Unit 5, Reading Notes

Database (Wikipedia)

It's interesting, because while I use electronic resources like database so often, I don't often think of all of the components of a database, or how they are structured.  When researching, I think a lot of people tend of focus on the actual research question and finding the information, rather than the details of how a database is structured, organized, etc., and the details surrounding databse management systems.  This article provides a comprehensive look at databases, including their definition, structure, and some interesting information about database management systems.  I think it's often very helpful to go back to the root of something like a database, and learn about the details. This provides for a greater understanding of all those little details that (I at least!) don't think about all the time, for example database artchitecture, the meaning of an operational database, warehouse database, etc.  I thought this article provided an understandable, well-organized overview of databases.

Setting the Stage

Metadata, "data about data" is, like so many things in our increasingly digitally-centered world, becoming more and more accessible to the user.  All the time on the Web, people are creating metadata, often without realizing they are doing just that.  The increase in social bookmarking, folksonomies (i.e. tagging on blogs and social networking sites like Flickr), and the like are all allowing and encouraging anyone with internet access to create and essentially manage metadata.  This strikes me as particuarly fascinating, and I'd be interested in learning more about this relatively recent explosion in user-controlled metadata.  While this increased access to information and the ability to create and maintain metadata is terrific on one hand, it also makes for an interesting conversation about the effects that this will ultimately have on information access, authority, and organization.  Yes, it's great that people have access and the ability to create this kind of data, but it is now more important than ever to educate users about how metadata works and is organized, to make quality information more accessible and less overwhelming on the Web. I'm interested in considering the question:  I think this is where patron-centered programming and workshops can come into play, in public, academic, and even k-12 school libraries.  The more clearly people understand the function and purpose of tagging and similar functions on the Web, the better chance we have at making quality information accessible and easy to locate for all users. This document provides an organized overview of metadata. I especially appreciate the tables with information listed about the types of metadata and their purpose in information organization. I also liked reading about the Little Known Facts About Metadata. This helps to break down this large topic into smaller categories for consideration and discussion.


An Overview

The Dublin Core initiative is a very interesting one that seems to have caught on quite well, with good basic guidelines for creating metadata.  The information provided about Dublin Core is straightforward, and the purpose of the individual communities within the Dublin Core initiative is clearly conveyed.  I read about Dublin Core a bit more on the main website of the organization, and there are many individual communities dedicated to specific information organization goals.  This was really interesting to read about, because while I had heard of Dublin Core before, I did not realize that there are so many communities that make up this organization.

-Rachel Nard