MIT Libraries, Metadata Services 

A Business and Marketing Plan for a Successful Operation

Introduction

The Role of Metadata

Capturing robust metadata for digitization and electronic publishing projects plays an important role in the following:

  • Helping visitors find their way through digital libraries.
    • Descriptive metadata is information used to search the catalog of digital objects. Information describing the subject matter of objects, their creators and nature is captured to improve visitors' ability to discover the resources they require.
  • Managing the publication of content
    • Operational metadata carries instructions for the organization and presentation of digital objects, and their relation to other resources. Technical information required to access and operate objects is captured to ensure the smooth functioning of the electronic environment.
  • Archiving content
    • Preservation metadata ensures the integrity and reuse of electronic resources over time. Technical information is captured to secure the validity of objects and to plan their migration through import/export to long-term repositories and other content management systems where they may be included in future digital objects and repositories.
  • Managing access to the collections
    • Rights metadata manages access to the objects. Information describing the legal right to publish and view the objects is captured in compliance with the U.S. and international copyright laws.
  • Administering electronic publication projects
    • Administrative metadata captures information related to the effort required to prepare and publish electronic resources. Information related to organizing workflow and communicating responsibilities, objectives and schedules is captured to create an effective process for sharing these resources with the world.

Mission Statements

MIT

The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges. MIT is dedicated to providing its students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community. We seek to develop in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.

MIT Libraries

The mission of the MIT libraries is to create and sustain an intuitive, trusted information environment that enables learning and the advancement of knowledge at MIT. We are committed to developing strategies and systems that promote discovery and facilitate worldwide scholarly communication.

Metadata Services

The Mission of Metadata Services is to provide effective solutions for preparing and applying metadata for digital production practices and to raise the level of awareness of the importance of metadata for managing digital content.

In accomplishing this mission Metadata Services supports the academic and research missions of MIT and the MIT Libraries.  Metadata Services is MIT's first, best resource for metadata for digital production projects.

Objectives

Objectives of this Business Plan

  1. To provide a written guide for starting and growing this unit of the MIT Libraries
  2. To provide a strategic framework for a comprehensive tactical marketing plan
  3. To provide a structure for pricing the products and services of the unit

Objectives of the Unit

  1. Leadership.  To build communities of practice around the best use of metadata for sharing knowledge and the organized use of information resources in education.
  2. Cost Recovery.  To generate sufficient revenue to sustain the existence of the unit within the MIT Libraries, to provide the resources needed to contribute to the educational objectives of the MIT Libraries and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Description of Metadata Services

Introduction

The MIT Libraries provide cataloging and metadata services for collections that are owned or leased by the Libraries as resources for the Institute’s faculty, students and researchers with general funding from the Institute.  In addition to supporting MIT Libraries initiatives, Metadata Services provides a fee-based service for the MIT community on the basis of requests from faculty, students or researchers who are building or maintaining collections outside of the Libraries’ auspices.  In the case of DSpace, communities are considered the “owners” of the various collections, and therefore responsible for providing metadata, whether themselves or through the Libraries’ fee-based service.

Metadata Services Offers:

  • Consultation and project planning.
  • Development and implementation of metadata schemes and standards.
  • Creation of best practices for metadata creation and use.
  • User interaction design.
  • Instruction programs that teach the best practices for metadata creation and use.
  • Expert, cost-effective production services.

These offerings are organized into four work areas.

Consulting

  • User needs and functionality assessment
  • Metadata schema evaluation and recommendation (IEEE LOM, DC, VRA, EAD, FDGC, etc.)
  • Interoperability assessment
  • Re-use, repurposing, and development recommendation
  • Value space definition
  • Vocabulary recommendation and development
  • Workflow planning

Documentation

  • Data and Conceptual Models
  • User interaction definitions
  • XML Bindings
  • Best Practice Recommendations
  • Metadata Authoring Manuals

Training

  • Introduction to metadata concepts
  • Metadata application instruction
  • Metadata trainer preparation

Metadata Application

  • Metadata generation and editing in a variety of environments
  • Instantiation of records and objects in repositories
  • Standardization of forms of names and organizations (Authority Control)
  • Indexing and subject access

Market Analysis

Audiences

There are six organizationally distinct audiences.

