Metadata Standards Catalog WG

Objectives

The Metadata Standards Catalog (MSC) Working Group has produced a machine-actionable catalog of metadata standards submitted by all RDA WGs. The catalog system has an end-user input form and an API for submission from other software. Similarly it has a user interface for query/reporting and an API for software to query and retrieve suitable standards information. The MSC is a fundamental tool in any autonomic e-research fabric.

This work builds on the outputs of the Metadata Standards Directory Working Group: both the Metadata Standards Directory (MSD) itself and the set of attendant use cases.

Further details about the work are available on the MSCWG Wiki.

Metadata Principles and their Use

The RDA metadata groups have developed and endorsed a set of five principles for metadata that they believe the wider RDA should adopt and promote.

• Read the principles and accompanying commentary

Current Activities

The Metadata Standards Catalog is available. Please do contribute by adding new standards, new versions of standards, and filling out any missing information.

You can inspect the source code by visiting the GitHub repository. Even though the main, initial development phase is over, the Catalog will continue to be maintained and developed.

Adoption

• Adoption of the Metadata Standards Catalog by the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration
• Adoption of the Metadata Standards Directory by the Copernicus Climate Data Store

Translation

A part of the Metadata Standards Catalog has been translated into Japanese, thanks to WG member Kawamura Takurou from the Japan Association of National University Libraries.  The document is shared on the website to assist Japanese librarians in data management and distribution.