MDTOOLselection

DRAFT - August 5, 2010

Requirements for Metadata Tools

1. The tool has the ability to export metadata as XML.
   
2. The tool employs widely adopted metadata standards and schemas.  The tool does not employ a non-standard or locally customized metadata schema.
   
3. The tool models digital objects to the level of complexity required by content to which it is applied.  The tool employs structural metadata capable of describing this complexity.
   
4. The tool tracks and manages intellectual property rights and restrictions on use of content as required by deposit agreement, contract, or license. The tool provides for rights metadata capable of describing these rights and restrictions.
   
5. The tool records and manages the provenance of digital objects and their analog sources.  The tool employs metadata capable of describing this history of stewardship.
   
6. The tool supports the long-term digital preservation of digital objects.  The tool employs preservation metadata capable of supporting preservation activities.
   
7. The tool has short- and long-term business planning processes in place to sustain active development and/or user support over time.
   
8. The tool is supported by a strong community of practice.  The tool has short- and long-term business planning processes in place to sustain active development and/or user support over time
   
9. The tool employs metadata that conforms to the MIT Libraries DOME Core Metadata Element Sets.
   
10. The tool is capable of exchange of metadata with the MIT Libraries' other information systems (Barton, DSpace, DOME).  The tool employs metadata necessary for exchange and exports metadata in required exchange formats.
    
11. The tool employs and exports metadata capable of supporting user interfaces that are implemented for projects and and collections to which it is applied.

Guidelines for Tool Selection

There are three major factors to consider when deciding on which tool to use for cataloging digital objects: Material Genre; Stewardship and Management needs of the content; and the functional needs of the material/project.  The following are questions to ask when selecting a tool.

1. Does the tool employ metadata standards and schemas appropriate to the material genre of content to which it is applied?
   
2. Does the tool employ content models appropriate to the material genre of content to which it is applied?
   
3. Does the tool support the needs of individual projects or collections to which it is applied?
   
4. Is it necessary for the tool to support  the tracking and management of digital files associated with content to which it is applied?
5. Is it necessary for the tool to support the long-term management of metadata, including but not limited to migration of metadata to new storage formats, editing of existing metadata records, and tracking of metadata sources and authorities.  The tool employs administrative metadata capable of supporting management functions.

Current Tools

See the metadata tool selection chart to quickly compare tools currently in use. See chart

Archivists' Toolkit

The Archivists’ Toolkit (AT) is an open source, relational database application that supports the management and description of archival resources, including digital objects.  There are two pieces to the AT system; a front-end java-based desktop client application and a backend SQL database. It can be implemented as a stand-alone desktop application, a multi-user networked application, or a multi-repository networked application. *more*

IRIS

IRIS is a relational database for the management and descriptive cataloging of image assets of cultural materials, based on VRA Core Categories 4.0.  IRIS manages acquisitions, production, cataloging, classification, and other workflow activities for multiple still image collections (e.g., digital images, slides and photographs).  IRIS facilitates the creation of descriptive metadata for images of art, architecture and the built environment, visual culture, anthropology, archaeology, photography, urban planning and urban studies that are used to support teaching and learning in an academic setting*more*