  • MIT departments, labs, and centers
  • MIT individual faculty members
  • MIT academic computing support centers for webpages and web applications
  • MIT administrative offices
  • Special initiatives and projects (OpenCourseWare, DSpace, Sakai, Metamedia)
  • Other educational or cultural institutions (external to MIT)

In addition to these audiences Metadata Services enjoys a strong working relationship with four major partners.  Metadata Services provides consultation, documentation, application and training for these partners while cooperating in marketing and communication efforts.

  • MIT Libraries
  • OpenCourseWare
  • DSpace
  • MIT Libraries, Document Services

Market Growth

Increasingly MIT departments, laboratories, and centers are developing or planning digital production projects.  Both OpenCourseWare and DSpace are large and growing MIT projects that depend on and benefit from metadata services.  In addition, many departments, labs and centers are developing digital products to document their research, often through grant funding.  These projects also will require metadata applications.

Metadata Services is uniquely positioned and organized to provide assistance to digital production projects of both the MIT Libraries and MIT community-at-large.  In addition, it is able to assist projects from other non-profit, educational institutions.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Expertise:  Employs trained staff in metadata schemes and standards (e.g., LOM, DC, FGDC, MARC, VRA CORE, XML, METS). 

Experience:  Builds upon 50 years of cataloging and metadata development and use in MIT Libraries.

Efficiency:  Reduces opportunity costs for client, and applies economies to minimize the financial impact of metadata production on the client.

Community:  Maintains professional relationships that develop standards and best practices for the application of metadata.  Is a focal point for the community of metadata users and early adopters of new education and information technologies.

Responsive:  Tailors solutions to meet clients specific metadata needs.

Weaknesses

Reserve:  Needs to accumulate an operating reserve to ensure ongoing success and continued contribution to the MIT community.

Cost Recovery:  Has limited experience managing full cost recovery operations within the MIT Libraries.

Staffing:  Relies on continued contributions from existing 1.5 FTE staff, requiring the immediate development of contingency plans to improve the flexibility of the unit to accommodate employee absences while continuing to meet the needs of client projects.

Opportunities

Partnerships:  Working with OpenCourseWare, DSpace and the MIT Libraries provides support for coordinated marketing and communication programs and client referrals.

Positioning:  Working with the MIT Libraries and major educational technology initiatives enables Metadata Services to recommend standards that improve interoperability and reduce the cost of implementing metadata systems. 

Threats

Fiscal climate:  The MIT economic environment is prone to cycles of growth and retraction.  Sustaining project work through a lean economic environment poses a significant challenge.

Funding limitations:  Some potential partners and clients lack sufficient funding for digital production projects.

Sponsored programs:  Fixed length grants and government contracts are a significant source of project funding at MIT.  Sustainable funding sources for long-term metadata projects are extremely difficult to secure.

Lack of awareness:  Potential clients do not recognize the necessity of standardized metadata.  Investment in educational efforts is required to introduce the MIT community to the power of metadata for digital production projects.

Competition

Do-it-yourself:  Primary competitors are potential clients and partners that decide to provide either their own solution or not create metadata.

Assistants:  Very often metadata responsibilities are assigned to assistants who are the least prepared to accomplish this difficult task.

Commercial services:  Currently there are no companies that closely duplicate Metadata Services.  Some needs for metadata solutions at MIT are being filled by freelance information architecture consultants.

Automatic indexing services:  Google and Yahoo are actively pursuing access to what is colloquially called the “deep web,” the large databases of scholarly research and publishing.  They are attempting to leverage their full text indexing and analysis to provide search and discovery for digital production projects.  As these services have very wide brand recognition and increasing market share, they are potential long-term competitors or partners.

Keys to Success

New strategic partners:  Continue to pursue partnerships with major educational technology initiatives at MIT.  These initiatives offer publicity, marketing and educational opportunities while securing a steady and major source of funding.

