Abstract
The University of Connecticut Libraries began building a Fedora digital repository last year. Because of the differences between Fedora and relational databases, it was necessary to understand how Fedora works with objects and data streams. The repository team realized that with Fedora, there existed several options on how to store data. This realization encouraged looking at metadata differently. For starters, we began to emphasize functions over types of metadata. Secondly, we saw the advantages of striping meta from the word metadata. This change allowed us to conceptualize a broader application of functional data within the repository. My presentation would like to explore our emphasis on the functions of data rather than types of metadata and how this is helping to create a better digital repository.
The Functions of (Meta)Data: Lessons Learned with a Fedora Digital Repository
The University of Connecticut Libraries began building a Fedora digital repository last year. Because of the differences between Fedora and relational databases, it was necessary to understand how Fedora works with objects and data streams. The repository team realized that with Fedora, there existed several options on how to store data. This realization encouraged looking at metadata differently. For starters, we began to emphasize functions over types of metadata. Secondly, we saw the advantages of striping meta from the word metadata. This change allowed us to conceptualize a broader application of functional data within the repository. My presentation would like to explore our emphasis on the functions of data rather than types of metadata and how this is helping to create a better digital repository.