An update of ALA Neal-Schuman’s definitive text on metadata

CHICAGO — Metadata remains the solution for describing the explosively growing, complex world of digital information, and continues to be of paramount importance for information professionals. Marcia Lei Zeng and Jian Qin’s thorough revision of their benchmark text “Metadata,” published by ALA Neal-Schuman, provides a solid grounding in the variety and interrelationships among different metadata types. It offers a comprehensive look at the metadata schemas that exist in the world of library and information science and beyond, as well as the contexts in which they operate. Cementing its value as both an LIS text and a handy reference for professionals already in the field, this book

• lays out the fundamentals of metadata, including principles of metadata, structures of metadata vocabularies, and metadata descriptions;
• surveys metadata standards and their applications in distinct domains and for various communities of metadata practice;
• examines metadata building blocks, from modeling to defining properties, and from designing application profiles to implementing value vocabularies;
• describes important concepts as resource identification, metadata as linked data, consumption of metadata, interoperability, and quality measurement; and
• offers an updated glossary to help readers navigate metadata’s complex terms in easy-to-understand definitions.

Examination copies are available for instructors who are interested in adopting this title for course use.

Zeng is Professor of Library and Information Science at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Her scholarly publications consist of more than 80 papers and five books, as well as over 200 national and international conference presentations and invited lectures. She has chaired or served on committees, working groups, and executive boards for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Special Libraries Association (SLA), Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), the US National Information Standards Organization (NISO), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI), International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO), and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Qin is Professor at the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University. She has published more than 60 papers and has given presentations at numerous national and international conferences and workshops. She is currently a coleader for the DCMI Community for Science and Metadata (DC-SAM) and serves as a member on the DCMI Advisory Board, as well as a member of the editorial board for two international journals.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976 by Patricia Glass Schuman and John Vincent Neal, Neal-Schuman Publishers, now an imprint of ALA Publishing, publishes professional books for librarians, archivists, and knowledge managers. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5052 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

Related Links

"Metadata, Second Edition"

"The Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion, Fifth Edition: A Basic Guide for Library Staff"

"Foundations of Library and Information Science, Fourth Edition"