A Study On The Application Of Metadata In Digital Library

The digital library is a new organization model of information resources, the basic character of which is the massive digital repository and the networked organization. The challenging task for librarians is how to organize the massive, distributed, multi-media and multi-format digital content. The content management is the process of selecting, describing and integrating the digital resources in order to access, it determines the quality of data repository and search, and influences the capability of digital library. Metadata is the basis of the resource organization and processing in the digital library. The application and research of metadata is attached importance to in this field.The metadata system is the information description method and the infrastructure of digital library. The metadata scheme is important in the process of resource description, organization, management, preserve, search and service. Metadata determines the model of resource organization and service in digital library by defining the organization structure of resources and repository which is made up of digital objects. The construction and service of digital libraries depend on the metadata schemes, both accessing and searching.The research and practice on metadata in the civil drop behind. We pay more attention to descriptive metadata rather than administrative metadata and structural metadata. We pay more attention to the plane layer for the understanding and application of metadata, not the whole digital library system. And we don't pay more attention to the methodology of metadata. Therefore the article dissertates the metadata application in digital library, including six parts: foreword, metadata summary, application of metadata in digital library, methodology of metadata in digital library, case study of the National Digital Library of China, suggestions on metadata development in domestic digital library.The article introduces the theory of metadata, main metadata formats and metadata interoperability; dissertates the application of metadata in the digital resource life cycle, the status in domestic and abroad, and the developing trend of preservation metadata and collection metadata; particularly dissertates the designprinciple and workflow of metadata schemes, reference model and framework system in methodology; analyses the problems and solutions in the application of metadata of National Digital Library of China; finally, put forward suggestions on metadata development in domestic digital library.The article described the application of metadata in digital library in theory and practice. However, there are many topics deserve deeply discussion and research in order to solve the problems and challenges for the application of metadata in digital library.