We are pleased to announce that the Audio metadata and Video metadata schemas have been revised and a new site established at the Library of Congress. Under the designation AMD and VMD, these two XML schemas were originally created at the Library of Congress in 2000-2003 as part of the Audio-Visual Prototyping project. They were extensively improved by Karin Bredenberg of the National Archives of Sweden and others in 2009-2010. In 2011, LoC assumed maintenance of audioMD and videoMD.
audioMD and videoMD are XML Schemas that detail technical metadata for audio- and video-based digital objects. They often serve as extension schemas within the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) administrative metadata section or in PREMIS version 2.0 or later in <objectCharacteristicsExtension>. They are also suitable for use as standalone metadata documents or may be considered for incorporation into other structures, e.g., as embedded metadata in Material eXchange Format (MXF) files.
Users should note that a different metadata standard for audio materials is to be published by the Audio Engineering Society during 2011. At this writing (May 2011), it is in its final ballot. The standard will carry the designation AES57 and the title AES standard for audio metadata - Audio object structures for preservation and restoration. AES57 adds some features not present in audioMD and also includes an XML schema.
The Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office (LoC) serves as the maintenance agency for audioMD and videoMD, although the majority of the qualitative work on the schema will come from the larger METS community and from audioMD and videoMD implementers external to LoC. audioMD and videoMD 2.0 is the current schema.
Many thanks to Karin Bredenberg for her work on revising these schemas. The website for these technical metadata schemas is:
http://www.loc.gov/standards/amdvmd/
Rebecca S. Guenther
Senior Networking & Standards Specialist
Network Development & MARC Standards Office
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, DC 20540
voice: +1.202.707.5092
fax: +1.202.707.0115