Electronic Records Management Guidelines
Metadata
Annotated List of Resources
Primary Resources:
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
http://dublincore.org
The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative is the official site for the Dublin Core (DC) project. The fifteen-element metadata standard is the product of a number of workshops that began in 1995 and is now an official international standard (NISO Standard Z39.85; ISO Standard 15836). Intended to serve users in a flexible manner, the elements are all optional, repeatable, and labeled with descriptive names. Metadata generated from this scheme may be represented in a number of ways (e.g., HTML, RDF) for use on the Internet.
Minnesota Land Management Information Center (LMIC)
http://www.lmic.state.mn.us
LMIC, a division of the Office of Strategic and Long-Range Planning (Minnesota Planning), is charged with coordinating the "effective use of digital geographic data to support public policy and government operations" in the state. As a member of the GIS Standards Committee of the Minnesota Governor's Council on Geographic Information, LMIC helped develop a standard format for GIS metadata (the Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines) based upon the federal model of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata. LMIC makes available software (DataLogr) to aid data holders in recording their metadata in conformance with the Minnesota guidelines. By arrangement, LMIC offers project assistance and research– and technology–related services.
Featured links at the LMIC site include access to 2000 Census data through Datanet and information about the activities of the Governor's Council on Geographic Information. Additionally, the Minnesota Geographic Data Clearinghouse provides a collection of resources to help find, access and use geospatial data about Minnesota regardless of source. The Clearinghouse includes: the Minnesota Geographic Data Catalog, providing information about data holdings at LMIC as well as other state and federal agencies; LMIC's metadata index, containing detailed information on over 120 data sets accessible through the agency; and the GeoGateway, a search engine that integrates access to over 300 data sets served by Minnesota organizations and over 2500 data sets focused on the geography of Minnesota. The GeoGateway assists users in locating data sets specific to the state and surrounding region by searching metadata based on user-defined criteria, including keywords, temporal considerations and geographic extent and source.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Best Practice Guidelines for Web Metadata.
http://www.bridges.state.mn.us/bestprac/index.html
Multiple documents and downloads are available on this web site, including guidelines on how to use the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set as part of the process of archiving web content and a description of each element's purpose and method of creation. The site also offers a bibliography, a training manual on applying the Dublin Core metadata set, background reports, and information about downloading the TagGen tool.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Bridges: Minnesota's Gateway to Environmental Information.
http://www.bridges.state.mn.us
The Bridges project represented a collaboration between Minnesota's environmental agencies with the goal of providing easy access to their electronic resources such as web pages, PDF documents, databases, and geographic data. Resources were cataloged using the Dublin Core metadata scheme and are located through a simple cross-agency search engine (the Inktomi-powered North Star search at the state's main portal). Although the project was completed in July 2000, the web site still offers a number of resources to visitors, including best practice guidelines for web metadata, information on metadata tools, project reports, as well as links to participating agencies, other regional and federal environmental sites, and the Minnesota Governor's Council on Geographic Information.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. GIS Data Deli.
http://deli.dnr.state.mn.us
The GIS Data Deli site is a service of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Visitors may download raw spatial data pertaining to the state for use with GIS-specific software, image processing systems, or traditional databases; no online map composition or viewing is possible. Users capture the data through a process involving specifying geographic areas, layers and data elements of interest. Detailed metadata conforming to the Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines is available for each layer.
Minnesota Historical Society, State Archives Department. Trustworthy Information Systems Handbook. Version 4, July 2002.
http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/tis/tis.html
This handbook provides an overview for all stakeholders involved in government electronic records management. Topics center around ensuring accountability to elected officials and citizens by developing systems that create reliable and authentic information and records. The handbook outlines the characteristics that define trustworthy information, offers a methodology for ensuring trustworthiness, and provides a series of worksheets and tools for evaluating and refining system design and documentation.
Minnesota Recordkeeping Metadata Standard (Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology Standard IRM 20)
http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/metadatastandard.html
The Minnesota Recordkeeping Metadata Standard was developed to facilitate records management by government entities at any level of government. It shares many of its elements with other metadata standards, such as the Dublin Core and the Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines set, but goes further to address such issues as access restrictions, data practices, and records retention and disposition, thereby enabling the practical implementation of statutory mandates for records management. The standard is comprised of twenty elements, ten of which are mandatory.
Additional Resources:
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). Metadata.
http://www.fgdc.gov
http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata
This site is sponsored by the FGDC, which is made up of several federal agencies. Working with such partners as state and local governments, the academic community, and industry, the FGDC is supervising the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) with the goal of sharing geographic data through standards, policies, and procedures. Through subcommittees and working groups, the FGDC has several geospatial data standards completed or in some stage of development. These include the Cadastral Data Content Standard, the Spatial Data Transfer Standard, the Spatial Data Accuracy Standard, the Address Content Standard, and the Government Unit Boundary Data Content Standard.
The FGDC has developed the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/geospatial-metadata-standards to be used by all federal agencies. This metadata standard is composed of 334 different elements (119 of which only contain sub-elements). The FGDC also coordinates the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse for participants worldwide interested in sharing digital geospatial data that conforms to the CSDGM. In the future, the CSDGM is expected to be modified to be made compliant with an emerging international metadata standard, ISO 19115.
Minnesota Department of Administration, Office of Enterprise Technology. Minnesota Enterprise Technical Architecture. Version 2.02, 2006.
http://www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?subchannel=-536891918&programid=536911145&id=-536891917&agency=OETweb
The Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology (OET) is charged with establishing and maintaining a state information architecture as specified in Minnesota Statue, Chapter 16E.04 Subdivision 2. According to the OET, “This technical architecture is established to describe technology components of the State’s information infrastructure and their individual principles, practices and standards that are to be used to guide the development and delivery of all information systems services. The architecture will provide a reference so that various groups of government IT professionals have a consistent view of the information systems infrastructure and the methods that they employ to develop and deliver information systems services.” Chapter 4, Data and Records Management, describes the framework for managing information resources, as well as the standards and guidelines that apply.
Minnesota Historical Society, State Archives Department. Metadata Resources
http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/metadata.html
This web site offers annotated links to State Archives and Minnesota projects, as well as to metadata resources particularly relevant to archival and recordkeeping issues.
State of Utah GILS (Government Information Locator Service). GILS Resources.
http://gils.utah.gov
Government Information Locator Services (GILS) are in use in a number of states and in agencies of the federal government. They are designed to provide access to the public to government records, library holdings, web sites, and other types of information resources. The State of Utah has compiled a comprehensive and informative list of references and links to GILS conferences, studies, metadata, metadata mapping schemes, and authority list resources.
UK GovTalk. Interoperability: Metadata
http://www.govtalk.gov.uk/schemasstandards/schemasstandards.asp
The government of the United Kingdom is developing a comprehensive plan for e-government, which includes standards for interoperability and metadata. This site provides information on, among other things, the UK's Dublin Core-based metadata standard, implementation plans, and a catalog of government functions.
Electronic Records Management Guidelines, March 2004, Version 4.
