“All our wisdom is stored in the trees”

using a tree to model metadata mission and vision

Abstract

How well are the mission and vision of your metadata team articulated? Is there a clear strategy in place to achieve that vision? Are there clearly defined goals to support it? Do wider colleagues understand what happens in the metadata team, and the centrality of metadata to the institution?

A team purpose tree can help to visualise the role of a metadata team as a central component in supporting discovery, which enables teaching, learning and research in the wider context of a library and its parent institution. Mapping the library and institutional strategy to a mission and vision for the metadata team brings clarity and focus to the value of day-to-day work. It also demonstrates how metadata contributes to strategic priorities, a particularly important skill when communicating with senior managers and decision makers.