What is metadata?

To have a better understanding of metadata we must know what types of metadata is out there. Metadata is of several types and can be roughly categorized as structural, descriptive and administrative. Let’s dive a bit deep in each of them.1:Page numbers2:Sections3:Chapters4:Indexes5:Table of contents

Descriptive metadata is essential for discovering and identifying assets. It is important because it got the information that describes the assets, such as the assets title, author, and relevant keywords helping to identify and describe the asset. It is descriptive metadata which allows you to locate a book in a particular genre published after 2018, as the book’s metadata will have the information about both the genre and the publication date. As a matter of fact ISBN system is a good example of using metadata to centralize the information hence making it easier to locate the resources. Basically, descriptive metadata includes any information describing the asset that can be used to identify and discover the asset at a later point in time.

Administrative metadata relates to the technical source of digital asset. It includes data such as the file type, as well as when and how the asset was created. This metadata also relates to usage rights and intellectual property, providing information like who is the owner of an asset, where and how it can be used, and the duration a digital asset can be used for those allowable purposes under the current license.The administrative data is broken down into three subtypes by the National information Standards Organization (NISO), which are as following: 1. Technical MetadataThe necessary information for decoding and rendering files. 2. Preservation Metadata Information necessary for the long-term management and archiving of digital assets. 3. Rights Metadata Information pertaining to intellectual property and usage rights.