Extended date/time format (EDTF) in the digital public library of America's metadata: Exploratory analysis

Abstract

Considering the value of dates in the life cycle of the digital resource, capturing and storing dates metadata in a structured way can have a significant impact on information retrieval. There are a number of format conventions in common use for encoding the date and time values; the Extended Date/Time Format (EDTF) is one of the most expressive. This paper presents results of an exploratory analysis of representation of dates in over 8 million metadata records from one of the largest digital aggregators, Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), and compares it to EDTF specifications. This benchmark study provides empirical data – at both the individual provider level and the group level (content hubs or service hubs) – about the overall level and patterns of application of date metadata in DPLA metadata records in relation to EDTF.