Library Manager

Waikato Institute of Technology

sarah-jane.saravani@wintec.ac.nz

Metadata - a moveable feast

Paper

The Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) is currently establishing a Learning Objects Repository using the open source repository solution ePrints integrated with the widely-deployed management system Moodle. Library staff have been involved in determining which of the various metadata schema currently available for describing digital objects would most suit the learning community Wintec is looking to foster through the establishment of the repository.  This presentation will highlight the results of our investigations into metadata used for repositories and will explain why we determined upon a collaborative approach between library, technical and teaching staff as a best solution.  A possible lack of knowledge about metadata was seen as an impediment to successful contribution from the teaching component of this tripartite paradigm. To address this issue, a Moodle course has been created on the OSLOR (Open Source Learning Objects Repository) site to look at the use of metadata in the creation of digital objects. The aim is to encourage educators from both the tertiary and secondary sectors to understand the purpose of metadata in describing resources, in making them accessible, reusable and sustainable. The creation of “Metadata Made Simple” will be explained, moving from content to context to a can of corn. 

Presentation notes (170kb PDF)
Presentation notes (520kb PPT)

Sarah-Jane Saravani is Library Manager at Wintec. Since July 2005 she has been involved with the eCDF OSLOR project, under the aegis of the Centre for Learning Technologies, and, consequently, has come into contact with metadata in its various guises. Involvement in the project has centred on studying metadata schema with a view to determining which would be most suitable from the perspective of application, usability and scalability. The intention of the learning object repository is to enable the location and reuse of learning resources and, to this end, the quality of metadata sitting in front of these resources will determine their accessibility.  It is her firm belief that librarians and e-Learning experts should seize every opportunity to co-operate and extend boundaries across the digital environment.