nn, 5). Descriptors can be structured or unstructured, and can be stored in a number of places and in a number of different ways. For example, in terms of structure, the Dublin Core is associated with the following descriptors:
Creator (Name of the person or organization primarily responsible for creating the intellectual content)
Description (Abstract, content description)
Contributors (Name of significant contributors other than the creator)
Date associated with the creation of the resource
Format (Data representation of the resource, MIME type)
Identifier (Location of the document. Start with 'http://
Source (Unique string or number for a printed or digital work from which this resource is derived)
Relation (Relationship to other resources)
Coverage (Spatial and/or temporal characteristics of the resource)
Rights (link to a copyright notice, etc.)
Morris (2) reports that there are many uses for Metadata and many benefits associated with it. These are said to be:
1. The sharing and exchange of information and information resources.
2. The ability to search, evaluate, acquire and use resources by diverse types of users, e.g., students and teachers.
3. It provides a mechanism of assistance in the development of materials, especially learning materials.
4. Metadata can be used on the world wide web to describe web sites very precisely, allowing people to accurately find them via search engines.
5. It provides an environment for the development of interoperable systems.
In terms of the general impact of metadata on the library, Calhoun (2-5) lists several changes which libraries and librarians must face simply as a result of the proliferation of electronic resources and technology and the use of the world wide web. First, it is noted that the introduction of electronic resources mean that there are simply too many resources for librarians to handle in the traditional mann...