Everyday hundreds of millions of metadata records provide users access to information. To remain functional, metadata schemas changes in response to shifts in information user needs and standards of information representation. This poster presents results of the longitudinal quantitative analysis of change occurring in a select group of library metadata records over time. This study traces the evolution of a sample of OCLC WorldCat metadata records created in MARC format according to new RDA standard of information representation. The same records were obtained at four data collection points at approximately one year intervals. Findings reveal a significant increase in the number of instances of a variety of metadata elements: both those introduced by the RDA standard and traditional pre-RDA elements. This study, along with related research, contributes to the understanding of metadata change and its relation to improvements in metadata quality and information access.
Information community creates, maintains and shares authority data through large‐scale databases of standardized digital records that describe persons, institutions, places, events, and works, as well as relations between them. This submission presents some results of the content analysis study that explores the authority data change over time in response to change in standards. We analysed over 400 thousand of authority records that comply to the new standard, Resource Description and Access (RDA) and are available through the OCLC database. Records were obtained at two data collection points, with an interval of 22 months. Our analysis identified RDA‐based authority data elements that are widely applied and the ones that need more attention by record creators. Findings reveal a significant increase over time in the level of application of some data elements, including several of the Linked Data‐enabling elements. This study contributes to the understanding of metadata change and its relation to functionality of authority records and improved information access. Directions for future research are suggested.
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