Metadata for Records & Information

Metadata is information that helps people to find, understand, authenticate, trust, use and manage information. If information has metadata, we know what it is, what it has been used for and how to use it. Metadata also makes information easier to find.

This document form metadata scheme establishes record types common to most organisations in the NSW public sector. This is a modified version of the same scheme in the Australian Government recordkeeping metadata standard (D21). In addition, some specific document forms for NSW government, councils, public health services and universities have been defined.

State Records has established minimum requirements for metadata for authoritative records and information. This mapping links the minimum metadata required for authoritative records and information to relevant metadata properties from AS/NZS 5478:2015 Recordkeeping Metadata Property Reference Set (RMPRS).

The effective implementation of metadata is based on the following principles:

• Metadata requirements should be considered as part of appraisal.
• Metadata is scalable.
• Metadata should be described, documented and managed.
• Metadata is dynamic and grows over time.
• Metadata should be persistently linked with records and information.
• Metadata should be managed as a record.

Authoritative records and information are authentic and reliable, have integrity, and are useable. Organisations can rely on authoritative records and information to function as trustworthy evidence of business transactions.

Effectively implementing metadata for records and information:

• ensures that records and information are and remain reliable, trustworthy, identifiable, retrievable, accessible and reusable
• facilitates the management of records and information over time.

Effectively implementing metadata for records and information will also assist your organisation to meet the requirements of the Standard on Records Management.

This page explains how the effective implementation of metadata can achieve this.