Metadata is more than just cataloguing

Someone left a comment on a recent post reminding me that metadata is more than just cataloguing. Very true. Describing the item is only part of the entire metadata record. For those, though, that don't understand metadata, the word 'cataloguing' turns on a few lights. So I need to remember that metadata is like cataloguing, but you also will want to place additional information in the metadata that are not part of a cataloguing record.

The comment was a useful reminder. Thanks to the person who left it.

BTW librarians come in two forms -- cataloguing and non-cataloguing. I'm a librarian who doesn't like the detail work of cataloguing (or of metadata creation). I want to help define the task and its components, ensure that the fields/descriptions are appropriate, and then let someone else do it. I know there are librarians who derive tremendous joy from each record they create and I'm glad they exist!

---

Technorati tag: Metadata