MetaData Builder Overview
If your site has acquired MetaData Builder, you can describe and store digital collections using XML in conformance with either the Dublin Core (DC) or Encoded Archival Description (EAD) metadata scheme. Metadata is descriptive information about physical or electronic objects or resources, information including but not limited to authorship, classification, subjects, dates, titles, and so on. For example, a library card catalog represents metadata that serves as a collection management and resource identification tool.
MetaData Builder stores XML files separately from bibliographic records and attaches them using a variable-length field. Innovative can configure your system to integrate XML files into the main database, with or without scoping, or create a separate reference database. The system uses XSLT, eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation, to map XML elements to variable-length fields on a base bibliographic record, convert the XML file to HTML for viewing in the WebPAC, and create a document for Advanced Word Searching indexing. The system performs the transformations on the fly when you save the data.
Patrons access your digital collection by searching the WebPAC with keywords or phrases. Records created and maintained by MetaData Builder appear along with bibliographic records, responding to standard navigation controls and other WebPAC features such as Media Management links. XSLT specifies which fields appear in the WebPAC and the presentation style.
You can use MetaData Builder to:
- Import a Dublin Core or EAD XML file created in a third-party editor, such as XMetal.
- Import Dublin Core records from an XML batch file.
- Export metadata from the database to a file on the workstation as an individual XML document.
- Create or edit metadata records, field-by-field, using a Java XML editor.
- Edit metadata XML in a text editor featuring an XML tree allowing you to view the complete document or a targeted portion.
- Link digital objects to metadata with Media Management.
- Index metadata automatically, through XSLT for the Advanced Word Search Index and via the base bibliographic record for phrase indexes, to enable patron searching.
- View the HTML transformation from XML, the base bibliographic record created from the XML, and the document's Advanced Word Search Indexing.
The interface for MetaData Builder record creation and editing depends on the XML schema you use to enter your metadata, that is, Dublin Core or EAD.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) developed the Dublin Core element set to facilitate resource location. Because Dublin Core is a generic element set independent of application syntax, Innovative uses a Resource Description Framework (RDF) to provide the XML structure. RDF is the same syntax used by OCLC when exporting Dublin Core from the Resource Catalog using the Connexion Browser. You can import the Dublin Core metadata files you download from OCLC into Sierra.
The Dublin Core standard includes two levels, simple and qualified. Simple Dublin Core includes fifteen elements. Qualified Dublin Core (QDC) includes three additional elements as well as qualifiers that refine the semantics of the elements. The Dublin Core elements and qualifiers supported by MetaData Builder are:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The resource name; usually a formal title. QDC Qualifiers Alternative - Any substitute or alternative to the formal title of the resource. |
| Creator | The primary person, organization, or service responsible for creating the content of the resource. |
| Subject and Keywords | Keywords, phrases, or classification codes describing the resources topics. DCMI recommends using values from a controlled vocabulary or formal classification scheme. |
| Description | A synopsis of the resource content. The synopsis might include an abstract, a table of contents, reference to graphical content, narrative text, or other descriptive material. QDC Qualifiers Table of Contents - A list of subunits of the resource's content. Abstract - A summary of the resource's content. |
| Publisher | The person, organization, or service responsible for primary resource distribution. |
| Contributor | A person, organization, or service who contributed to the resource content. |
| Date | A date significant to the resource's development, such as the creation or publication date. QDC Qualifiers Created - Date of the resource's creation. Valid - Date, or range of dates, of a resource's validity. Available - Date, or range of dates, that a resource became or will become available. Issued - Date of the resource's formal issuance, such as publication date. Modified - Date the resource changed. Date Copyrighted - Statement of copyright date. Date Submitted - Date of the resource's submission, such as for a thesis or journal article. Date Accepted - Date of the resource's acceptance, such as for a thesis or journal article. |
| Resource Type | The genre or category of the resource's content. Contrast with the FORMAT element. DCMI recommends using values from a controlled vocabulary. |
| Format | A description of the resource's physical or digital medium. DCMI recommends using values from a controlled vocabulary. QDC Qualifiers Extent - The resource's size or duration. Medium - The resource's material or physical carrier. |
| Resource Identifier | An unambiguous identification of the resource, such as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN). QDC Qualifiers Bibliographic Citation - A bibliographic reference identifying the resource. |
| Source | A resource from which all or part of the current resource derives. |
| Language | The language of the resource's intellectual content. DCMI recommends using RFC 3066 and ISO639 language codes. |
| Relation | A related resource. QDC Qualifiers Is Version of - The subject resource is a substantively changed version, edition, or adaptation of the referenced resource. Has Version - The referenced resource is a version, edition, or adaptation of the subject resource. Is Replaced by - The referenced resource replaces or supersedes the subject resource. Replaces - The subject resource replaces or supersedes the referenced resource. Is Required by - The reference resource physically or logically requires the subject resource. Requires - The subject resource requires the referenced resource to support its function, delivery, or coherence of content. Is Part of - The subject resource is a physical or logical part of the referenced resource. Has Part - The subject resource physically or logically includes the referenced resource. Is Referenced by - The referenced resource cites or refers to the referenced resource. References - The subject resource cites or refers to the referenced resource. Is Format of - The subject resource is a reformatted presentation of the referenced resource's intellectual content. Has Format - The referenced resource is a reformatted presentation of the pre-existing subject resource's intellectual content. Conforms to - The resource conforms to an established standard. |
| Coverage | The geographic location, time period, or jurisdiction of the resource content. DCMI recommends using values from a controlled vocabulary and prefers place and time period names to numeric values. QDC Qualifiers Spatial - The spatial characteristics of the resource's intellectual content. Temporal - The temporal characteristics of the resource's intellectual content. |
| Rights Management | A rights management statement addressing intellectual property rights, copyrights, and so forth, applying to the resource. QDC Qualifiers Access Rights - Information regarding who can access the resource or reference to its security status. License - A legal document granting official permissions relevant to the resource. |
| Audience (QDC only) | A class of entity intended to use the resource. QDC Qualifiers Mediator - A class of entity intended to mediate access to the resource. Education Level - Education level of the audience. |
| Provenance (QDC only) | A statement of changes in ownership and custody of the resource significant to its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. |
| Rights Holder (QDC only) | A person or organization owning or managing the resource's rights. |
For more information on Dublin Core and the Dublin Core MetaData Initiative, see the Dublin Core User Guide and the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative.
To use MetaData Builder with Dublin Core, see the MetaData Builder User Interface for Dublin Core.
Encoded Archival Description
The Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Document Type Definition (DTD) is a standard for encoding archival finding aids using XML. The Network Development and MARC Standards Office of the Library of Congress maintains the standard in partnership with the Society of American Archivists. EAD is a complex, hierarchical schema with highly nested elements. Consequently, it is generally best to create EAD metadata documents using a third-party XML editor and then import the file into MetaData Builder.
When importing an EAD v.1 file, the system converts it to EAD v.2002. Versions 1 and 2002 are not compatible, that is, the same DTD cannot describe both schemas. Innovative supports the current version, EAD v.2002.
For more information on EAD, see the Official EAD Version 2002 Website.
To use MetaData Builder with EAD, see the MetaData Builder User Interface for EAD.