Metadata are structured assertions that describe some form of communication. Metadata are usually used to assist in the organization, discovery, use, and management of these communications.

Metadata can be machine-generated, human-generated, or generated by a combination of these approaches. Some examples of metadata:

  • A library catalog card, which is a stuctured expression of information that describes a book and its content
  • EXIF data as recorded by a digital camera or smartphone, which describe a digital photograph (see thumbnail on the right)
  • ID3 metadata, which allows a song's title, artist, album, and track number to be stored within an MP3 file.
  • CDWA records for works of art in museums.
  • This page's history log, which documents all changes to the page you are viewing right now.

Contents

  • Forms of Metadata
  • Metadata Standards
  • Uses of Metadata
  • Metadata and Information Retrieval
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