Metadata provides a means of indexing, accessing, preserving, and discovering digital resources. The volume of digital information available over electronic networks has created a pressing need for standards that assist in locating, retrieving, and managing this vast and complex universe. This revised edition of Introduction to Metadata, first published in 1998 and updated in an online version in 2000, provides an overview of metadata—its types, roles, and characteristics; a discussion of metadata as it relates to Web resources; a description of methods, tools, standards, and protocols for publishing and disseminating digital collections; and a handy glossary. Newly added to this edition are an essay on the importance of standards-based rights metadata for cultural institutions; and a section entitled “Practical Principles for Metadata Creation and Maintenance.” 

元数据提供了一种索引、访问、保存和发现数字资源的手段。通过电子网络获得的大量数字信息，使得人们迫切需要有助于定位、检索和管理这个庞大而复杂的世界的标准。这本《元数据导论》的修订版于1998年首次出版，并在2000年更新了网络版，提供了元数据的概述--它的类型、作用和特点；讨论了与网络资源有关的元数据；描述了出版和传播数字收藏的方法、工具、标准和协议；还有一个方便的词汇表。本版新增加了一篇关于基于标准的权利元数据对文化机构的重要性的文章；以及一个题为 "元数据创建和维护的实用原则 "的章节。