Towards a conceptual framework for user-driven semantic metadata interoperability in digital libraries: A social constructivist approach

Alemu, Getaneh and Stevens, Brett and Ross, Penny Towards a conceptual framework for user-driven semantic metadata interoperability in digital libraries: A social constructivist approach. New Library World, 2012, vol. 113, n. 1/2, pp. 38-54. [Journal article (Paginated)]

[img]
Preview
PDF
Towards a conceptual framework for user-driven semantic metadata interoperability in digital libraries.pdf

Download (537kB) | Preview

English abstract

Purpose – With the aim of developing a conceptual framework which aims to facilitate semantic metadata interoperability, this paper explores overarching conceptual issues on how traditional library information organization schemes such as Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs), taxonomies, thesauri, and ontologies on the one hand versus Web 2.0 technologies such as social tagging (folksonomies) can be harnessed to provide users with satisfying experiences. Design/methodology/approach –This paper reviews works in relation to current metadata creation, utilization and interoperability approaches focusing on how a social constructivist philosophical perspective can be employed to underpin metadata decisions in digital libraries. Articles are retrieved from databases such as EBSCO host and Emerald and online magazines such as D-Lib and Ariadne. Books, news articles and blog posts that are deemed relevant are also used to support the arguments put forward in this paper. Findings – Current metadata approaches are deeply authoritative and metadata deployments in digital libraries tend to favour an objectivist approach with focus on metadata simplicity. It is argued that unless information objects are enriched with metadata generated through a collaborative and user-driven approach, achieving semantic metadata interoperability in digital libraries will remain difficult. Practical implications – In this paper, it is indicated that the number of metadata elements (fields) constituting a standard has a direct bearing on metadata richness, which in turn directly affects semantic interoperability. It is expected that this paper will contribute towards a better understanding of harnessing user-driven metadata. Originality/value – As suggested in this paper, a conceptual metadata framework which is underpinned by a social constructivist approach substantially contributes to semantic interoperability in digital libraries.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Metadata, Semantic metadata interoperability, Social constructivism, Digital libraries, Web 2.0, Semantic Web, OPAC
Subjects: A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information. > AA. Library and information science as a field.
A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information. > AB. Information theory and library theory.
I. Information treatment for information services > IA. Cataloging, bibliographic control.
I. Information treatment for information services > IE. Data and metadata structures.
L. Information technology and library technology > LR. OPAC systems.
Depositing user: Getaneh Agegn Alemu
Date deposited: 03 Feb 2012
Last modified: 02 Oct 2014 12:21
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/16556

References

Allemnag, D. and Hendler, J. (2008), Semantic web for the working ontologist: Effective modeling in RDFS and OWL, Morgan Kaufmann, Amsterdam.

Anderson, C. (2006), The long tail: How endless choice is creating unlimitted demand, Random House, London.

Anderson, C. (2009), Free : The future of a radical price, Hyperion, New york.

(Anderson et al) Anderson, D., Delve, J., Pinchbeck, D. and Alemu, G. A. (2009), "Preservation metadata

standards for emulation access platforms", KEEP Project, European Commission.

Arms, W., Hillmann, D., Lagoze, C., Krafft , D., Marisa, R., Saylor, J., Terrizzi, C. and Van de Sompel, H. (2002), "A spectrum of interoperability: The site for science prototype for the NSDL", D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 8 No. 1.

Bailer, W. (2007), "Interoperability of multimedia metadata: From digital cinema to cultural heritage", in

CHORUS Workshop on Metadata in Audio-Visual/Multimedia Productions and Archiving, IRT, 21st -22nd November 2007, Munich, Germany.

Baker, T. (2000), “A Grammar for Dublin Core”. D-Lib Megazine, Vol. 6 No. 10.

Baker, T., Dekkers, M., Heery, R., Patel, M., and Salokhe, G. (2001). "What terms does your metadata use? Application profiles as machine-understandable narratives", In the International Conference on Dublin

Core and Metadata Applications, DC-2001, October 24-26, 2001, NII, Tokyo, Japan.

