Metadata Standards: Origins, Specifics, and Prospects

This article examines metadata and its role within the contemporary information environment. It focuses on major metadata standards, including descriptive frameworks such as Dublin Core, RDA (Resource Description and Access), and the MARC 21 (Machine-Readable Cataloging) format. Metadata standards play a critical role in library and information science by enabling accurate resource description and improving the efficiency of information retrieval processes. The Dublin Core standard facilitates the creation of simple and conceptually clear descriptions, whereas RDA provides more precise and comprehensive resource representation. MARC 21, as a machine-readable cataloging framework, supports the encoding of bibliographic data and serves as a foundational infrastructure for automated library systems. The study demonstrates that each metadata standard possesses distinct functional characteristics and contributes significantly to the organization, integration, and systematization of information in digital environments.