Identification

Title

Metadata tensions: A case study of library principles vs. everyday scientific data practices

Abstract

Data sharing requirements and mandates are becoming more common, and many institutions are investigating data curation methods. Metadata are a critical component to any institutional scientific data curation initiative. As libraries and other information institutions become more active in this area, a number of metadata challenges will arise. In this paper we discuss four important issues: 1) the ambiguous responsibility for metadata creation between information professionals, working scientists, and hardware/software tools, 2) the tension between the highly principled library metadata approach and the ad hoc everyday practices of working researchers, 3) the ways that metadata creation and knowledge are distributed socially in research settings, and 4) the role of metadata at different stages of the data life cycle. We illustrate how they are manifested in a case study of data and metadata management in a large science and technology research center.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7445rmt

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact