Digital Assets Discussion Group: Learning About Digital Assets - Management - Description

The process of describing a digital file or object is multi-facetted. The need to describe a digital object reaches beyond searching because description metadata is imperative to successful discovery, management, and preservation of digital assets. The dynamic nature of digital objects, however, complicates description and metadata. Technical, administrative, representative, and discovery metadata all have important roles in a digital entity’s lifecycle.

In traditional bibliographic cataloging, the book, Gone with the Wind, might be described as: brown, hard cover, six inches by five inches by 2 inches. The description of the story, Gone with the Wind, would center more upon the plot, characters and context of the story. Likewise, the description the motion picture film would include even further details not related to the story or the physical presence of the book. A dynamic, multimedia digital documentary about Gone with the Wind might be comprised of multiple digital files. Recording the exact relationship of those files is essential for successful future execution of the multimedia product.

Because metadata for digital objects covers more territory than traditional bibliographic cataloging it requires extensive forethought and careful planning. The extensibility and dynamic nature of digital assets requires metadata that enable files to work together. The easy duplicity of digital files also requires metadata for management purposes. The fragility and ephemeral nature of digital files requires metadata to document authenticity and maintain security. Technological obsolescence requires that metadata record preservation information about migration and changes over time.

As DLSD develops the Digital Assets Management System a system for recording metadata will evolve and guidelines for producing metadata will be made available through the DADG web site.