Perfect metadata is NOT required - good metadata IS useful.
So say the resident metadata experts at the Library of Congress, who made this point very clearly at the recent National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program partners meeting. Consistent and rich metadata are needed in order to improve search of the Library’s collections and provide web services that users have come to expect.
To address the challenges in this area, the "Metadata for Digital Content" group was formed at the Library in March 2009. This internal, cross-Library group is working towards new solutions, aligning with a goal in the Library’s overall strategic plan to provide better access to digital materials. The group is co-chaired by Rebecca Guenther and Ann Della Porta from the Technology Policy Directorate of the Library.
The MDC group members include catalogers, programmers and digital project managers, and represent different service units of the Library concerned with digital content. All are united by the common need for more effective descriptive metadata, which is of increasing importance for the burgeoning amounts of new digital material added to the Library’s website every day. In studying the question of "what are users looking for, and can they find it?," the group determined that the overall quality of the online bibliographic records plays a big part in success or failure. So, how can the records be structured to help users discover relevant resources when they search?
Jane Mandelbaum, manager in the Library’s Information Technology directorate and a founder of the group, said the group is focusing on "how we build standardized metadata that works across the spectrum of digital objects."
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