Online Metadata Generator for Research Data

NSF, NIH and other funding agencies are now requiring Data Management Plans that include the expectation of sharing research data. To facilitate this expectation, librarians from the University of Houston are developing an automated online system to document data sets at the various stages of their life cycle. Our process will consist of determining key Dublin Core elements and developing a discipline-specific crosswalk. (This crosswalk translates discipline-specific terminology to that used by Dublin Core.) The discipline-specific terminology and the key element set will be developed in collaboration with faculty researchers. This set will be minimal in order to reduce the burden to the researcher in documenting their data yet provide enough information for the management of the data over its life cycle. Ultimately, the resulting sets will be shared across each discipline community to foster a shared set of standards. This crosswalk will result in a discipline-specific metadata generator. It is envisioned that this discipline-specific metadata generator will be an online system that allows researchers and their assistants to develop metadata on the fly. The discipline-specific metadata generator will crosswalk to Dublin Core ultimately ensuring sharing, discoverability and interoperability of data seamlessly while minimizing researcher effort.

The presenters will discuss how they envision the system will work, what steps they are taking in determining key discipline-specific elements - including how those elements crosswalk to Dublin Core - , the progress to date, and the importance of inter-departmental collaboration necessary to make this system a reality.