Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
12-9-2013
Abstract
This paper examines whether projects making use of the METS metadata schema do so due to its flexibility or its interoperability. Projects listed in the METS Implementation Registry of the Library of Congress METS Official Web Site, as well as selected case studies are analyzed for the reason METS was used in their projects. Data gathered from these sources is consolidated and further analyzed using cluster analysis in order to answer the research questions: 1) Can it be said that METS is being selected for projects based primarily on one of two criteria: its flexibility or its interoperability?” And if this is the case: 2) Is one of these two attributes (flexibility or interoperability) selected for more than the other? The paper concludes that flexibility has a slight edge over interoperability in terms of the primary reason for using METS in the projects analyzed for the paper.