Open Metadata Sharing Framework

Preamble

University of Alberta (UAL) strives to encourage open access to data and support free sharing of information. UAL is committed to ensuring our metadata is as open as possible to support and enhance the discovery of library and cultural heritage resources and permit users to use, reuse, remix, and repurpose our metadata through clearly communicated open licences.

UAL’s formalization of open metadata, or metadata sharing, through this framework is in keeping with long-standing library practices of shared, collaborative, and community metadata work.

This framework aligns with UAL’s mission: to foster knowledge creation, enable its dissemination, and ensure its preservation, as well as UAL’s long-standing support of and commitment to open access and open data.

Open metadata sharing at UAL fosters accessibility through ensuring that aggregate metadata datasets are in both machine-readable and human readable formats, as well as by fostering our ongoing alignment with the Marrakesh Treaty, in particular the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) recommendation seventeen, which calls for libraries to engage in sharing metadata and catalogue record information, thereby increasing discoverability of accessible works. Metadata sharing through aggregate datasets also aligns with UAL’s dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, as the sharing of freely accessible UAL metadata records can be used by individuals or institutions who may not otherwise have access. Further, in alignment with UAL’s open access efforts, UAL encourages and supports openly accessible citation data.

UAL’s approach to open metadata/metadata sharing is inspired by community norms around appropriate and responsible data sharing, such as FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reuse) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics).

UAL metadata datasets represent our collection gathered over time and under differing standards for both metadata creation as well as for socio-cultural uses of language, and may contain language that is outdated and harmful. Please refer to the UAL Statement on Harmful Language in Catalog Records and Resource Descriptions for further information.

UAL’s Open Metadata/Metadata Sharing Framework is a living document and will be reviewed at regular intervals.

UAL Open Metadata Datasets:

UAL Open Catalogue Metadata Set (UALOCMS)

Scope

This section is meant to provide an open metadata policy for the data that resides within the UAL Catalogue, and copies of it made available as open data on other platforms.

Background

Metadata in the UAL Catalogue comes from a variety of sources, ranging from:

  • Descriptions originally created by staff at UAL
    • Identified by MARC 040 $a = UAB or AEU or CaAEU
    • These will be included in the UALOCMS
  • Descriptions originating from other sources significantly modified in some way by UAL
    • Identified by MARC 040 $d = UAB or AEU or CaAEU
    • In these cases if the 040$a is from a known source with limitations on re-use, the appropriate licence will be indicated, or the description will be removed from the UALOCMS as appropriate.
  • Descriptions from other sources without significant modification by UAL
    • Identified by library codes in 040 $a other than those for UAL, and without UAL 040 $d
    • In these cases if the 040$a is from a known source with limitations on re-use, the appropriate licence will be indicated, or the description will be removed from the open data set as appropriate. Otherwise, these will be included in the UALOCMS.

The intent is to make every effort to respect the policies on re-use of data from other sources within our data set, and in making data available for further re-use. That said, the UAL Catalogue is a living set of data that is always being updated and enriched in various ways, both manually and through automated practices. As such, catalogue data originating from other sources (particularly where tagged with 040$d with UAL codes) can be expected to have significant updates and changes where value has been added.

It is also noteworthy that UAL makes extensive use of system identifiers from varied sources within our descriptions for matching purposes (internal matching and identification, and for matching with external data pools). As such, descriptions in the UAL Catalogue will have vendor identifiers (OCLC, EBSCO, Proquest…) embedded, but these cannot be relied upon to indicate the source of cataloguing, nor ownership of the descriptions themselves. These identifiers within the UAL Catalogue are used for systems maintenance and matching purposes.

UAL Catalogue Open Metadata Set Policy

UAL strives to encourage open access to data, and support free sharing of information. We are committed to making our metadata as open as possible to enhance the discovery of library and cultural heritage resources and allow users to repurpose metadata with clearly defined licence conditions.

  • UAL resource descriptions in the UALOCMS are dedicated to the public domain, indicated by the CC0 dedication mark. Any data originally created from other sources with restrictions preventing release under CC0 will not be added to the UALOCMS, but may be made available as a separate open data set under the appropriate licence for re-use (ODC-By for instance). In addition, select UAL catalogue data will have restrictions on re-use that prevent re-use entirely, and these descriptions will not be made available for re-use.
  • UAL is actively working with partners on reducing reliance on any metadata for the description of our collections that is not openly reusable.

UAL data are hosted and maintained by supported systems. The UAL Open Data Policy does not mean that anyone will have access to related tools or systems, nor is it a promise of any specified distribution method or schedule, but that UAL will strive to support access to the wider community for UAL data.

Further Datasets Under Consideration

  • UAL Digital Repositories and Digital Collections metadata