"...an excellent introduction both for students and for practitioners new to the field, and the very readable text is well supported by numerous examples, and lists of additional reading. A welcome addition to the literature in this field."

"Metadata is a topic of great, and continuing importance in all the information sciences and collection disciplines. But it is one in which students and practitioners alike can become lost in details and specifics. Philip Hider’s book takes a uniquely wide and integrative approach, combining basic principles and well-chosen examples to give an admirably clear insight into the subject."

"Hider offers a clear and comprehensive look at metadata and all its many aspects―from its creation, to its many forms and uses, and even its future. This is a very readable text that any student or information professional will find useful and engaging."

"This book promises to be a key resource in the field of information organisation. It takes a broad approach to information resource description without sacrificing the detailed description and explanation that students and practitioners will seek. Dr Hider demonstrates an enviable level of scholarly and professional knowledge and a capacity to structure and communicate it elegantly and with passion."

"For those newly minted librarians whose graduate school no longer teaches cataloguing, for established librarians switching gears in mid-career from reference to technical services or for faculty who need to teach description, this book is an invaluable introductory resource."

"Hider explains clearly the wide range of metadata that exists, and helps the reader further by guiding through the book with cross-references and direction. We know there is “more on this to come in the next chapter” or if we missed a detail, we can go back and locate it in context. This is useful for those learning the subject, as well as the more expert reader. Hider does an impressive job tying together so many different aspects of metadata and providing the “big picture”, and the book is highly accessible and engaging."

"…provides a clear multifaceted survey of the metadata landscape, which usefully relates complex standards and practices to difficult and demanding tasks. Readers seeking a better understanding of the broad reach of metadata in the contemporary environment will be well served."