Caplan, P. (2000), "Oh what a tangled web we weave: Opportunities and challenges for standards development in the digital library arena", First Mnday, Vol. 5 No. 6.

Casey, M. E. and Savastinuk, L. C. (2006), "Web 2.0: Service for the next-generation library", Library Journal, available: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

Chan, L. M. and Zeng, M. L. (2006), "Metadata interoperability and standardization – a study of methodology part I: Achieving interoperability at the schema level", D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 12 No. 6.

Charmaz, K. (2006), Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis, SAGE

Publications, London.

Collinson, T. (2009), "Thing of the day", University of Portsmouth Library, Portsmouth, unpublished.

Creswell, J. W. (2003), Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches, 2

ed., London: SAGE Publications Ltd., London.

Crotty, M. (1998), The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process, SAGE Publications Ltd., London.

Day, M. (2000), "Resource discovery, interoperability and digital preservation: Some aspects of current metadata research and development", VINE, Vol. 36 No. 117, pp. 35-48.

Day, M. (2001), "Metadata in a nutshell", Information Europe, Vol. 6 No. 2, p. 1-11.

Day, M. (2003a), "Integrating metadata schema registries with digital preservation systems to support

interoperability: A proposal", In International DCMI Metadata Conference and Workshop, September

28-October 2, 2003, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Day, M. (2003b), "Preservation metadata initiatives: Practicality, sustainability, and interoperability", in ERPANET Training Seminar on Metadata in Digital Preservation, Marburg, Germany.

(Decker et al) Decker, S., Melnik, S., Van Harmelen, F., Fensel, D., Klein, M., Broekstra, J., Erdmann, M. and Horrocks, I. (2000), "The semantic web: The roles of XML and RDF", IEEE Internet Computing, Vol. 15

No. 3, pp. 63-74.

Dekkers, M. (2002), "Issues in cross-standard interoperability", available: www.cores-eu.net/interoperability/d31.pdf

Duffy, T. M. and Jonassen, D. H., eds. (1992), Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers, Hillsdale, New Jersey.

(Duval et al) Duval, E., Hodgins, W., Sutton, S. and Weibel, S. L. (2002), "Metadata principles and practicalities",D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 8 No. 4.

Gartner, R. (2008), "Metadata for digital libraries: State of the art and future directions", JISC Technology & Standards Watch, available: ttp://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw_0801pdf.pdf.

Gill, T. and Miller, s (2002), "Re-inventing the wheel? Standards, interoperability and digital cultural content", DLib Magazine, 8(1).

Greenberg, J. (2005), "Understanding metadata and metadata schemes ", Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Vol. 40 No. 3/4, pp. 17-36.

Grix, J. (2004), The foundations of research, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Gruber, T. (2007), "Ontology of folsonomy: A mash-up of apples and oranges", International Journal on Semantic Web & Information Systems, Vol. 3 No. 2.

Guba, G. and Lincoln, S. (1994), "Competing paradigms in qualitative research. Chapter 6 in Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S., eds., Handbook of qualitative research, pp. 105-117, SAGE Publications Ltd., Thousand

Oaks, CA.

Guenther, R. and McCallum, S. (2003), "New metadata standards for digital resources: Mods and mets", Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 29 No. 2.

Haslhofer, B. and Klas, W. (2010), "A survey of techniques for achieving metadata interoperability", ACM, 42(2).

(Heery et al) Heery, R., Johnson, P., Fülöp, C. and Micsik, A. (2003), "Metadata schema registries in the partially semantic web: The cores experience", In International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications, DC-2003, Seattle, WA, pp. 1-8.

Heery, R. and Patel, M. (2000), "Application profiles: Mixing and matching metadata schemas", Ariadne, (25).

Hillmann, D. I. and Phipps, J. (2007), "Application profiles: Exposing and enforcing metadata quality", In

International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications, 27–31 August, Singapore, pp. 52–

62.

