Maps were used to provide information and knowledge through graphic representation before the invention of writing systems. Through maps, we learn the comprehensive worldview of the peoples in the past and the development of map making techniques. In ...
Maps were used to provide information and knowledge through graphic representation before the invention of writing systems. Through maps, we learn the comprehensive worldview of the peoples in the past and the development of map making techniques. In recent times, maps are used to solve the political and diplomatic issues between countries as historical evidence.
As maps contain distinctive characteristics in physical and contextual aspect, special cataloguing rules for maps are being used apart from books. Although Western cataloguing rules have been used to catalogue modern Korean maps, they are not easy to be applied to old Korean maps since Korean maps have different traits in visual and hierarchical aspect.
This study suggests a design of metadata elements of old Korean maps which better reflects their features. Here is a brief summary of the method and findings of this study.
First, having analysed the information service and technical elements of old Korean maps provided by libraries and museums in Korea, it is shown that the information service and technical elements of the maps differ between these two types of institution. Notably, libraries focus on providing bibliography and full text whereas museums aim to provide annotation including the contents and value of the materials.
Second, in order to further investigate the elements of metadata in old Korean maps, the research was expanded to include the metadata built up by arts organizations, including KORMARC (Korean Machine Readable Cataloging), MODS (Metadata Object Description Standard), CDWA (Categories for the Description of Works of Art), VRA (Visual Resources Association) as well as the database designed by National Museum of Korea, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and National Institute of Korean.
Third, through the contents attained from the information services by each institution and the analysis on metadata of old maps in local and overseas, the metadata elements were selected and the Delphi Method was used to investigate the metadata for old Korean maps. An expert panel comprized of 7 researchers and 7 practitioners was surveyed on required metadata. In order to build an efficient information management system for old Korean maps, 75 metadata elements in 5 categories were suggested: 27 elements for administrative metadata, 31 elements for descriptive metadata, 8 elements for preservation metadata, 6 elements for technical metadata and 3 elements for use metadata.
Finally, the efficiency of the chosen metadata was tested on maps. Findings from the study informed a consideration of a possible future management system for old Korean maps. In this system, a standardized method of naming maps is introduced, for maps with common nouns in their title. And given that compiled periods of many Korean maps are unknown, the changes of geographic names of Korea are shown to in order to estimate its production date.
A design of metadata elements for old Korean maps is expected to be valuable for libraries, museums and archives to build their own information management system of old Korean maps.