Quinkan Matchbox Project: challenges in developing a metadata application profile (MAP) for an indigenous culture

Sophie Lissonnet, School of Indigenous Australian Studies, James Cook University [HREF1], Sophie.Lissonnet@jcu.edu.au.

Liddy Nevile, Applied Computing Research Institute [HREF2], La Trobe University [HREF3], Liddy.Nevile@motile.net

Keywords

Quinkan Matchbox, Indigenous culture, metadata, application profile, interoperability, Dublin Core

Abstract

The Quinkan Matchbox Project is developing a cataloguing system suitable for small, generally-skilled cultural communities, A metadata application profile (MAP) is a catalogue record used in on-line cataloguing systems used to classify on-line distributed resources. It is the recommended name for a record based on the Dublin Core structure. Given the aim of the Matchbox Project, it is important that Matchbox can be customised suitably and the methodology for this customisation can be made explicit. This paper reports progress towards a MAP with which to describe Quinkan culture. Specifically, it reports the first part of this process that aims to make the local catalogue interoperable, sharable with others, and anticipates the local cultural customisation.