Metadata Services

What is Metadata Services?

Metadata Services will assist you in describing your scholarly resources so that others can find them. We will work with you in capturing the necessary metadata about your research and finding useful tools for managing your data. If you would like to learn more about metadata and its uses in general, please consult the following guide provided by NISO entitled Understanding Metadata.

Basic Approach to Metadata

For a given research project the following will be needed:

  • Collection of experimental data
    • Much of this metadata can be found in your notebooks and research files and will include project-level metadata as well as dataset level metadata
  • Tracking of metadata
    • Use a paper notebook or digital notebook with information about your research
  • Structure for your data
    • Create fields that meet your needs and store the metadata in a text file

Well-structured metadata supports the discovery and preservation of your research in the long-term. It provides a way for you and other researchers to identify and reuse data correctly in the future and makes your data easier to find.

Types of Consultations

We will help with your metadata needs whether you are just starting a project or already deep into one. We will help you think about the following issues when developing your metadata plan:

  • Metadata management and workflows
  • Creation of rules for metadata entry
  • Choosing metadata standards and schema
  • Introduction to ontologies
  • Choosing the right metadata tool

Questions to think about when developing a Metadata Plan:

  • What kind of information do you need to describe each resource?
  • What do your users need to know about what the resource is, where it came from, who created it, what its significance is?
  • How much detail do you need?
  • How will users find resources in your collection? What will they be looking for and how will they look for it?
  • What tools do you need to keep track of your metadata?

Have questions or want help getting started? Contact Asheleigh Folsom, Unit Head of Metadata Services at aap44@georgetown.edu