Incentives for Improving Metadata Quality

Purpose

To highlight downstream applications and value of metadata for all parts of the community, telling real stories as evidence of how better metadata will meet their goals.

Project plan

The following project plan is estimated to encompass work between May and October 2018.

• Discuss illustration of metadata flow through scholarly communications in consultation with community groups
• In consultation with community groups, start to develop fuller lists of incentives
• Create a detailed list of outputs for phase 2 of the project
• Gather material for re-use in business cases
• Align incentives list with P.5’s best practice guidelines
• Discuss outreach & education plans for time when first content is available for distribution, including proposals for upcoming conferences

Challenges

• It is difficult to describe the importance of metadata conceptually, and importance needs to be grounded in real life
• Many organizations have one or two metadata ‘evangelists’ but they often lack the decision-making authority on budget or development roadmaps
• The responsibility for metadata quality is often outsourced or seen as an operational after-product, not a strategic priority

Possible solutions to explore

• Gather value stories for each community group, understand their motivations and incentives
• Highlight and tell the stories of downstream metadata applications by gathering evidence of metadata leading to e.g. higher x (where x may = usage, discoverability, revenue, trustworthiness… etc.)
• Identify compelling channels through which to deliver these stories and work with communications project to disseminate incentive stories in a compelling way

Group participants