Documentation:Toolkit for the Digitization of First Nations Knowledge/SECTION D: Audio Digitization/D1: Audio Cassette Tape/D1.1c Appendix: Emerging metadata standards for digital audio files

OVERVIEW

There are several recently released schemas developed by professional communities or organizations such as broadcasting that can be used to describe audio files. In late 2011 the Audio Engineering Society finalized AES60-2011: AES standard for audio metadata – Core audio metadata. A purpose of this metadata structure is to influence manufacturers in the audio industry to develop a standard data structure and terminology that follows established guidelines for metadata construction. It is closely modelled on the EBUCore metadata specifications (developed by European broadcasters to help in sharing audio files) and on the Dublin Core metadata standard.

The majority of the fields in the following proposed standards are not developed specifically for tracking an audio digitization project that is focused on creating preservation files. However, these schemas are worth reviewing if you are planning to expand the project by adding descriptive or rights management fields, and especially if you plan to share files with external users.

AUDIO STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES

1. AES60-2011: AES standard for audio metadata – Core audio metadata.

Available from http://www.aes.org/publications/standards/ ($50 USD)

This is very similar to the following EBU Tech 3293 document.

2. The EBUCore specifications are freely available

(See: EBU Tech 3293 Specification v.1.3 http://tech.ebu.ch/docs/tech/tech3293v1_3.pdf).

3. The PBCore standard (see: http://pbcore.org/) is another emerging standard recommended for audiovisual metadata for public broadcasting in the US

4. AudioMD (see: http://www.loc.gov/standards/amdvmd/) schema has been adopted by the US government and is based on the Audio Engineering Society AES60-2011 Core audio metadata standard and on the Dublin Core. This standard’s primary purpose is to regularize information for sharing in electronic environments, especially for broadcasting.

RELATED STANDARDS

In addition to the basic Dublin Core metadata fields, there are other fields and associated standards that have been established or are in development. For example, the Open Language Archives Community (OLAC) uses Dublin Core and has expanded and adapted this metadata standard for language. See http://www.language-archives.org/ . Also see the OLAC metadata standard at http://www.language-archives.org/OLAC/metadata.html.

References