Translations:Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts/367/en

Descriptive information or tags associated with digital files or records, providing context, structure, and searchability. Metadata refers to the descriptions of archival items. It is essential that relevant metadata is collected and attached to the digital archival items and stored in a structured form suitable for software processing. Without its attached metadata, digital archival material becomes meaningless and unusable, as we might be unable to find or identify it, understand what it is, its context, history, creator, or where it belongs in the archive. Digital archival items allow for a range of metadata to be collected, such as technical specifications of an archival digital file or information about its creation or any further digital action taken on it.