One might say that metadata librarianship as a professional specialization was invented in 1997, when Cornell’s Albert Mann Library posted a position for a Metadata Specialist in the June issue of American Libraries. It was the first known job posting of its kind. Since that time, CUL has had no less than nine librarians whose primary responsibility has been metadata consultation, creation, and manipulation. Ten years later, metadata librarians are commonly found in academic libraries across the US.
In recognition of metadata’s growing importance to the library, former LTS head Karen Calhoun set up the central Metadata Services Unit in 2002 to provide a range of consulting services to clients on campus and around the world. Since CUL has long been a center for metadata expertise, there seemed no reason not to share our experience and knowledge with smaller institutions that were in need of our assistance. Because the unit operated as a semi "cost-recovery" operation, Metadata Services also provided some income for the library. Although the group also supported CUL projects, the primary focus was external and revenue-centered. Having the ability to generate funds for the library was seen as a new way to view the kinds of services that libraries had always offered to clients without charge.
Five years and many projects later, Metadata Services is evolving its mission. In keeping with its vision—to be internationally recognized and respected as a center of metadata expertise—work with external clients will remain important. But in recognition of the growing need for metadata expertise closer to home, the group is now directing more effort to supporting CUL library services and the library’s digitization projects and collections.
What exactly does Metadata Services do in the first place?
Although metadata is a high-profile activity, not everyone really understands what it is or what the Metadata Services unit actually does. To put it simply, Metadata Services provides expert advice on metadata conversion (e.g., moving from MARC to another metadata standard such as Dublin core) and creation. The staff have established efficient workflows for their work, relying on automated tools wherever possible. The five (soon to be six) staff members collaborate with their partners to organize digital objects for public and academic use and enjoyment. In the past, a small amount of work for CUL partners has been performed under contract; however, today, the same work will be completed without fees.
Why the Change?
In 2002, when the department was originally created, there were hundreds of libraries that wanted to digitize collections to make them more accessible. Since then, turnkey software products such as ContentDM, a digital collection management system, have made it possible for small libraries to deliver their digital collections to the Web without having a set of experts in preservation, information technology, and metadata. Outreach to smaller institutions is therefore not as critical as it once was. Another reason for the change is that CUL is abundantly proficient in digitizing collections, but is quite challenged in the ongoing support and sustainability of these collections. As a support unit, Metadata Services can be in position to increase the sustainability of all of CUL collections as well as contribute to the curation of data sets primarily collected by faculty and researchers in the sciences here at Cornell.
So What's New?
For starters, the unit has an attractive new website, which is filled with lots of great content. There have been some staffing changes: Glen Wiley joined our department in June 2007, and Johnathon Schultz, our student programmer, joined the staff in September. In 2008, the group plans to hire a metadata specialist to replace Nancy Holcomb, who retired in August. Finally, providing outreach and working with a variety of CUL units to improve the user experience has become a critical new focus. Many units on campus have not known about Metadata Services or understand the work they do. A key goal for the unit is to close this information and awareness gap.
Should you have a digitization project, grant, or idea that may require metadata support, don't hesitate to contact any member of the department. Metadata services staff would be happy to consult with you. They of course welcome all suggestions, but are particularly interested in collaborating with some of the other units of Library Technical Services. |
