--- loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Metadata_Description.tex 2005/02/15 14:10:58 1.3 +++ loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Metadata_Description.tex 2013/08/05 15:24:47 1.6 @@ -1,17 +1,23 @@ \label{Metadata_Description} -\index{Metadata}\label{What Is Metadata?}\emph{Metadata} is \emph{data about data}. Metadata can often be thought +\index{Metadata}\label{What Is Metadata?}\emph{Metadata} is \emph{data about data}. +Metadata can often be thought of as a label on some bit of information that can be useful to people or computer programs trying to use the data. Without metadata, the person or computer trying to use the original information would have to guess -what the original data is about. For example, if you create a problem and +what the original data is about. + +When resources are published at least title, subject and keywords should be +provided so that the resource could be found easily. + +For example, if you create a problem and neglect to say in the title or subject of the problem what it is about, then a human who wants to use that problem would have to read the problem itself -to see what it was about, which is much more difficult than just reading +to see what it was about. This is much more difficult than just reading a title. A computer trying to do the same thing would be out of luck; it is too stupid to understand the problem statement at all. -One example of metadata is the