Document Imaging: With and Without Metadata Tagging

Over the past few weeks, I've talked about how metadata is the “data about our data and/or data containers” and tagging that data is critical for the proper document imaging and archival of our intellectual properties. Without dynamic or “smart” data tags, our document images are available online in their repository, but accessing those documents, or the specific information contained within those document images still presents a huge challenge.

Below I've put together a short commentary on the history of the DDC for the purpose of exploring the accessibility benefits of document imaging with, and without metadata tagging, as seen below:



A Brief History of the Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC)

The Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC) marked the beginning of the modern library movement in the nineteenth century. The man responsible for its creation was Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey, known to most today as, Melvil Dewey. Melvil Dewey created the DDC in 1873, and had it published and patented in 1876. The DDC system grew from its first edition in 1876, and has been translated into over 30 languages to date, including: Arabic, Chinese, French, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Russian, and Spanish. Over the last 135-years, the Dewey Decimal System has been embraced for metadata standards in over 200,000 libraries, in 135 countries, for the proper classification, aggregation, identification and location of specific books and sundries, all over the world.

Document Image (only): Users who want to access this document online have to know the exact title of the scanned image (The History of the Dewey Decimal Classification System), or select the title, author and/or creation date from an index list of all scanned document titles in order to access it. Users also have to have proper access to the proprietary LAC-Group repository where this document is stored.

Document Image with “smart” metadata tags: By adding metadata tags to key-words (all highlighted in  blue font) including: document title, document author, date created, intellectual property of, and all of the important facts about the topic, this image is converted to a 3-dimensional dynamic data set.  Users can now query the LAC-Group database, or use an Internet browser to access this data in the Digital Marketplace by simply typing in any one of the following words, or query phrases:

-    History of Dewey Decimal System

-    History of DDC

-    White Papers on DDC by Rob Corrao

-    DDC by LAC-Group

-    Melvil Dewey

-    DDC creation date

-    DDC publication date

-    DDC patent date

-    DDC languages

-    No. of libraries using DDC

-    No of countries using DDC

-    Documents created on 1/24/12

In addition, if dynamic hypertext links are included for each of the above key-words, the user not only accesses this scanned image, but potentially dozens more that have metadata tags and links to this subject matter. Metadata tags also provide users with quick access to specific facts within the scanned images like: DDC creator - Melvil Dewey, 1873 creation date, 1876 publication and patent dates, and DDC in Korean, Arabic or Hebrew even, saving immeasurable time in research.

Join me next week as I delve into some of the specific benefits of proper document imaging with metadata tags within specific industries.

"A library's function is to give the public in the quickest and cheapest way information, inspiration, and recreation. If a better way than the book can be found, we should use it." – Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), American Librarian and Educator.