Early identification of projects and sponsors.  Form partnerships with sponsored projects early in their planning process in order to secure adequate funding for their metadata solutions.

Leveraging success.  Build upon success with major partners to create further opportunities.  Associate Metadata Services with the success of these projects through branding, coordinated communication efforts, and publication of papers and presentations.

Marketing

The purpose of this proposal is to identify and plan to acquire those service opportunities that allow Metadata Services to contribute to the educational mission of MIT and the MIT Libraries while recovering its expenses.

Metadata Services directly supports the Institute’s and the Libraries’ mission of knowledge advancement by using its marketing campaign to raise the level of awareness in the MIT community concerning the value and importance of metadata application for digital production projects.

Strategies

The first strategy is to affirm and establish relationships with MIT content management systems (OpenCourseWare, DSpace, Metamedia, and SAKAI), securing a continual source of application projects.

The second is to increase participation in MIT wide programs like the Educational Technology Architecture Group (eTAG), increasing awareness of other project opportunities and providing the opportunity for interoperability between MIT’s digital projects.

The third is to engage in building an explicit community of practice.  By establishing a history of providing effective assistance and publishing the results, Metadata Services raises the profile of metadata concerns for digital production projects and secures clients’ confidence in its work.

Message

The Libraries are uniquely positioned to provide metadata services to the MIT community.  No other organization brings as many years of experience serving the MIT community or comparable expertise in metadata standards and use.

Metadata Services can make a difference in MIT’s attempt to corral the growing mass of digital objects that are the product of its teaching and research missions.

The experts at Metadata Services can help digital production projects realize the full value of their educational resources through effective use of information organization via metadata.  The Unit helps projects employ complex metadata standards with expert efficiency, ensures interoperability with other MIT systems, and shortens production schedules.

Programs

Marketing programs distribute Metadata Services’ message and accomplish marketing strategies.

Library Partnerships

A major effort occurs in partnership with two other Libraries’ services: DSpace and Document Services.  As defined in the DSpace Business Plan, scanning (provided by Document Services) and Metadata Services will be offered as premium services of DSpace.  To a large degree, Metadata Services will be able to “piggyback” on contacts made by DSpace and Document Services.  Free initial consultations will include information about all three services.  Integrated, co-branded marketing products will be developed, including a web-page pointing to the separate web-sites of the three units, a Power-Point presentation, a brochure or information card, targeted news releases.

MIT Partnerships

Other marketing efforts involve collaboration with academic computing and educational technology support services.  Investigation and contact with these service groups will lead to the identification of potential clients.  An initial list of these organizations:

ESD, Engineering Systems Learning i2i

http://i2i.mit.edu/DevShell/(enlnfdqrfdkhih55ogo3qq45)/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1

A portal of shareable Engineering Learning Objects

Web Communications Services

http://web.mit.edu/ist/web/

Support services for Department, Center and Lab website creation and publishing

AMPS Educational Website Development and Web Application Development

http://mit.edu/amps/svsc1003/web.html

Support services for faculty development of web-based teaching technologies

Academic Computing Course Webpage Creation Support

http://web.mit.edu/acs/edpage.html

Support Services for creation of Course Webpages outside Stellar

Directed Communications

Another effort increases Metadata Services’ name recognition on campus.  This involves two initiatives.

1)       Marketing vehicles aimed at the MIT wide community

  • Postcards and mailers
  • Infinite corridor slides, kiosk in Stata center
  • Press releases (TechTalk, The Tech and other campus publications)
  • Unit Website
  • Placement on the TeachTech website
  • Participation in the EdTech Fair
  • Participation in community building events and organizations

2)       Targeted communications for the individuals, departments, labs and centers who need our assistance. 

  • Presentations (ppt)
  • Testimonials

Research Partnerships

This effort leverages the accomplishments of the other marketing programs to identify and communicate our services towards the Institute’s research initiatives, many of which are amassing large quantities of data.  As research projects move towards their information sharing phases, they require sophisticated metadata systems to organize their information and make it available in a way that is useful to fellow researchers and educators.

