">REG_SA_JAVA5_FIXITY</key>
<key id="result">PASSED</key>
<key id="vsEvaluation">PASSED</key>
</record>
<record>
<key id="checkDate">2017-05-19 10:48:53</key>
<key id="type">VIRUSCHECK</key>
<key id="vsAgent">REG_SA_DPS</key>
<key id="result">PASSED</key>
<key id="vsEvaluation">PASSED</key>
</record>

48. Administrative metadata
File level DNX (continued)
...
<section id="fileFormat">
<record>
<key id="agent">REG_SA_DROID</key>
<key id="formatRegistry">PRONOM</key>
<key id="formatRegistryId">fmt/18</key>
<key id="formatName">fmt/18</key>
<key id="formatVersion">1.4</key>
<key id="formatDescription">Portable Document Format</key>
<key id="exactFormatIdentification">true</key>
<key id="mimeType">application/pdf</key>
<key id="agentVersion">6.1.5</key>
<key id="agentSignatureVersion">Binary SF v.85/ Container SF v.16</key>
<key id="formatLibraryVersion">5.01085</key>
</record>

49. Administrative metadata
File level DNX (continued)
<section id="generalFileCharacteristics">
<record>
<key id="fileLocationType">FILE</key>
<key id="fileOriginalName">bitstream_9583.pdf</key>
<key id="fileOriginalID">/deposit_storage/20001-
21000/dep_20862/deposit/content/streams/bitstream_9583.pdf</
key>
<key id="fileExtension">pdf</key>
<key id="fileMIMEType">application/pdf</key>
<key id="fileSizeBytes">4512560</key>
<key id="formatLibraryId">fmt/18</key>
</record>
</section>

50. Administrative metadata
File level DNX (continued)
<section id="significantProperties">
<record>
<key id="significantPropertiesType">pdf.filterPipeline</key>
<key id="significantPropertiesValue">FlateDecode</key>
</record>
<record>
<key id="significantPropertiesType">pdf.freeObjects</key>
<key id="significantPropertiesValue">1</key>
</record>
<record>
<key id="significantPropertiesType">pdf.ID</key>
<key id="significantPropertiesValue">[0x5682486d2323074f76f7b3477ea81c09,
0x5682486d2323074f76f7b3477ea81c09]</key>
</record>
<record>
<key id="significantPropertiesType">pdf.incrementalUpdates</key>
<key id="significantPropertiesValue">0</key>
</record>
<record>
<key id="significantPropertiesType">object.author</key>
<key id="significantPropertiesValue">ÿþBrenda Lynne Chawner</key>
...

51. Administrative metadata
File level DNX (continued)
<section id="fileValidation">
<record>
<key id="agent">JHOVE , PDF-hul 1.7 , Plugin Version 3.0</key>
<key id="pluginName">PDF-hul-1.10</key>
<key id="format">PDF</key>
<key id="version">1.4</key>
<key id="mimeType">application/pdf</key>
<key id="isValid">true</key>
<key id="isWellFormed">true</key>
</record>
</section>
</dnx>
</mets:xmlData>
</mets:mdWrap>
</mets:techMD>

52. Audience-submitted examples