Hello, folks.

At UCSD and other sites in the UC system we are trying to reach
understanding of how to use the file USE attribute for <fileGrp> or
<file> in <fileSec>. According to the METS documentation, the file
USE attribute is "an optional string attribute indicating the
intended use of all the files within this file group (e.g., master,
reference, thumbnails for image files)."

We are currently developing a METS profile that can be applied to
objects that can include image, text, audio, and video file
formats. Consequently, we need USE values for file formats other
than those typically used for image file formats. However, we are
simply not certain how important the USE attribute is for processing
METS instances.

Here are some specific questions:

1) What was the motivation for providing the option to express a
file's intended use?

2) How are institutions using the USE attribute in processing METS instances?

3) What are the values institutions are using to encode the USE attribute?

4) Would there be benefit to the METS user community in a
standardized and extensible list of file USE attribute values?

We would be very appreciative of any light you can shed on these questions?

Thanks,

Brad W.



Bradley D. Westbrook
Metadata Librarian and Digital Archivist
UCSD Libraries 0175-K
UC, San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0175

Phone: 858-822-0612
Fax: 858-822-0349
Email: [log in to unmask]