Caplan further expands the definition, for her target librarian audience, as “structured information
about an information resource or any media type or format” (2003, p.3). Other sources go a bit further
adding the element of retrieval, use and management of an information resource to the concept of
metadata (Understanding Metadata, 2004).
Miller (2004) offers a definition that seems to be aligned with FRBR’s (Functional Requirements for
Bibliographic Records) user tasks of “find, select, identify and obtain” (International Federation of Library
Associations and Institutions, 1998). Miller tells us that metadata is the “extra baggage” associated with
a resource that aids a user in finding that resource (find); discover where, and by whom it was created
(identify); decide whether the resource is of value to the user (select); and conclude whether there is
feasible access to the resource (obtain).