Information Resource Description: Creating and managing metadata(Foundations of the Information Sciences)

An overview of the field of information organization that examines resource description as both a product and process of the contemporary digital environment. This timely book employs the unifying mechanism of the semantic web and the resource description framework to integrate the various traditions and practices of information and knowledge organization. Uniquely, it covers both the domain-specific traditions and practices and the practices of the ‘metadata movement’ through a single lens – that of resource description in the broadest, semantic web sense. This approach more readily accommodates coverage of the new Resource Description and Access (RDA) standard, which aims to move library cataloguing into the centre of the semantic web. The work surrounding RDA looks set to revolutionise the field of information organization, and this book will bring both the standard and its model and concepts into focus. Key topics include: • information resource attributes • metadata for information retrieval • metadata sources and quality • economics and management of metadata • knowledge organization systems • the semantic web • books and e-books, websites and audiovisual resources • business and government documents • learning resources • the field of information/knowledge organization. Readership: LIS students taking information organization courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, information professionals wishing to specialise in the metadata area, and existing metadata specialists who wish to update their knowledge.

Table of Contents:
1. Definitions and scope Information resources Resource description Metadata Elements, values, format and transmission Managing metadata The contemporary information environment Information organization Overview of this book References 2. Information resource attributes Introduction Describer and user contexts Information resource contexts The functions of metadata From attributes to elements References 3. Tools and systems Introduction Arrangements Indexes and databases Bibliographic databases Library catalogues Periodical databases Federated search systems Archival finding aids Museum registers Digital collections Search engines Online directories Bibliographies Citation databases References 4. Metadata sources Introduction Resource creators Publishers Information professionals Library cataloguing Metadata librarianship Indexing and abstracting Archival description Museum documentation Records management Information architecture End-users Computers References 5. Metadata quality Introduction Functionality Comprehensiveness Accuracy Clarity Consistency Vocabulary and authority control Principles of best practice Quality assurance Cost-benefit analysis References 6. Sharing metadata Introduction Library catalogue records Metadata for search engines Interoperability References 7. Metadata standards Introduction Web publishing Libraries Digital libraries Archives Museums Book publishing Book indexing Database indexing E-research Education Audiovisual industries Business Government Registries References 8. Vocabularies Introduction Controlled subject vocabularies Subject headings Subject thesauri Subject classification schemes Taxonomies and ontologies Non-subject vocabularies Vocabulary mapping Identification systems References 9. The future of metadata Introduction Three approaches Content-based information retrieval Social metadata Professional description Conclusion References Further reading Metatadata standards

About the Author :
Philip Hider MA PhD FCLIP is Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University, Australia. He is Associate Member of the Australian Library and Information Association, and a member of the Australian Committee on Cataloguing.

Review :
"...an excellent introduction both for students and for practitioners new to the field, and the very readable text is well supported by numerous examples, and lists of additional reading. A welcome addition to the literature in this field." "Metadata is a topic of great, and continuing importance in all the information sciences and collection disciplines. But it is one in which students and practitioners alike can become lost in details and specifics. Philip Hider’s book takes a uniquely wide and integrative approach, combining basic principles and well-chosen examples to give an admirably clear insight into the subject." "Hider offers a clear and comprehensive look at metadata and all its many aspects—from its creation, to its many forms and uses, and even its future. This is a very readable text that any student or information professional will find useful and engaging." "This book promises to be a key resource in the field of information organisation. It takes a broad approach to information resource description without sacrificing the detailed description and explanation that students and practitioners will seek. Dr Hider demonstrates an enviable level of scholarly and professional knowledge and a capacity to structure and communicate it elegantly and with passion." "For those newly minted librarians whose graduate school no longer teaches cataloguing, for established librarians switching gears in mid-career from reference to technical services or for faculty who need to teach description, this book is an invaluable introductory resource." "Hider explains clearly the wide range of metadata that exists, and helps the reader further by guiding through the book with cross-references and direction. We know there is “more on this to come in the next chapter” or if we missed a detail, we can go back and locate it in context. This is useful for those learning the subject, as well as the more expert reader. Hider does an impressive job tying together so many different aspects of metadata and providing the “big picture”, and the book is highly accessible and engaging." "…provides a clear multifaceted survey of the metadata landscape, which usefully relates complex standards and practices to difficult and demanding tasks. Readers seeking a better understanding of the broad reach of metadata in the contemporary environment will be well served."