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Metadata for information and records

What is metadata and its benefits

Different professions use the term ‘metadata’ in different ways. In information and records management, metadata refers to descriptive information about the content, context, structure, and management of information and records.

If information and records have metadata, we know:

• what they are

• what they have been used for, and

• how to use them.

This metadata helps people find, use, understand, and manage information and records now and in the future.

Benefits of using metadata

Metadata is a very flexible and powerful tool that serves many purposes.

• Metadata helps organisations create reliable and trustworthy evidence of their business activities.

• Metadata enables users to find, access and identify information and records.

• It helps promote and encourage the easy creation, use, reuse and sharing of information and records.

• By adding context, metadata can help people better understand information and records and get more value from them.

• Metadata can be used to manage security and privacy.

• It can also be used to proactively plan for future preservation and accessibility activities.

• Adding metadata can also help automate actions such as sentencing of information and records.

If your organisation is a public sector organisation , metadata can help you meet the minimum compliance requirements of the mandatory Information and Records Management Standard. Particular requirements are 2.3, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.

What metadata includes

Metadata for information and records:

• consists of data describing the context, content and structure of information and records, and their management through time

• identifies, authenticates and contextualises information and records, and the people, processes and systems that create, manage, maintain and use them

• focuses on transactions and activities (how information and records are created, received, exchanged, managed, used and reused).

This metadata can include information about:

• business context

• dependencies and relationships among information and records systems

• relationships to legal and societal contexts

• relationships to individuals, work groups or other organisations that create, manage and use information and records.

Different types of metadata

Information and records consist of content and persistently or continually linked metadata. Without key metadata, the value of records and information is significantly diminished.

Metadata for information and records includes point-of-capture metadata and process metadata.

Point-of-capture metadata

Point-of-capture metadata documents:

• the content, appearance, structure and technical attributes of information and records, and

• the context in which they are created.

This type of metadata is acquired or assigned at the time the information and records are created or captured. This metadata does not change. Extra point-of-capture metadata may be captured if the information and records are repurposed in a new system.

Process metadata

Process metadata documents the management processes performed on information and records. These processes include:

• registering into a system

• applying or changing security and access rules

• transferring control, and

• destroying or migrating.

Process metadata also includes information about how information and records are used. It will keep accumulating for the lifespan of the information and records.

Principles for implementing metadata

Consider metadata during appraisal. When deciding which information and records to keep, look at metadata you need to:

• create, capture and manage authoritative records

• support business needs.

Think about scalability. Decide how much metadata is necessary for different situations to meet business requirements.

Standardise metadata. Use metadata schemas and encoding methods to ensure metadata is consistently and clearly described and managed across information and records.

Recognise that metadata is dynamic. Understand that metadata will continue to grow and change as information and records are used and managed over time.

Consistently link metadata. Ensure that metadata stays linked with the information and records it describes, even when they move to a new system or environment.

Manage metadata as a record. Treat the metadata itself as a record. Document how metadata is applied and managed in its systems.

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