Reading Notes: Week 3

Introduction to Metadata: Setting the Stage, by Anne J. Gilliland

I appreciate the thoroughness of this chapter. I am a relative novice to metadata as a formal concept, having been introduced to it briefly last semester. In reality, however, metadata is all around us and is something that I use on a regular basis, both knowingly and unconsciously.

A line from the end of the article: "metadata is like interest: it accrues over time" was significant because it stresses the duality of metadata. It is both dynamic and static at the same time. Part of the importance of metadata is the notion that it can change over time as elements are added and expanded, but also remains a constant set of descriptors about an information object.

The list of primary functions of metadata was very helpful in clarifying my understanding of what metadata really IS, beyond the pat definition that metadata is "information about information." The expanded list of functions emphasized the essential nature of metadata, and why it is important for me to understand and be familiar with metadata. Sometimes I feel like I live a life that is a few steps away from the things I use on an daily basis. For example, I drive my car without working knowledge of how exactly it works. Understanding metadata on a conceptual basis - and a practical one - is like getting under the hood of information science and beginning to understand the way the parts and pieces really fit together.

The breakdown of data structure standards into data value standards to data content standards into data format/technical interchange standards shed some light on the Dublin Core Article. I was finally able to put Dublin Core into an understandable context within a metadata framework. Likening data structure to a big container into which items go - following specific rules - made Dublin Core make a little more sense.

An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model, by Eric J. Miller

As the Setting the Stage article pointed out, a complete metadata picture of an information object is essential to it's proper use, storage, and longevity. Understanding that DCMI has created the DCES to be a simple, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary set of metadata elements as a way to make information more readily accessible is fantastic! These generic standards - combined with subject or institution specific standards - will go a long way in creating a universally accessible world of information.

While I have some grasp on the theory of what Dublin Core is trying to do and what it offers, I don't yet understand how it actually works in practice. I found the article to be confusing as it broke down different parts. However, I am hopeful that with more reading and next week's lecture I will understand it better.

EndNote X5: An Introduction

Last semester I attempted to use RefWorks as an "easier" option while writing a paper for LIS 2000: Understanding Information. I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to add information and produce correct in-text citations and a works cited page. It was actually far easier to to manually add citations and type the works cited page. Part of this is because I kept a detailed record as I worked of the bibliographic information that I needed.

My fear with EndNote and other online bibliographic services that it has a large possibility for user error by way of neglect. I meticulously check - as I type - the bibliographic information that goes into my work. However, I am willing to give this service a chance because of the implications for the way I could use it in the future as a teaching tool.

SOPA and other conversations happening in the United States could be a bellwether for changes in the internet and ways that we use and access information. If web-based resources like EndNote and RefWorks offer an easier and potential more intuitive way to cite copyrighted materials, perhaps digital natives and other users inclined to piracy - intentional or not -will be more likely to properly attribute content in their created works. I know that this dream is a long shot, but it is a cultural shift that needs to happen, not a legislative one in order to stop online piracy.