Dictionary definition(s) for: metadata

• n., [data] Information that characterizes another information resource, especially for purposes of documenting, describing, preserving or managing that resource.
• n., Any file or database that holds information about a document, record, aggregation of records or another database's structure, attributes, processing or changes.
• n., Data about data. In data processing, meta-data is definitional data that provides information about or documentation of other data managed within an application or environment.
  [ Computer and Information Sciences - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (FOLDOC) ]
  FOLDOC: Free Online Dictionary of Computing. http://foldoc.org/.
• n., Data associated with either an information system or an information object for purposes of description, administration, legal requirements, technical functionality, use and usage, and preservation.
  [ General Dictionaries - Using Dublin Core ]
  Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. Using Dublin Core. http://dublincore.org/documents/usageguide/glossary.shtml.
• n., Data describing context, content and structure of records and their management through time.
  [ Archives - 15489-1 , Page: 3 ]
  International Organization for Standardization. Information and Documentation: Records Management . 15489-1. Part 1. Geneva: ISO, 2001.
• n., Data describing data and data systems; that is the structure of databases, their characteristics, location and usage.
  [ Archives - A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology (The Society of American Archivists) ]
  Pearce-Moses, Richard. A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2005. http://www.archivists.org/glossary/index.asp
• n., Data describing or documenting the management, nature, or use of information resources.
  [ General Dictionaries - A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology (The Society of American Archivists) ]
  Pearce-Moses, Richard. A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2005. http://www.archivists.org/glossary/index.asp
• n., Information about a publication as opposed to the content of the publication; includes not only bibliographic description but also other relevant information such as its subject, price, conditions of use, etc.
  [ Arts - A Guide to Standards, Recommended Practices and Reference Literature Related to the Preservation of Documents of All Kinds - Glossary , Page: 53 ]
  Boston, George, and Milton Keynes, eds. Safeguarding the Documentary Heritage: A Guide to Standards, Recommended Practices and Reference Literature Related to the Preservation of Documents of All Kinds. Paris: UNESCO, 1998. Also available online at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001126/112676eo.pdf.
• n., Structured or semi-structured information which enables the creation, management and use of records through time and within and across domains in which they are created.
  [ Archives - Model Requirements for the Management of Electronic Records (MoReq) - Glossary , Page: 105 ]
  European Commission. Model Requirements for the Management of Electronic Records: MoReq Specification . Luxembourg : Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001. http://www.cornwell.co.uk/moreqdocs/moreq.pdf.