Q&A Interview With Metadata Expert Laura Dawson: What is Good Metadata?

Metadata expert, industry veteran (including working at SirsiDynix), and Content Chief at Firebrand Technologies*, Laura Dawson sat down with Quill and Quire to discuss metadata ahead of her session at BookNet Canada today.
You can read the complete Q&A interview here.
The article looks at metadata from the publisher perspective.
Providing good metadata from the outset is a win for publishers and librarians. The better the metadata publishers can provide, the better it is for all of us including users.
From the Interview:

Q. Why is good metadata important for publishers?
A. (Lynn Dawson) Metadata is often the first indication to the world that the book is being published, so getting early word out is dependent upon communicating clearly. As more shoppers move to online purchasing, metadata is the only way they will be able to find the book they want.
In the case of ebooks, because there is no physical object, metadata is literally the only way a consumer is going to know that the book even exists. So for ebooks, it’s not just important – it’s critical.

Direct to Complete Interview
* Note: Firebrand is the provider of the wonderfully useful NetGalley service that we mentioned a couple of weeks ago.

Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Interviews, Patrons and Users, Profiles, Publishing