Jim's paper "Proposal for metadata system" makes a good case for involving
cataloguers in metadata creation. In our situation, developing the
HealthInsite gateway, we are close to implementing the second of his
proposals - ie that metadata is created jointly by resource creators and
cataloguers (or other professional indexers), it is embedded on sites, kept
up-to-date by creators and harvested regularly by a spider for the gateway
database. We certainly insist that professional indexers do the subject
indexing.
I think we have to look further than this proposal and realise that quality
metadata is just one part of a quality resource. Other aspects are: quality
of the information in the resource, authentication, technical issues and
accessibility. For us, the full workflow goes something like this:
- author/creator creates resource
- departmental approval and clearance process (as for print publishing)
- subsite webmaster creates Web version of resource and adds partial
metadata
- site webmaster (technical) checks resource against departmental standards
before uploading
- site webmaster (librarian) double checks against departmental standards,
edits and completes metadata and reloads resource
- HealthInsite editor checks resource against HealthInsite publishing
standards and approves for linking to HealthInsite
- site/subsite webmaster updates resource and metadata as required
- HealthInsite harvester gathers updated metadata
Getting this to work smoothly is a long slow process, involving cyclical
operations of developing standards, training and feedback. Not to mention
persuading managers that cataloguing/indexing needs professional skills!
I hope to make the HealthInsite publishing standards available at the end
of this month.
Regards, Prue
Prue Deacon
HealthInsite Editorial Team
Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (Australia)
[log in to unmask]
phone: 61 2 6289 7505
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au (note that this is a pilot site)
http://www.health.gov.au
James Weinheimer <[log in to unmask]> on 30/07/99 01:42:53
To:
cc: [log in to unmask] (bcc: Prue Deacon/NHMRC/Health)
Subject: Metadata Proposal
All,
I would appreciate your comments concerning a proposal of mine. I have an
idea for a metadata system that envisions a new relationship between
website
creators and catalogers. As we all know, just a couple of seconds of
scanning the web for metadata created by website creators shows the need
for
catalogers to get involved. Yet, if overworked catalogers are to move into
a
leading position and get involved beyond theoretical discussions, there
must
be some practical way for them to get substantial help. This proposal
attempts to discuss the practical problems of metadata while giving both
website creators and catalogers the help they need.
This is a shorter version of a more indepth article I am writing.
Thanks to Bernhard Eversberg for his comments and his suggestion that I ask
the dc-general group for comments! See the paper at:
http://www.princeton.edu/~jamesw/mdata/metadataprop.html
Jim Weinheimer
Princeton University
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