Databases
It's important for librarians to know about databases because we are going to be dealing with them A LOT in our field. Digital databases are an important advancement for libraries because they allow users to find information that they are looking for very quickly. I like this article because it gives me information about specific types of databases I'm not familiar with.
Metadata
Metadata is a very interesting concept. The phrase "data about data" is often used when describing metadata. At first, this definition may sound kind of confusing and ambiguous. However, as you read on, you discover that metadata really is data about data. Metadata is especailly important to libraries because they use metadata to help patrons not only search for information, but find the information that they are searching for. For example, if I am looking for a book about bald eagles, I may find that there are a lot of books about this particular bird, and I may want to narrow my search down. Therefore, I could use a metadata system to find the BEST and most RELEVANT books before I checked them out. PittCat is a good example of this kind of metadata system.
Dublin Core
It's interesting how Dublin Core uses computers to create metadata.The Dublin Core metadata record can describe various types of data, including books, images, soundbytes, and more. Metadata based on Dublin Core is used specifically in the field of library science. Personally, I think it's great that libraries have their own specific type of metadata that it uses. Hopefully, libraries can figure out how to further use Dublin Core to their benefit in the future.
Hi Doug!
ReplyDeleteYour comments about Dublin Core are very insightful. MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) and MADS (Metadata Authority Description Schema) are typically used for describing bibliographic elements and are used in library applications. There is also an effort to bring MARC into the 21st century there is MARCXML that allows libraries to use the MARC format in a digital environment.
http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/
http://www.loc.gov/standards/mads/
Good thoughts on libraries using Dublin Core to advance and make information more accessible, Doug. I think this could make metadata more universal in the library world, and if created with the user in mind specifically (which would be essential) then this could go a long way in making information easily located for all patrons.
ReplyDelete