Week 4 Reading Notes

WEEK 4 READINGS
1) Database-can be classified according to content
1) bibliographic
2) full-text
3) numeric
4) image
-organized according to database model; most common is relational but hierarchical and network are also used
-many databases use a combination of strategies of database architecture
-Database Management Sytem (DBMS): software that organizes the storage of data
-most present today are relational DBMS (RDBMS) with 5 main components but there are also ODBMS (object DBMS) with 4 main components
-primary tasks of DBMS packages are database devlopment, database interrogation, database maintenance, and application development
-Several types of databases including operational, analytical, data warehouse, distributed database, etc.
-indexing can increase database speed

2) Metadata-literally, data about data
-understood in different ways by those who design, create, describe, preserve and use information systems and resources
-typically in the past has been used in the information professions, especially in cataloging, classification, and indexing, but now information resources are increasingly being put online by the general public so it is no longer just the consideration of information professionals
-user contributed metadata includes things like webpage title tags, folksonomies, and social bookmarks
-students are now taught about the use of metadata in information literacy programs so it becomes even more critical that we are able to use and understand it
-all information objects have three features which can and should reflected through metadata
1) content- what the object contains or is about and is intrinsic to an information object
2) context- who, what, where, why, and how- extrinsic
3) structure- formal set of associations within or among information objects,
can be intrinsic, extrinsic, or both
-Library metadata includes indexes, abstracts, and bibliographic records created according to cataloging rules (data content standards) and data structure standards as well as data value standards
-key points:
1) metadata does not have to be digital
2) metadata relates to more than just the description of an object
3) metadata can come from a variety of sources
4) metadata continues to accrue through the life of an information object or system
5) One information object's metadata can simultaneously be another information object's data, depending on the kinds of aggregations of and dependencies between information objects and systems-metadata has many implications for consumers of information objects and resources, including increased accessibility, retention of content, expanding use, legal issues, preservation, etc.


Both of the readings about Databases and Metadata were extremely beneficial in my opinion. Students in my generation, myself included, have all used databases and many of us are not only active consumers but also creators of metadata, but prior to reading this, I had a very limited knowledge of all the different types, structures, and features of databases and metadata. For instance, I have used tagging features on social networking sites, and also tagged entries on blog postings etc. without any real awareness that what I was doing was part of the process of creating and applying metadata. These articles provided not only a good illustration of how these have been traditionally used in the information professions, which will obviously play a big role in our future careers, but how they are changing and adapting in the digital society, and how we will need to educate ourselves inside and outside of the professional atmosphere in order to be able to both organize and access information effectively.
I thought that the last reading about the Dublin Core Content Model was also very helpful, because it provided a nice illustration and easily understood practical application of the technical content covered in the first two readings.