UNTL Metadata: Identifier
 

 

Label

Identifier

Sub-Element

10.0 URI, 10.1 URL, 10.2 URN, 10.3 DOI, 10.4 ISBN, 10.5 ISSN, 10.6 OCLC No., 10.7 Report No., 10.8 Local Control No., 10.9 Other Identifier

Definition

A unique identifier or 'permanent name' for a resource that identifies it uniquely and persistently.

Comment

Recommended best practice is to identify the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a formal identification system.  An identifier for an object that identifies it uniquely, enables links to metadata about it, and to other objects related to it. The sub-elements of this element will record different kinds of identifiers including pointers to the metadata information in the local system and ensure that individual digital objects can be managed, stored, recalled and used reliably.

Required

Yes

Repeatable

Yes

 

Input Guidelines:

10.0 – 10.9

  Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs, aka URLs) are short strings that identify resources in the web: documents, images, downloadable files, services, electronic mailboxes, and other resources.

10 Identifier

10.0 URI

Definition: Uniform Resource Identifier. The generic set of all names/addresses that are short strings that refer to resources.

10.1 URL

Definition: Uniform Resource Locator. An informal term associated with popular URI schemes: http, ftp, mailto, etc.

10.2 URN

Definition: Uniform Resource Name:

  • An URI that has an institutional commitment to persistence, availability, etc. Note that this sort of URI may also be a URL. See, for example, PURLs.
  • A particular scheme, urn:, specified by RFC2141 and related documents, intended to serve as persistent, location-independent, resource identifiers

10.3 DOI

Definition: Digital Object Identifier, the opaque string used as an identifier by the DOI System. DOIs may be used to identify any intellectual property entity, including those already identified by systems such as ISBN.

10.4 ISBN

Definition: The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique machine-readable identification number, which marks any book unmistakably. This number is defined in ISO Standard 2108. 
Example:  0-79103-549-8

10.5 ISSN

Definition: The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an eight-digit number which identifies periodical publications as such, including electronic serials. More than one million ISSN numbers have so far been assigned.
Example: 1078-5578

10.6 OCLC No.

Definition: The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) is an online cataloging system shared by libraries worldwide and an "OCLC number" is a unique identifying number attached to all records in the OCLC cataloging and interlibrary loan database. In WorldCat, the "OCLC number" is called the Accession number.
Example: 5472632

10.7 Report No. *

Example:  IB10038

10.8 Local Control No.

Definition:  Other pointers to the metadata in the local system

10.9 Other Identifier

Example:  Other examples of identifiers includes: 
                -Govt. doc#: L1700.5 C434 txdocs,
                -International Article Number (EAN)
                -International Standard Music Number (ISMN)
                -Accession number,
                -Printer’s mark, etc.  

 

 

Input Guidelines:

  • Recommended best practice is to identify the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a formal identification system.  Example formal identification systems include the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). 

  • Since, the identifier for most electronic resources will be a web address, in addition to any formal or local identifying numbers, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) should be included as an identifier for any Internet-accessible resource.

  • Use separate Identifier elements to enter multiple identifiers and indicate the type of identifier. (eg. ISBN, Local Control Number, etc.) from the drop box in Repository. If a controlled term for the correct scheme is not present then use “Other Identifier” and if necessary send note to the system administrator so that s/he can add a new controlled term to the dictionary in Repository.

  • Input international standard numbers (ISBN, ISSN) without hyphens or spaces.

  • If possible, use the identifier as the file naming basis for the digital object. For multi-piece, multi-part digital objects such as each individual page image of a scanned text, best practice is to identify each page image with a predictable naming scheme locally, but to share one metadata record for the text as a single, whole resource.

  • In a shared metadata environment, numbers unique within an institution's digital collection (e.g., accession numbers) should also include the name or a code for the institution along with the number, in case another participating institution also uses the same “unique” identifier.

N.B. Some possible functions for the Record Identifier element includes that it allows a user to insert a link to a specific record from a web site, HTML page, etc. The Record URL can also be added to a   library catalog's MARC record (856 field) to provide a link to a digital record.

Examples:

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