Data Format - Analyze

Learning opportunity

For this assignment, we were asked to provide an analysis of an existing data format. Data formats dictate the structure of how records are read, aggregated, searched, and modified. Put simply, the data format is the “container” for records. In our report, we needed to include a description of how the data format operates and the infrastructure that exists to support it as well as an analysis of the use cases, strengths, and shortcomings of the data format. Having analyzed VRA Core for my Content Standard - Analyze assignment, I chose to analyze XML to deepen my understanding of VRA Core as a whole.

First attempt

Peer review feedback

In summary, the feedback I received from my peers about my analysis of XML is as follows:

• Analysis provided a clear and thorough overview of the data format and its history

• Example record and images were helpful for facilitating understanding

• It would be helpful to learn more about challenges or issues with XML

• Does the customizability of tags pose any issues or challenges with consistency?

Revisions

In my initial attempt at analyzing XML, I expended a great deal of effort understanding and explaining the basic structure of the data format. Consequently, that left very little time and word count for me to offer analysis of XML’s shortcomings, as my peers have gestured at. Given more time, I would research critiques of XML and common challenges that have been identified by scholars. Upon reviewing my assignment, I can now recognize that XML may pose potential challenges with interoperability between institutions depending on the level of tag customization. That said, if institutions were to use the same content standards, such as VRA Core, then interoperability would pose less of an issue. In our increasingly digital information environment, I am especially interested in exploring the challenges that may come with the shift to XML from other more tailored bibliographic data formats such as MARC 21 and BIBFRAME.

Reflection

The core value of this assignment for me was gaining a deeper understanding of the differences between content standards and data formats. Content standards are the “what” and data formats are the “how” of record creation. Between the completion of this assignment and my Content Standard - Analyze assignment, I come away with a better grasp of VRA Core as a whole. Given my interest in visual art and culture, I would love to work in a museum or art institution where I am likely to encounter VRA Core. My final takeaway from this analysis assignment is an appreciation of the seeming shift towards more human-readable data formats such as XML and JSON. In comparison to formats such as MARC 21, XML and JSON require less specialized knowledge to read and understand records, which is perhaps indicative of the industry’s shift towards digital cataloguing environments that allow for data formats written out in plain language as opposed to the use of numbered codes which save visual space.