Works in Progress Webinar: a discussion on Transitioning to the Next Generation of Metadata
Channel: OCLC Research
Date: 2020-11-16

The OCLC Research Library Partnership Metadata Managers Focus Group is comprised of representatives from 62 Partners in eleven countries who engage with one another issues of common concern. This focus group offers an opportunity to engage with peers in OCLC Research Library Partner institutions who are responsible for creating and managing metadata. In addition to sharing information, the group identifies issues OCLC Research could pursue in support of the OCLC Research Library Partnership, provides feedback on various metadata management projects, and initiates working groups as warranted.

The most recent output of the group is the 2020 report, Transitioning to the Next Generation of Metadata which 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. 

This webinar will provide an overview of the Focus Group, an overview of the report, and reflections from current Focus Group members on the report and the value of the group. We welcome participants to bring their own observations and questions for discussion.

This report proposes that transitioning to the next generation of metadata is an evolving process, intertwined with changing standards, infrastructures, and tools. Join us for a discussion of challenges, shared possible approaches to addressing them, and our mutual future!

This webinar will be of interest to professionals who work with metadata, who are “metadata adjacent,” or who have an interest in what the future of metadata may bring.