Metadata Defined

Metadata can be broadly defined as “data about data.” Metadata is structured data that describes the bibliographic attributes of an information resource. Any organizable unit of information can be considered an information resource, such as a book, a website, an audio file, a video, an image, and so on (Taylor, 2004, p. 139). Regardless of the medium or format for an information resource, metadata serves to facilitate the discovery, description, management, retrieval, and preservation of a unit of information.

According to the International Federation of Library Associations' (IFLA) Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, metadata has four primary objectives:
1. To assist users in finding desired information resources
2. To help users in identifying similar information resources and distinguishing them from one another
3. To aid users in selecting the appropriate materials suitable to their needs
4. To provide uses with the information necessary to obtain or access the desired resource
Based on these objectives, usability in information retrieval systems as well as user needs must be considered when creating metadata (Taylor, 2004, p. 146).

Accordingly, metadata is used in conjunction with information retrieval tools to identify, discover, manage, and retrieve information resources. Using this definition, a very simple and familiar example of metadata would be a card catalog record describing information about a book, since the primary purpose of the descriptive data contained in the record is to facilitate the discovery, description, and retrieval of the book.

In this example, it is evident that the idea of metadata is not a new concept to library and information science. However, modern technology has enabled bibliographic items to be published in a variety of formats. Therefore, the term metadata is applicable to all information resources regardless of media or format. Consequently, the term is now commonly used in regards to digital and electronic information, in addition to print resources (Yousefi & Yousefi, 2007). Moreover, with the advent of computer technology, metadata is now applied to electronic and online information retrieval systems (Herner, 1984, p. 162).

References

Herner, S. (May 1984). Brief history of information science. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 35(3), 157-163. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Wiley Interscience database.
Taylor, A.G. (2004). The organization of information (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Yousefi, A., & Yousefi, S. (2007). Metadata: A new word for an old concept. Library Philosophy and Practice. Retrieved May 20, 2007, from InfoTrac OneFile database.