AN IntroductioN TO METADATA
About PBS DLL Metadata
Current Version of PBS DLL Metadata is 1.2
Genesis of the PBS DLL Metadata
Preliminary drafts of proposed metadata elements for the Digital Learning Library were presented to PBS in February of 2008. Over the course of two years, with the release of version 1.2 of the PBS DLL Metadata in January 2010, the total number of elements was reduced from 109 individual descriptors to the current 69 metadata elements. See our timeline of version changes and the state of the elements on the web page entitled Metadata Schema Changes > Version Control & Change Orders.
This dictionary of metadata elements is considered to be an "Application Profile" because it draws its metadata elements from other established metadata dictionaries and schemas. An Application Profile is a...
...set of metadata elements, policies, and guidelines defined for a particular application or situation. The elements may be harvested from one or more element sets, thus allowing a given application or profile to use pre-established, well-formed, standardized metadata in addition to other metadata descriptors that are created and defined locally (custom metadata). For example, a given application might choose a subset of the Dublin Core that meets its needs, or may select elements from the Dublin Core, another element set, and several locally defined elements, all combined in a single schema. An Application Profile is not complete unless adequate documentation is provided in order to identify and specify definitions, policies and best practices associated with an application profile's use.
http://dublincore.org/documents/2001/04/12/usageguide/glossary.shtml#A
Candidate metadata dictionaries that were referenced and harvested included...
PBCore
Dublin Core
NETA Media Exchange Prototype
IEEE-LTSC LOM (Learning Technology Standards Committee Learning Object Metadata)
WGBH Teacher's Domain
Maryland Public Televison ThinkPort
PBS Teacher's Activity Database
UMAP--Utah Metadata Application Profile from Utah Education Network
ODRL--Open Digital Rights Language Model for Digital Rights Management
vCard Personal Data Interchange Metadata Model
PBS PODS
Must All of the Metadata Elements be Used?
Not all of the 69 element descriptions in Version 1.2 need to be supplied by content contributors. There are three types of metadata in the PBS DLL...
- MANDATORY:
This small group of elements is required in order to provide basic descriptions about a media item and to facilitate searching. - OPTIONAL:
This set of metadata elements can be supplied by contributors if the descriptions exist and will enhance the findability of media items from the repository. - PROVIDED BY PBS:
This set of metadata is primarily supplied by PBS itself for each contributed media item and includes the correlations of media items to state and national core curriculum educational subject areas and learning objectives.
Governance of the PBS DLL Metadata Dictionary
Responsibility for the management of and change orders associated with the PBS Digital Learning Library Metadata solely resides with PBS. The Governance Committee for the metadata and the contents of the Metadata User Guide includes the following individuals...
| Kim Smith | Vice President, Education PBS | kasmith@pbs.org |
| Kathryn Zaharek | Zaharek Knowledge Information Group | kzaharek@gmail.com |
| Jeff Kahn | Principal, Verbena Consulting | jeffkahn@verbenaconsulting.com |
| Peter Pinch | Director of Technology, WGBH Teachers' Domain | peter_pinch@wgbh.org |
| Paul E Burrows | Manager, New Media/Media Solutions/University of Utah IT | pburrows@media.utah.edu |
Who May Employ the PBS DLL Metadata Elements?
Of course, any participating content producer and contributor to the PBS Digital Learning Library must conform their own metadata descriptions to match those used in the PBS DLL digital asset and content management system.
Any other parties may also reference and utilize the metadata elements and their definitions, with an attribution to the PBS Digital Learning Library project.