MIC metadata strategies: Thinking beyond asset management

Abstract

is MIC Project Manager for the Library of Congress, and has worked on the initiative since its inception. Previously, Jane was a UCLA film and television archive cataloger for nearly two decades. She serves on the AMIA Board of Directors and has given numerous presentations on cataloging principles, media asset management and MIC. She extends her gratitude to MIC architect Grace Agnew, whose vision and clear articulation of key concepts inform this writing. Abstract This paper examines the metadata strategies of Moving Image Collections (MIC), a collaboration of the Library of Congress and the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA). MIC offers a union catalog, archive directory and informational resources about moving images and their preservation, through a portal structure delivering customized information to diverse constituencies. The paper discusses three key principles underlying MIC's strategy and how they have been applied to meet the respective missions of the two co-sponsors. The key principles are promotion of standards, acceptance of diversity in collections and schemas, and the need to extend effective metadata use to all repositories. This visionary metadata strategy takes MIC's functionalities beyond asset management. MIC creates a framework for collaborative community building and an R&D platform to explore issues of digital rights management, low-level indexing and the intersection of public and private sector goals, in an effort to advance the Library of Congress mission to preserve and educate.