Metadata Standards for Digital Collections

Metadata ensures artworks and cultural objects are described accurately and consistently. It is essential for cataloguing, discovery, interpretation and digital preservation.

Why metadata matters

Metadata supports:

• Online access
• Research and scholarship
• Long term preservation
• Digital exhibitions
• Collection audits
• Loans and documentation

Recognised standards

V21 uses sector recognised frameworks including:

• Getty Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA)
• The Chicago Manual of Style
• Controlled vocabularies and authority files

Metadata in Online Exhibitions

Metadata structures support:

• Titles and dates
• Materials and techniques
• Provenance
• Exhibition histories
• Bibliographies
• Relationships between works

Metadata for museum workflows

Consistency in metadata helps museums coordinate cataloguing, documentation, digitisation and preservation.