Danielle's Blog

Metadata quality is not something to take lightly. Without accurate and standardized records, researchers cannot retrieve the valuable resources that they desire. While searches can still be performed if poor metadata records exist, the results yielded may be lacking in value as they will not encompass everything that an institution has to offer. It is because of instances like this that librarians and publishers alike must ensure that metadata records are of high quality, standardized to a set format, frequently inspected for errors, and updated to reflect any changes to the materials. In "Achieving and Maintaining Metadata Quality: Toward a Sustainable Workflow for the IDEALS Institutional Repository," Ayla Stein, Kelly Applegate, and Seth Robbins describe why metadata quality issues arise. They believe that "there are five universal metadata problems: 'Incorrect Values, Incorrect Elements, Missing Information, Information Loss, and Inconsistent Value Representa...

Making a phone call? Purchasing on Amazon? Posting on social media? All of these actions result in the creation of metadata.  All of this metadata can be summed up as data exhaust.  You can try to avoid it, but the metadata is there and connected to you. When going about your day to day life, you are crafting a story that can be retrieved by various companies, organizations, and government officials whether you realize it or not. Simple actions can be analyzed to target you as a consumer, profile you as a potential employee, or connect you to criminal activities. Every piece of metadata can be used to paint a perception of you for others to see. But what does all of this mean for libraries and a patrons right to privacy? According to the American Library Association, ALA, "All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use." (American Library Association, 2006) This means that regardless of ...