LMAP (Working Group)

The Learning Material Application Profile Scoping Study was commissioned from CETIS with additional funding by JISC with the agreed aim of scoping out the metadata application profile requirements for learning materials in relation to digital repositories.

The approach was to recognize that a typical collection of learning materials is likely to include a wide range of resource types (e.g. images, web pages, digital media, assessment items) all of which require description. In addition there are other factors related to activities such as rights management, ensuring accessibility and preservation that may need to be considered when describing resources. Expert and advisory groups for most object types or activity domains have developed their own specialized metadata and have their own perception of the minimum effort required for best practice.

For the scoping study a list of relevant domains was drawn up; the relative importance of each domain to the management and use of learning materials was described; domain experts were identified and interviewed to ascertain the recommendations they provide to repository managers on what would be considered an adequate minimum resource description. In analysing this information the application of the FRBR (functional requirements for bibliographic records) domain model to learning materials was investigated.

The work was carried out by Phil Barker outwith his normal CETIS work, while the management and validation of the work was undertaken by CETIS through working group. CETIS convened a meeting of a group of representatives of the relevant domains in order to comment on the analysis and final report.

Contacts
Phil Barker and Lorna Campbell

Outputs
The main output of the working group was in the form of input into the information gathering, which included a working group meeting (see below), and comments on the draft final report.

All the outputs of the project, including the final report, are available on the LMAP project website.

Agenda

 * 1)  Introductions
 * 2) Presentation of the report outline
 * 3) Discussion points including:
 * 4) What is the application profile for
 * 5) Object model see http://blogs.cetis.ac.uk/philb/2008/01/29/lmap-update/
 * 6) When is structured metadata the right approach
 * 7) ... any points you with to raise.

Participants

 * Julie Allinson, University of York
 * Phil Barker, CETIS
 * Gayle Calverley, University of Manchester
 * Lorna M. Campbell, CETIS
 * John Casey, Jorum
 * Phil Cross, University of Bristol
 * Sarah Currier, Intrallect Ltd
 * Mick Eadie, VADS/AHDS Visual Arts
 * Pete Johnston, Eduserve Foundation
 * Sheila, MacNeill, CETIS
 * Peter O'Hare, Jorum
 * Sharon Perry, CETIS
 * R. John Robertson, Repositories Research Team
 * Ben Ryan
 * Rowin Young, CETIS