The sorting of competing metadata models in digital asset management

Abstract

This paper broadly covers how UPS set up metadata models (otherwise known as catalogue records) for digital preservation of archival assets in a digital asset management (DAM) system. The resulting models helped the UPS DAM win an award for best ‘Archives, Preservation, and/or Storage Solution’ at the 2010 DAMMY awards. While the standards are clear on the preferred programming language for digital preservation systems, the standards for describing assets in these systems are incredibly diverse. The process UPS used to generate and evolve their own metadata models is outlined, along with solutions to common problems in DAM metadata modelling and collection acquisition. How these models make assets searchable and sustain user interest in the DAM is discussed. When designing metadata models, the UPS DAM team advises working in XML to meet preservation standards, and improvising off the 12 Dublin Core (DCMI) attributes to build custom models that meet the needs of specific user bases.