Guides to metadata

Last revision Feb 2008.

This page contains links to introductory guides to metadata in general, to the LOM in particular and to the use of the LOM.

Please note that unless stated otherwise either here or in the resource, CETIS has not been involved in the development of these resources. Also, these resources represent guidance or best practice; they are informative and should not be taken as authoritative replacements for the specifications and standards they describe.

Metadata demystified
This publication from NISO - the US National Information Standards Organization - is an introduction to metadata (what metadata is and isn't) and explains why metadata is important. The focus is on bibliographic metadata, primarily books and journals. This is a free pdf version of a sixteen-page booklet, Metadata demystified: a guide for publishers (ISBN 1-880124-59-9).

Creators: Amy Brand, Frank Daly, Barbara Meyers Date: July 2003 URL: http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/Metadata_Demystified.pdf (42KB)

Understanding metadata
A general introduction to metadata from NISO, including an overview of leading metadata contenders (but not specifically educational metadata) and examples of practical applications. This is a free .pdf version of an eighteen-page booklet (ISBN 1-880124-62-9).

Creators: National Information Standards Organization Date: 2004 URL: http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf (159KB)

DCMI Glossary
This glossary, produced by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative's User Guide Committee, defines terms used in DCMI documents, presentations and discussions. The scope is not limited to terms with a specific DCMI interpretation, and so covers a wide range of metadata-related vocabulary.

Creators: DCMI User Guide Committee, based on work by Gail Clement and Pete Winn Date: 23 April 2004 URL: http://dublincore.org/documents/usageguide/glossary.shtml

Metadata for education - an FAQ
This FAQ comprises answers to questions anyone dealing with educational metadata for the first time might ask (starting with "what is metadata"). This guide has been written by members of IMS, Dublin Core and IEEE LTSC - three organizations that have taken a lead in the development of educational metadata standards - and includes contributions from members of CETIS, CanCore, ADL, and JES and Co. The intention is to continue this work and encourage participation from the wider community with the assistance of a Wiki hosted by CETIS.

Creators: several Date: 2005 URL: http://zope.cetis.ac.uk/metadatafaq/FrontPage

Metadata Overview
The first in a series of advice papers about metadata from TASI.

Creators: TASI Date: 2006 URL: http://www.tasi.ac.uk/advice/delivering/metadata.html

What is... IEEE LOM/IMS LRM?
What is IEEE Learning Object Metadata/IMS Learning Resource Meta-data? - CETIS briefing paper presents a short (four pages) overview of the LOM and its structure. It is aimed at people who know a little about metadata in general but are new to the LOM data model.

Creators: Phil Barker Date: April 2005 URL: http://metadata.cetis.ac.uk/guides/WhatIsLOM.pdf

IMS LRM specification
Version 1.3 of the IMS Learning Resource Meta-dataspecification includes the IMS Meta-data Best Practice Guide for IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 Standard for Learning Object Metadata, the purpose of which is "to provide users and implementers of the IMS Learning Resource Meta-data v1.3 Specification with a narrative description of the data model along with guidelines on its use, including the creation of application profiles".

Creators: Phil Barker, Lorna M. Campbell, Anthony Roberts (Eds) Date: 20 May 2004 URL: http://www.imsglobal.org/metadata/mdv1p3pd/imsmd_bestv1p3pd.html

CanCore guidelines
CanCore have provided an element-by-element guide to interpreting the semantics and syntax of all elements in the LOM. The aim is "to simplify and interpret this standard in order to help implementers and record creators with design, development,and indexing work .... If CanCore's recommendations are used as a basis for LOM interpretations and implementations generally,the potential for the interoperability of LOM implementations will be greatly increased".

Creators: Norm Friesen, Sue Fisher, Anthony Roberts Date: April 2004 URL: http://www.cancore.ca/en/guidelines.html

UK LOM Core
The UK LOM Core is an application profile of the LOM that is optimised for use by educational communities within the UK. It includes implementation guidelines for all LOM.

Creators: Lorna M. Campbell Date: May 2004 URL: http://zope.cetis.ac.uk/profiles/uklomcore

A guide to controlled vocabularies
Tomatoes are not the only fruit - a guide to controlled vocabularies -a short (four pages) guide that describes the differences between simples lists, taxonomies, polyhierarchical taxonomies, thesauri and ontologies. Available in PDF and MS Word .doc from the UK Gov Talk site.

Creators: Maewyn Cumming Date: 29 April 2005 URL: http://www.govtalk.gov.uk/schemasstandards/gcl_document.asp?docnum=681

What is... IMS VDEX?
This (draft) CETIS briefing paper presents a short (four pages) overview of Vocabulary Definition Exchange (VDEX) and its structure. It is aimed at people who know a little about vocabularies in general but are new to the VDEX data model.

Creators: Neil Fegen Date: 6 March 2006 URL: http://metadata.cetis.ac.uk/guides/WhatIsVDEX.pdf

IMS VDEX specification
Version 1.0 of the IMS vocabulary specification includes the IMS Vocabulary Definition Exchange Best Practice and Implementation Guide, which provides "non-normative guidance on application of the Information Model and XML Binding.".

Creators: Adam Cooper Date: 23 February 2004 URL: http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/vdexv1p0/imsvdex_bestv1p0.html

Pedagogical Vocabularies Review
Final draft of the first report from the JISC Pedagogical Vocabularies Project, which "was a short study scoping the potential for identification, development and use of pedagogical vocabularies for the UK post-16 and HE communities."

Creators: Sarah Currier, Lorna M. Campbell, Helen Beetham Date: 23 December 2005 URL: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elp_vocabularies.html

Cataloguing with RLLOMAP
The RLLOMAP is an application profile of the LOM, compatible with the UK LOM Core, used by the UK RDN-HE Academy interoperability project. The handbook - Cataloguing with RLLOMAP : a beginner’s handbook (2nd ed.) includes a general introduction for metadata novices and detailed guidelines for entering data into specific fields, such as rules for entering names and subjects.

Creators: Jane Read Date: May 2005 URL: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/Cataloguers_handbook2.doc (MS Word, 212KB)

ENCdl Indexing Guidelines
ENCdl is a portal to all of the digital resources that have been cataloged in association with Eisenhower National Clearinghouse. These guidelines, which draw on CanCore and cross reference to Dublin Core and USMARC, describe in detail how the ENC catalogues digital resources.

Creators: Judith S. Ridgway et al Date: Nov 2004 URL: http://www.encdl.org/ (follow link at bottom of page)