Metadata . . .

. . . surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.

I think that about sums up metadata, wouldn't you say?

I found the link Dr. Wisnicki sent us very helpful in unpacking the Schreibman et al article on the importance of digital library standards.

As the article moved through the different types of metadata standards (DC, MARC, Warwick), I thought of the adoption of standard gauge in railroad track--deciding upon a standard distance between the rails, creating an interoperability from trains and tracks. (For more on the subject, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_gauge.) In the case of rails, Standard gauge allowed for something like, say, the Trans-continental railroad to be successfully built. Imagine what would have happened if the two groups used different gauges and tried to meet up in Utah? 

Other examples for the need(s) for standardization are found anywhere: standard electrical sockets (American vs. English), standard size bricks (vs. modular), or the 16" standard between wall studs. . . but I digress.

During class, I mentioned to A.J. that we've seen metadata before--when we open the preferences of an image taken from a camera, we find the size, type of file, date take, camera used, etc. The term should have clued me in as well: meta-data. As a fan of the meta-theatrical (the ole' "play within a play," or "breaking of the 4th wall"), I should have guessed metadata to be self-referential. 

One of the most important issues brought up within the article (in relation to standardization practices), is the idea of lasting view-ability. I hearkened this problem to the age-old frustration of video game consoles--something I'm sure we've all experienced before. The fact that I can't play my "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: The Manhattan Project" NES cartridge on my SNES saddens me to no end--much less trying it on an N64 . . . which marked the end of the cartridge era in Nintendo. (For more on the topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo#Home_consoles .) Now, in this case, technology has far outdistanced the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) cartridge--considering how I can download old NES games directly into the Wii's memory, makes interoperability obsolete.

With metadata, I thought the METS system from the Coyle webpage makes the most sense: it creates a package of data that binds together all of the important information--nothing gets left behind. Keeping standards in place to ensure proper decoding of this information ensures that the information within the packets is accessible.