Resource description and discovery

From Digipedia

How useful is this article to you? 1 (not useful) - 5 (very useful)

Current average rating: 2

Please login or create an account to rate this article

Overview

---

Resource description is the creation of structured information about objects or collections which can then be used to support a range of tasks associated with the management and use of that object or collection. This descriptive process will be undertaken using an appropriate metadata schema or schemas, cataloguing rules and terminology. It is likely that several classes of resource will need to be described, including:

• the physical objects digitised
• the digital objects created during the digitisation process and stored as digital masters
• the digital objects derived from these digital masters for networked delivery to users
• new resources created using these digital objects;
• collections of any of the above

Resource discovery is the process of making information about an object or objects available as the result of a search by a user or a query from another service using an appropriate software protocol for harvesting such as OAI-PMH or a distributed search protocol such as SRW/SRU.

The good practice guides provide detailed advice.

Related Digipedia articles

---

Good practice guides
Metadata
Technical standards

Further information

---

UKOLN Bibliographic Management factfile
UKOLN Metadata pages

[[role::newcomer]] [[role::content manager]] [[role::acquisitions manager]] [[goal::describing]] 
[[goal::content]] [[goal::managing]] [[goal::digitising]] [[level::basic]] [[level::medium]] [[level::deep]]