"At a time when digitization technology has become well established in library operations, the need for a degree of standardization of metadata practices has become more acute, in order to ensure digital libraries the degree of interoperability long established in traditional libraries. The complex metadata requirements of digital objects, which include descriptive, administrative and structural metadata, have so far mitigated against the emergence of a single standard. Metadata is data about data. Data associated with objects, which relives their potential users having to have full advance knowledge of their existence and characteristics. In other words standard bibliographic information summaries, indexing terms and abstracts is all surrogates. Metadata for Digital Collections brings together innovative studies focusing on fundamental issues related to digital preservation metadata before proceeding to in-depth coverage of issues concerning its practical use and implementation. Tackling the salient issues of cataloging and indexing, Metadata and Organizing Educational Resources on the Internet, this book examines the status quo of cataloging Internet resources explores the relationship between traditional cataloging and current trends in information management. The combination of current research and practical guidelines is a unique strength of this book. The richness of the collections that have appeared on the Web from these disparate quarters has made an exceptional contribution to the higher education community, but for those hoping to use them the overall experience can be a somewhat daunting one. This book assists information professionals in improving the usability of digital objects by adequately documenting them and using tools for metadata management. For administrators and practitioners alike, the information in this book will be of interest, focusing on management issues and best practices."