Services and Service Marketing

Pricing

Costs for metadata services are divided into two pools by deliverable.  Consulting Documentation and Training costs are reflective of the labor cost of the Metadata Specialist who will be responsible for that work.  Application fees reflect a blend of the labor costs for the Metadata Specialist and Production Assistant who will share responsibility for the project.  Application fees will be charged, whenever possible, by the item processed.  This involves two calculations, one to provide an estimate and another to charge for realized expenses.

Labor rates account for employee benefits and are calculated by projecting a three-year average salary for each employee.  This allows prices to remain stable over a three-year period.  Operating expenses are all calculated over that same three-year period.

Hourly costs for labor and operating expenses are calculated on a total of 1456 billable hours in the fiscal year.  This allows rates to account for unbillable time such as holidays, vacations, sick leave, administrative time, marketing, professional and business development and supervisory activities.

Charges to external customers will be adjusted in recognition of basic infrastructure contributions by MIT (e.g. space and utilities).  These additional charges for external customers also allow for the recovery of outside user income overhead as requested of the Libraries by the Institute.  Outside charges will be adjusted in the amount of 20% in addition to the base charges for internal MIT customers.

Consulting, Documentation and Training

The hourly rate for Consultation Documentation and Training is $70 per hour.  This figure incorporates labor costs (salaries, wages and benefits), library department overhead (staff salaries and operating expenses) and general library administrative overhead (staff salaries).

Application

The hourly rate for Application will fall within the range from $55-$70 per hour.  This figure incorporates labor costs (salaries, wages and benefits), library department overhead (staff salaries and operating expenses) and general library administrative overhead (staff salaries).

Application fees will be translated into costs per item processed by the simple method of tracking an average per item.  The minimum rate reflects work done entirely by the Metadata Production Assistant; the maximum rate reflects work done entirely by the Metadata Specialist.  This mechanism allows the Metadata Specialist to recover costs for consultation during application projects that require a minimum of this effort.  These billable hours will be added to the application total and divided by the number of items processed.

Contracting and Invoicing

Metadata Services will negotiate agreements with digital production projects in advance of performing work.  Work agreements will take the form of a letter of intent on the part of Metadata Services to complete a defined list of tasks and will include an estimate of the fees it will charge to complete the tasks.  These agreements will form the basis for any further renegotiations of services.  Renegotiation will require revision and re-documentation of the work agreement including adjustment to the cost of the services provided.  Metadata Services will send the client an invoice for services provided at the completion of work or on another agreed upon schedule.

Financial Plan

Break-even Analysis

To sustain current staffing levels and accomplish its mission, Metadata Services will need to bill approximately $145,000 on average per year.

Projections

OCW contracts will decrease in volume of work and level of support each year as OCW comes closer to accomplishment of the publication of every available MIT course.  The final “steady state” of operations will not include expenditures on metadata that will completely support Metadata Services’ current staffing level.  Maintenance of current staffing levels will require funding from additional sources.

Continued growth of the Unit will require the securing of at least one major grant funded project and the creation of additional partnerships with major educational technology initiatives.

Controls

Milestones

In September of 2003, initial metadata for the first 500 OCW courses was completed in time for the Fall launch of the site.

By the end of the 2003-2004 fiscal year, will complete one consulting project and one DSpace production project in addition to the OCW work.  Will start a second consulting project.

By end of fiscal year 2005, will have participated in the ongoing development of a system to migrate OCW courses and related material into DSpace.

By the end of fiscal year 2005, will have completed negotiations with new strategic partners to supplement OCW’s workload as its production winds down.

By end of fiscal year 2006, will have secured grant for metadata research and development.

On a schedule of 200 new courses each term, will reach a major milestone with the successful completion of the OCW metadata for the first 1800 courses by the summer of 2007.

