Transitioning to the next generation of metadata: maximising the discoverability and use of digital resources

The recently published OCLC Research report 'Transitioning to the Next Generation of Metadata' synthesizes six years (2015-2020) of OCLC Research Library Partners Metadata Managers Focus Group discussions and what they may foretell for the 'next generation of metadata'. The firm belief that metadata underlies all discovery regardless of format, now and in the future, permeates all Focus Group discussions. Yet metadata is changing. Innovations in librarianship are exerting pressure on metadata management practices to evolve as librarians are required to provide metadata for far more resources of various types and to collaborate on institutional or multi-institutional projects with fewer staff. OCLC Research Senior Program Officer Karen Smith-Yoshimura, the author of the report, will be co-presenting with Helen Williams, Metadata Manager at LSE and a Focus Group member. Karen will highlight some of the trends covered in the report with Helen focusing on the UK context: • The Transition to Linked Data and Identifiers • Describing “Inside-Out” and “Facilitated” Collections • Evolution of “Metadata as a Service” • Preparing for Future Staffing Requirements