Friday, October 26, 2012

Reading #7



Lim, S. & Liew, C. (2011). Metadata quality and interoperability of GLAM digital images. AsLib Proceedings, 63(5), 484-498. doi:10.1108/00012531111164978

An exploration of how metadata have been appropriated in galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) in institutions in New Zealand and an analysis of its quality with the regards to the interoperability of its metadata set.  The data collection took place in two stages.  First, the metadata records of 16 institutions affiliated with GLAM in New Zealand were analyzed for the kinds and extent of metadata used.  However, because these records were publicly accessed, it was impossible to view the metadata that were kept from public view.  Therefore, interviews with staff from the institutions were conducted.  The study found that the digital image metadata records amongst the four types of institutions differed in their emphases on metadata types and function.  A second issue is the lack of variety of metadata.  Thirdly, not enough institutions are employing technical metadata in their records, resulting in possible loss of important data.  It appears that many institutions treat their digital images as surrogates of physical collections.  Further research is proposed on the importance of types of data from the user perspective for the best retrieval and interoperability.

No comments:

Post a Comment