Week 5 - Reading Notes

Gartner - Metadata for digital libraries: state of the art and future directions

This piece is one of the most well-written assigned readings I have come across. Finally, in plain English, a librarian has articulated why metadata schemes employing XML may be able to interoperate so well:

   "XML has the crucial feature that a marked-up file can embed others encoded in different XML schemas directly within it (if, of course, it follows a schema that is designed with this function in its specification). This is made possible by a feature known as XML namespaces."

I was also very grateful for the author pointing out one technical problem which may arise involving namespace definitions. This is where XML schemas within the METS framework incorporate subsidiary schemes whose namespace definitions conflict with those in METS.

So very often librarians who are not IT-literate become dependent upon things being interoperable immediately and automatically, that we lack the sophistication to troubleshoot.

This piece also finally identified the mystery organization behind METS and MODS, namely, the MARC Standards Office.

Muddiest Point:  Who are the other organizations involved in promulgating standards? Is there enmity or competition between them, or is there a sincere commitment to openness?

Gilliland - Setting the Stage

This article identified important functions of metadata, such as certifying the authenticity and degree of completeness of the content, and providing some information that might have been provided in a traditional, in-person reference or research setting.

Muddiest Point:  Because metadata performs such important functions, should there be a code of ethics for people entering the metadata? If the object is something extremely important, like a volume from the Vatican, might there be the opportunity for an unethical monk to misrepresent the object and scurry it away into another hidden category?

Weibel - Border Crossings

I absolutely loved Weibel's analogy of changing train gears on the tracks from Beijing to Siberia, with how metadata schemes encounter interoperability challenges. As someone who has taken that train, I can fully relate!