Five-Year Projection

In Fiscal Year 2006, OpenCourseWare partnership will adjust to meet reduced production schedule.  Staffing level and organization of Unit will be reviewed and adjusted to meet new workload.

By the end of Fiscal Year 2007, the Unit will have finished its production and consultation partnership with OCW.  By then, OCW will be in a steady state. 

During this time, Metadata Services will have acquired at least one strategic partner that will replace OpenCourseWare as the source of a majority of billable hours. 

Staffing will adjust to accommodate client needs.  With growth, Metadata Services will develop subject expertise in new metadata schemes and standards (e.g., VRA Core, TEI, MPEG-7, MPEG-21, METS).  Expansion might include the hiring of a second metadata specialist who would be primarily responsible for application and production efforts.  This addition will improve the ability of the current professional to provide administration and consultation.  It will also provide continuity through support staff fluctuation and a safeguard against a staffing emergency.

Contingency Planning

The MIT Libraries will support the Metadata Services unit in the case of unforeseen circumstances, at least sufficiently to complete contracted services.

Staffing emergencies

Scenario I:  The Production Assistant has an extended leave of absence

In this case, the Unit needs to ensure that the production needs of the clients continue to be met.  Possible strategies for dealing with the scenario include: 1) drawing on other Cataloging and Metadata Services personnel to fill immediate obligations, 2) providing funding for temporary labor  and/or 3) contacting clients for possible re-negotiation of completion dates.

Scenario II: Metadata Specialist has extended leave

In this case, the Unit needs to maintain contact with current clients for consulting needs and other questions and updates.  The Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services would be responsible for maintaining communications with clients and allocating resources to fulfill existing contracts.  No new consulting projects would be sought during this scenario.  If the leave of the Specialist were anticipated to extend beyond 90 days, the Libraries would consider the feasibility of shifting the responsibilities to another member of the staff or hiring a half time professional on a temporary basis.

Scenario III: Staff vacancy

The Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services  will be responsible for allocating resources to fill immediate obligations until a replacement can be hired.  Whenever a staff member leaves, expertise and skill needs should always be evaluated as metadata standards quickly evolve.

Exit Strategy

In April of each fiscal year, an analysis of potential revenues and projected expenditures for the next fiscal year will be conducted, and presented to the Libraries’ Steering Committee by the Associate Director of Collection Services.  STC will make a decision as to whether to continue the operation of the Metadata Services Unit.   

If it is determined that the Metadata Services Unit is unlikely to be able to support a minimum staffing level for another year, a plan for fulfilling existing commitments to existing clients and for discontinuing the Unit will be designed and carried out.

Appendix 1

Income Projections

First Year

The Unit received approximately $133,000 from OCW for the fiscal year 03-04 and can expect smaller revenue for 04-05.  Other project revenues include:

Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) - $3,420 *

Learning Object, Learning Activities (LOLA) at Wesleyan - $4,550 (estimated)

Metamedia - $5,600 (estimated).

This distribution of income reflects a strong need for Metadata Services to secure a working arrangement with one or two major partners that will provide the bulk of revenue.

The SMA figure does not reflect the actual expenditure of effort.  When it accepted this project, Metadata Services did not have any prior figures related to the cost of its services.  One of the project goals was to produce a reliable cost analysis to guide future cost estimates.  In securing this first client, Metadata Services agreed to bill to its estimate rather than the actual cost.  The actual cost to complete the project was $6,200.

Second Year

The OCW working agreement for fiscal year ’05 includes staffing support levels at .75 FTE Metadata Specialist and .5 FTE Metadata Production Assistant.

For the fiscal year ’04-’05 Metadata Services secured a consulting project with OpenCourseWare and DSpace through an Icampus grant.  This will provide revenue in return for 25% effort from the metadata specialist (estimated to be $25,480).

Additional ’05 revenues:

In the following two years (FY ’06, ’07) OCW funding is expected to adjust to reduced levels of effort.  Current estimates project an ability to demonstrate a level of effort at 1 FTE.  This expenditure is comprised of the .5 FTE Production Assistant and half the 1 FTE Metadata Specialist.