Competency G

Understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge

Organization is an essential part of making information accessible. Using existing standards can make organizing information easier by providing a pre-existing structure to work with, whether it's in the digital realm or the physical one. Using an existing standard, instead of developing a new system, can save time and energy. Existing standards are a known quantity that have been used and tested. Digital standards can make searches easier, by providing a consistent format. For example, a search can be conducted over multiple databases at once, provided they use the same format for their records. Standards provide structure and guidelines for data entry and organization. They're intended to reduce uncertainty and lead to more predictable results. Standards also facilitate information sharing. Reformatting records can result in data being lost or corrupted. Even when the data survives intact, reformatting can be time-consuming and costly. Using standards also means that information professionals don't have to learn a different system at every institution. Patrons benefit as well; the widespread use of the Dewey Decimal System means that patrons walking into any public library know what to expect of the general organization.

The Dewey Decimal System is used in most libraries to organize collections. It is a decimal-based system that allows for a high level of specificity, but doesn't require it. For small collections, for example, a library might choose to use only the general categories, but where it's needed the call number can extend to six or more places beyond the decimal point. The system facilitates browsing by subject, and also gives each item a specific place, which aids in both searching and shelving. Because it is used in so many libraries, it is familiar to most patrons. The Dewey Decimal System is frequently updated to accommodate new topics and categories.

Machine Readable Cataloging, or MARC, is a data storage format commonly used in libraries. The MARC format provides a way for computers to read, sort, and search the information traditionally kept in a card catalog. Using this standard allows libraries to take advantage of a range of commercially available software. In addition to being the backbone for most electronic catalogs, MARC allows records to be shared between institutions. MARC records can be converted to XML and SGML, and have been mapped to other metadata standards, such as MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) and Dublin Core. This allows MARC records to be shared with systems that don't use the MARC format.

Dublin Core is a standard of metadata designed to facilitate information retrieval on the Web, and is designed to support many different purposes. It is a standard that is independent of any particular syntax, and is not controlled by any commercial companies. It is a non-proprietary standard which can be freely used. The metadata element set consists of fifteen repeatable terms. It is designed to be easy to use and easily adopted across different systems.

The first piece of evidence is an essay on metadata I wrote for one of my classes on information technology. In addition to discussing metadata in general, I talk about specific metadata schemas, such as MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema), TEI (Text Encoding Initiative), and VRA (Visual Resources Association) Core. The second part of the essay talks about metadata standards, and the role they play in interoperability. Interoperability, the ability of different systems to work together and exchange information in a useful and meaningful way, increases the usefulness of information by increasing the ways it can be found and viewed. Standards increase interoperability by providing consistent formats, and methods for translating data between formats. The last part of the essay examines two metadata standards, Dublin core and PBCore. PBCore is based on Dublin Core, but has been heavily modified to meed the specific needs of public broadcasting databases. They have only two common attributes, "name" and "definition."

The second piece of evidence is the final paper for the same information technology class. In it I discuss how I developed the metadata for final project. I relied heavily on the PBCore standard, which I added to to meet the specific needs of the information objects I had. One thing this taught me is that developing a standard isn't an easy, one-time process. Instead, a standard might be built over time, and can take a lot of trial and error. In this case, I ended up going back and adding to the metadata after I started work on the Web page, because while I was organizing the material for display I saw a need that I hadn't thought of before. Most standards are developed and tested by teams of people, and go through many changes before they are made public.