Exploring Accuracy, Completeness, and Consistency of Student-Created VRA Core 4.0 Paintings Metadata

Abstract

An important LAM professional competency is the ability to create metadata that effectively facilitates discovery of information resources in various settings. While some metadata courses for information professionals provide training in generating metadata that represents visual resources held by museums and galleries, reports assessing results of this learning are lacking. Our study is the first to evaluate student-created metadata that follows the specialized Visual Resources Association Core 4.0 metadata standard for artworks. This paper presents and discusses preliminary results of the exploration of accuracy, completeness, and consistency of metadata records that were created by students enrolled in the introductory graduate metadata course in an ALA-accredited LIS program. Our analysis identified metadata fields which pose challenges to learners in practicing creation of VRA Core 4.0 metadata records to represent paintings. Most common errors are presented and discussed in relation to findings of previous research and future research ideas.