Metadata as a means for correspondence on digital media

Abstract

Metadata derive their action from their association to data and from the relationship they maintain with this data. An interpretation of this action is that the metadata lays claim to the data collection to which it is associated, where the claim is successful if the data collection gains quality as a result of it. We assume that the design process manifests itself in this way: the designer lays claim to data in such a way that this data gains quality. Claims form part of a complex adaptive system in which agreement on the quality of claims is achieved through correspondence. Applied in the context of a design studio, the result is a digital media library that is both the subject and result of the educational process. By teaching students how to express and utilise these claims and their qualities in their communication with peers, they can learn to become more effective in their use of information from various sources to support such communication. They will also learn how to build digital media libraries as a collective result of their communication. In this paper, we describe a methodology for adding, utilising and managing metadata and present some intermediate results from implementing this methodology into education.