METS as an intermediary schema for a digital library of complex scientific multimedia

Abstract

The use of the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) schema as a mechanism for delivering a digital library of complex scientific multimedia is examined as an alternative to the Fedora Content Model (FCM). Using METS as an "intermediary" schema, where it functions as a template that is populated with content metadata on the fly using Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT), it is possible to replicate the flexibility of structure and granularity of FCM while avoiding its complexity and often substantial demands on developers.