Lagoze, C. (2001a), "Keeping dublin core simple: Cross-domain discovery or resource description?", D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 7 No. 1.

Lagoze, C. (2001b). "Accommodating Simplicity and complexity in metadata: lessons from the Dublin Core experience", In Seminar on Metadata, June 8, 2000, Archiefschool, Netherlands Institute for Archival Education and Research Amsterdam.

Lagoze, C. (2010), "Lost identity: The assimilation of digital libraries into the web", unpublished thesis, Cornell University.

Lagoze, C. and Van de Sompel, H. (2007), "Open archives initiative – object reuse and exchange: Compound information objects: The OAI-ORE perspective", OAI-ORE, available: http://www.openarchives.org/ore/documents/CompoundObjects-200705.html

Maeda, J. (2006), The laws of simplicity: Simplicity: Design, technology, business, life, The MIT Press, Massachusetts.

Maness , J. M. (2006), "Library 2.0 theory: Web 2.0 and its implications for libraries", Webology, 3(2).

Mason, I. (2007), "Cultural information standards- political territory and rich rewards" in Cameron, F. and Kenderdine, S., eds., Theorizing digital cultural heritage a critical discourse, pp. 223-243, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Miller, P. (2000), "Interoperability what is it and why should i want it?", Ariadne, No. 24.

Miller, P. (2005), "Web 2.0: Building the new library ", Ariadne, No. 45.

Nagamori, M. and Sugimoto, S. (2006), "A metadata schema registry as a tool to enhance metadata interoperability", TCDL Bulletin, Vol. 3 no. 1.

Nilsson, M. (2010), "From interoperability to harmonization in metadata standardization: Designing an evolvable framework for metadata harmonization", unpublished PhD thesis, KTH School of Computer Science and Communication, Royal institute of Technology, Sweden.

NISO (2004), "Understanding metadata", NISO Press, Bethesda, USA, available: http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf

NISO (2008), "A framework of guidance for building good digital collections", available: http://framework.niso.org/node/5

O'Reilly, T. (2005), "What is web 2.0: Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software", available: http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

OCLC/RLG (2001), "Preservation metadata for digital objects: A review of the state of the art", OCLC/RLG, available: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/pmwg/presmeta_wp.pdf

Rothenberg, J. (2008), "Interoperability as a semantic cross-cutting concern" in Interoperabiliteit: Eerlijk zullen we alles delen, Den Haag.

Shirky, C. (2005), "Ontology is overrated: Categories, links, and tags", Clay Shirky's Writings About the Internet, available: http://www.shirky.com/writings/ontology_overrated.html

St. Pierre, M. and LaPlant, W. P. (1998), "Issues in crosswalking content metadata standards", available:http://www.niso.org/publications/white_papers/crosswalk/

Stuessy, T. F. (2008), Plant taxonomy: The systematic evaluation of comparative data, 2 ed., New York: Columbia University Press.

Tischler, L. (2005), "The beauty of simplicity", The Fast Company, No. 100.

Vander Wal, T. (2007), "Folksonomy: Coinage and definition", available: http://www.vanderwal.net/folksonomy.html

Veltman, K. H. (2001), "Syntactic and semantic interoperability: New approaches to knowledge and the semantic web", New Review of Information Networking, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 159-183.

W3C (2004), "OWL: Web Ontology Language overview", available: http://www.w3.org/TR/owl-features/

Weinberger, D. (2007), Everything is miscellaneous, Times books, New York.

West, J. (2007), "Subject headings 2.0: Folksonomies and tags", Library Media Connection, Vol. 25 No. 7, pp. 58-59.

Wright, A. (2007), Glut: Mastering information through the ages, Corenell University Press, Ithaca, NY.

Zeng, M. L. and Chan, L. M. (2006), "Metadata interoperability and standardization – a study of methodology part II: Achieving interoperability at the record and repository levels", D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 12 No. 6


Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item