Using The QA For Metadata Toolkit

About The QA Focus Toolkits

The QA For Metadata Toolkit is an online resources which can be used as a checklist to ensure that your project or service has addressed key areas which can help to ensure that the metadata you use in your service is fit for its intended purpose and will ensure that your application will be interoperable.

The QA For Metadata Toolkit is one of several toolkits which have been developed by the QA Focus project to support JISC's digital library programmes.

Accessing The QA For Metadata Toolkit

The QA For Metadata Toolkit is available from <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/toolkit/>. The toolkit is illustrated in Figure 1:

Figure 1: The QA For Metadata Toolkit

Coverage

The toolkit addresses the following key areas

• The purpose of your metadata
• The availability of cataloguing rules
• The technical architecture for creating and managing your metadata
• The approaches for checking the content of your metadata
• The approaches for checking the syntax of your metadata
• The interoperability of your metadata
• Training and development for staff involved in creating and managing your metadata
• The provision of documented policies
• The provision of systematic procedures which ensure that the policies are complied with

Embedding The Toolkit In Your Project Activities

The toolkit can provide access to a set of online checking services.

The toolkit can provide a simple checklist for ensuring that your project has addressed key areas in the development and deployment of metadata. As well as providing an aide memoire for projects the toolkit may also be useful in a more formal context. For example the answers could be used in initial scoping work at the early stages of a project or in reports to the project funders. In addition answers to the issues raised may be helpful for other potential users of the metadata or the final service provider of the project deliverables.

About The QA For Metadata Toolkit Resource

The QA For Web Toolkit described in this document provides a single interface to several online checking services hosted elsewhere. The QA Focus project and its host organisations (UKOLN and AHDS) have no control over the remote online checking services. We cannot guarantee that the remote services will continue to be available.

Further Information

Further toolkits are available at <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/toolkit/>

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