Introduction to Metadata: Revised Edition

Metadata, literally "data about data," provides a means of indexing, accessing, preserving, and discovering digital resources. The volume of digital information available over electronic networks has created a pressing need for standards that assist in locating, retrieving, and managing this vast and complex universe of information.
This revised edition of Introduction to Metadata, first published in 1998 and updated in an online version in 2000, provides an overview of metadata--its types, roles, and characteristics; a discussion of metadata as it relates to resources on the Web; a description of methods, tools, standards, and protocols that can be used to publish and disseminate digital collections; and a handy glossary. Newly added to this edition are an essay on the importance of standards-based rights metadata to the activities of cultural institutions; and a section entitled "Practical Principles for Metadata Creation and Maintenance."
The Introduction To series deals with complex issues and tools related to the production, management, and dissemination of cultural heritage information resources.

This revised edition of Introduction to Metadata provides an overview of metadata--its types, roles, and characteristics; a discussion of metadata as it relates to resources on the Web; a description of methods, tools, standards, and protocols that can be used to publish and disseminate digital collections; and a handy glossary. Newly added to this edition are an essay on the importance of standards-based rights metadata to the activities of cultural institutions; and a section entitled "Practical Principles for Metadata Creation and Maintenance."

Murtha Baca is Head of the Vocabulary Program at the Getty Research Institute.