Week 4- Reading notes

www.wikipedia.org-Database
I found the concept of database management systems interesting. I don't know that I knew that this organization was done by software. It is also interesting to know the roots of the word "database." America, as usual, was a step behind Europe in adopting the term. Talk of this makes me curious of what was used to describe this phenomenon before the language "database" was chosen as a standard. I am grateful that queries have been made user-friendly for everyday use by the average person. Instead of learning a special language or code, programs decipher our queries and display related topics so we can seamlessly search for information.

Gilliland's Introduction to Metadata
The meaning of the term metadata was vast enough to almost give me a headache trying to wrap my head around it. It is intriguing to see the concept applied to library systems. The bottom line is that metadata aids libraries in providing the public with information. Whether I fully comprehend all of the facets of metadata, it is crucial to our service of the world population (especially in the case of digital collections that can be accessed around the world-- etc.)

Miller's An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model
The inherent problem of the vastness of the reality of metadata is addressed in the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative's labors to consolidate and agree on definitions across various disciplines. An example of their efforts is the Resource Description Framework for referring to phenomena connected and embedded in the internet. The importance of this consolidation is the amount of time that can be saved by using the same language and the elimination of misunderstanding.