A theory of digital library metadata the emergence of enriching and filtering

Getaneh Alemu (PhD)

October 2015

‘Data about data’

Describes and locates information objects

Provides context

Enables the search-ability, browse-ability, find-ability and

management of information objects

“The invisible hand” that enables effective information

organisation

Metadata constitutes a central part of library functions

(Alemu, Stevens, Ross, & Chandler, 2012; Anderson, Delve, Pinchbeck, & Alemu, 2009; Day, 2001; Gartner,

2008; Lagoze, 2010; Nilsson, 2010; NISO, 2004; OCLC/RLG, 2001; Zeng & Qin, 2008)

As library grow, of information

increases, changes and users’ expectations

change:

Contemporary standards-based metadata approaches fail to

to adequately describe the semantic aspects of

information objects

The of documents is missing (Otlet, 1934)

“In Otlet’s world each user would leave an imprint, a trail, which would

become part of the explicit history of each document” (Wright , 2007, p.190)

Scant use of theories/theoretical frameworks in the inclusion

of socially-constructed metadata

(Coyle, 2010; Coyle & Hillmann, 2007; Lagoze, 2010; Mathes, 2004; Shirky, 2005;

Veltman, 2001; Weinberger, 2005, 2007; Wright, 2007)

(Lehmann, 2010; Andersen & Skouvig, 2006.; Floridi, 2000; Hjorland, 2000)

Developing a

Exploring the inclusion of

approaches

Inductively identify concepts

Identify principles

Develop framework

Standards-based metadata approaches imply an

philosophical perspective

Web 2.0 (socially-constructed) metadata approaches seem to

follow a philosophical perspective

Cultural artefacts very often lend themselves to various

and contexts

Alemu, G., Stevens, B., Ross, P. (2012) Towards a conceptual framework for user-driven semantic metadata

interoperability in digital libraries: A social constructivist approach. New Library World. 113 (1/2), 38-54

: inductively developing

concepts/principles/theoretical framework/theories

Theory rather than theory testing

Simultaneous data collection and analysis

Fitting for research areas

Three approaches to grounded theory method

Glaserian (Glaser & Strauss, 1967)

Straussian (Strauss & Corbin, 1998)

(Charmaz, 2006)

Alemu, G., B. Stevens, P. Ross. (2012) Semantic metadata interoperability in digital libraries: a constructivist

grounded theory approach. Bulletin of IEEE Technical Committee on Digital Libraries. 8(1).

Open-ended

Exploratory

11 in-depth interviews

Library as a place

Obsolescence of OPAC

Standards-based versus

socially-constructed

metadata approaches

Sluggish adoption of

Semantic Web

technologies

Bridging cultural

differences through

metadata

Collaboration and

metadata crowd sourcing

The need for theoretical

foundations

Study No.

Interviewees

Study Total Number Profession Sub-total

Study One 11

LIS MSc Students 8

LIS PhD Student 1

LIS Lecturers 2

Study Two21

Librarians 10

LIS Researchers 5

LIS Lecturers 2

Metadata

Consultants4

Study Three 25

Under-graduate Students (BSC) 5

Post-graduate Students (MSc=4 & PhD=6) 10

Lecturers (other than LIS) 10

Total 57

Institution Number of

Interviewees

The British Library 3

Library of Congress 1

Harvard University 1

University of Portsmouth 3

University of Loughborough 1

Kings College London 1

University of South Australia 1

University of Bologna 1

University of Parma 1

University of Zimbabwe 1

University of North Texas 1

Queensland University of Technology 1

OCLC Online Computer Library Centre 1

University College London 1

Cloud of Data 1

2 consultants who are not affiliated to any organisation 2

Reducing barriers to contribution

Simplicity, interestingness and fun

Re-findability

Sense of ownership

Own vocabularies

Altruism and reputation

Engaging with users

of users through

Enables to match the growing collections with the assignment

of

Metadata and (reflecting user

interpretations/terminologies/better conforming to

user requirements)

complement to the

of

Metadata should be about the interface not

about the

Granularly metadata

Uniquely metadata

Creating and facilitating links

It brings

It widens opportunities for

Institutional and

Facilitates metadata and

Minimises or

Flexible and open schemes

filtering

Flexibility to and customise interface displays

catalogue views based on

navigation

From metadata to metadata ;

From metadata to a where

augments expert-created metadata;

From and to

( );

From metadata to metadata;

From metadata records to metadata ;

From a (global) OPAC interface to

and user-friendly interfaces;

From to through tag

clouding, metadata zeitgeist and faceted navigation.

Methodological contribution

A and

Contribution to LIS field/metadata

Emerging metadata principles

A theoretical

Inclusion of the of metadata through a

approach, partly addressing Otlet’s 1934 vision

of contemporary metadata

assumptions and principles

Better reflects the (linguistic/cultural)

It is argued that the findings well with the data; are , ‘

and interpretations but it is among other possible .