Automatic Metadata Generation Applications (AMeGA)

Project Information

The goal of the AMeGA project is to identify and recommend functionalities for applications supporting automatic metadata generation in the library / bibliographic control community. The project is being conducted in connection with Section 4.2 of the Library of Congress Bibliographic Control Action Plan, that is providing leadership to libraries and other information centers in this new millennium.

The Activity Plan’s charge for section 4.2 is to “Develop specifications for a tool that will enable libraries to extract [and harvest] metadata from Web-based resources in order to create catalog records and that will detect and report changes in resource content and bibliographic data in order to maintain those records. Communicate the specifications to the vendor community and encourage their adoption.”

The metadata generation task force advises the AMeGA project staff.

Project Goals

  • Evaluate current automatic metadata generation applications. (The categories of tools being investigated include: document presentation software, tools created specifically for metadata generation, and online library cataloging modules for creating metadata.)
  • Survey metadata professionals to determine which aspects of metadata generation are most amenable to automation and semi-automation. Other metadata creators may also participate in the study.
  • Compile a final report of recommended functionalities for automatic metadata generation applications. The final report will be reviewed and endorsed by the Metadata Generation Task Force (MGTF) and be made publicly accessible via the Library of Congress.

Project Documents

» Project Activity Plan

» Optimizing Metadata Generation Practices
Notes from Discussion led by Dr. Jane Greenberg at ALCTS CCS- Cataloging & Classification Research Discussion Group, ALA 2004

Quarterly Reports