Module 7: What is Metadata?
Before Entering This Module
Introduction
In this module, you will encounter knowledge checkpoints and terminology concerning metadata and its uses. Metadata is a concept and tool that is part of many technical processes and fields. In Module 6, you will explore what metadata is and where it comes from. In short, metadata is information about your information: the data about your data.
The information in this module will be applicable outside of archiving related to audio-cassettes. Use this information when working with other materials you document and preserve as well.
Types of Metadata
There are different types of metadata, and in the module, you will encounter brief explanations of each type. Metadata can be classified in different categories depending on the sort of information it concerns. Examples of types of metadata include descriptive, technical, structural, or administrative metadata. The table below describes and provides examples of each of these four types of metadata for your convenience.
Type of Metadata | Description | Examples of Metadata Type |
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Descriptive | Descriptive metadata is metadata or information about the resource's identity. It pertains to the individual qualities and characteristics of a recording, archival entry, or file. Descriptive metadata is used to identify materials by their content and creatorship. |
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Technical | Technical metadata is metadata or information about the procedural and technological aspects of the resource. This type of information relates to the internal digital makeup and file characteristics of a recording or archival entry. |
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Structural | Structural metadata is metadata or information that pertains to how archival entries and files relate to each other and within your collection. You can think of structural metadata as how data is organized within your records. |
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Administrative | Administrative metadata is metadata or information about the accessibility, rights, and management of the resource. Administrative information provides technicians and archivists context to the content. |
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There are additional types of metadata that the module does not discuss. In Module 6, you will see how each of these four types of metadata relates to audio-cassettes and where to find this information for your records management.
While it is useful to know the differences between them, you do not need to remember these exact definitions of metadata. What is important is that you are able to apply these concepts to documenting and recording the right aspects of your materials in the appropriate places.
Metadata and its Functions
In the module, there are also references to how you will use metadata to perform condition assessments of your materials and add relevant metadata information to your digitization log. This module introduces the terminology that is relevant in performing these tasks. The following modules will discuss these processes and their importance in detail.
This module will cover what and how metadata is used in BWF MetaEdit. This software embeds and codes information onto the files you upload to it in the form of checksums. Checksums are bits of data that help identify if there is corruption or errors in the file. BWF MetaEdit is an important tool to ensure data integrity or the condition and consistency of data over its lifetime. The image above, courtesy of Indigitization, Museum of Anthropology, at the University of British Columbia, illustrates how your file, the metadata, and broadcast wave that includes the checksum are all compartmentalized keeping the original recording intact, in an uncompressed format via BWF MetaEdit.
Relevant Documents
Digitization has provided digitization log and condition assessment templates that can be adapted for any project. Fill in the relevant information below and modify the columns as needed for your individual DiGI work. In the next few modules, you will explore the details of how these administrative tools are used.
Below, the DiGI Team has also supplied a metadata glossary for your own reference and review. This technical language or 'jargon' is useful to familiarize yourself with as you continue to preserve materials and continue your project:
Digitization Log Template
Condition Assessment Template
Metadata Glossary
After completing this module, please feel free to review it again or continue onto the next one.