History of Metadata

  • Ebla Library
    2500 BCE

    Ebla Library

    The oldest known library, tablets were classified, cataloged, and shelved.
  • 1500 BCE

    Hittite Empire Archives

    30,000 clay tablets, the catalog included a colophon (short description of contents)
  • Royal Library of Alexandria
    300 BCE

    Royal Library of Alexandria

    One of the first attempts at a bibliography happened here, and one of the first instances of alphabetizing by author name.
  • Gutenberg's Printing Press
    Jan 1, 1440

    Gutenberg's Printing Press

    This created an increase in the amount of information available, and made cataloging and metadata more necessary
  • British Museum

    Publishes "Rules for the Compilation of the Catalogue" basis for cataloging for the next 150 years
  • Dewey Decimal Classification

    Dewey Decimal Classification

    Created categories to classify books by subject.
  • National Union Catalog

    An attempt to locate and catalog all important books in the United States.
  • Colon Classification

    S.R. Ranganathan created facetted classifications
  • Card Catalogs

    Card Catalogs

    A register of items found in a library, helping patrons to locate materials.
  • MARC

    Digital format for library catalogs
  • Dublin Core

    A core set of elements used to create metadata for materials, both print and digital.
  • Metadata Today

    Metadata is still a widely discussed topic. With the digital age bringing with it an influx of resources and information, librarians are creating metadata entries to make finding resources easier for their patrons.

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