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What Metadata Is and Why It Matters

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Abstract

In this chapter, we introduce the concept of metadata and explain its importance. Metadata is ‘data about data’. It is a human construct, not found in nature, and the form it takes reflects its origins and the purposes for which it is created. Metadata can be divided into three types, reflecting its different functions: it can describe data, help administer it and record its complex structures. It has a key role in allowing us to construct knowledge from its basic building blocks of data and information. It also allows us to curate our cultural heritage and pass it between generations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Warburg Institute, University of London, London, UK

    Richard Gartner

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  1. Richard Gartner
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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Gartner, R. (2016). What Metadata Is and Why It Matters. In: Metadata. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40893-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40893-4_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40891-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40893-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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