When introduced, metadata was basic and easy. It was breadcrumbs that led you to the real data or file. Once you understood the right information to put into it, the concept itself was simple. What was clear has become murky. This interesting topic came from KMWorld in their article, “Dissolution of metadata.”
If you think of metadata like a library catalog card containing information that will enable findability, it is easy to understand and also easy to undervalue.
Metadata often contains information that is greater than the words in a document or a book. For example, the word computer does not appear in the memoirs of Charles Babbage, who is often considered to be the great-great-great-great grandfather of the modern computer.
How the content is classified impacts the findability of your data. Professionals should look for an experienced builder of solid standards-based taxonomies to associate content for appropriate machine-assisted indexing. Access Innovations can provide solutions that are ANSI compliant.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.
