ISO 23081-2-2021 PDF

Full title and description

Information and documentation — Metadata for managing records — Part 2: Conceptual and implementation issues. This part of ISO 23081 provides a framework and practical guidance for defining, designing and implementing metadata elements and metadata schemas used to manage records across systems and over time, supporting interoperability, preservation and governance of records.

Abstract

ISO 23081-2:2021 establishes a framework for defining metadata elements consistent with the principles in ISO 23081‑1, identifies critical decision points for implementation, explains options and trade-offs, and provides guidance to enable reuse and interoperability of records metadata across organizational systems, formats and lifecycles.

General information

• Status: Published.
• Publication date: August 2021 (published 13 August 2021, edition 2).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 01.140.20 (Information sciences).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2021).
• Number of pages: 33 (ISO edition).

Scope

ISO 23081-2:2021 focuses on the conceptual and implementation issues involved in creating metadata for managing records. It sets out a generic statement of metadata elements and explains how to construct metadata schemas from an organizational perspective, including considerations for aggregation, context, governance, and long-term management of metadata for both analog and digital records. The document is intended to help organizations make and document decisions needed to implement records metadata effectively.

Key topics and requirements

• Framework for defining and grouping metadata elements to support records description and control.
• Guidance on designing metadata schemas aligned with organizational business context and records management principles.
• Interoperability considerations and fixed points of aggregation to enable exchange between systems.
• Implementation decision points, options and recommended approaches for capture, storage and management of metadata.
• Governance, stewardship and lifecycle management of metadata to support authenticity, integrity and accessibility of records over time.

Typical use and users

Used by records managers, archivists, information governance professionals, systems architects, digital preservation specialists, compliance and legal teams, and consultants to define metadata requirements, design metadata schemas, assess existing metadata sets, and guide implementation of records metadata across systems. The guidance is applicable to both analog and digital record environments.

Related standards

ISO 23081-2 is part of the ISO 23081 series. Key related documents include ISO 23081-1:2017 (Principles for metadata for records), ISO/TR 23081-3:2011 (self-assessment method), and ISO 15489-1:2016 (Records management — Concepts and principles), which provides foundational concepts referenced by the 23081 series.

Keywords

metadata, records management, metadata schema, metadata elements, interoperability, records lifecycle, preservation, provenance, authenticity, governance, ISO 23081.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 23081-2:2021 is the second part of the ISO 23081 series that gives conceptual and implementation guidance for metadata used to manage records.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers a framework for defining metadata elements, options and decision points for implementation, schema design guidance, interoperability and governance considerations for metadata supporting records in any format.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Records managers, archivists, information governance and compliance teams, IT and systems architects, and consultants who design or implement records systems and metadata strategies.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Current — ISO 23081-2:2021 (edition 2, published 2021) supersedes the earlier 2009/2011 versions (ISO 23081-2:2009 and previous technical specifications).

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the ISO 23081 series on metadata for records; see ISO 23081-1 (principles) and ISO/TR 23081-3 (self-assessment) for complementary guidance.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Metadata, records management, metadata schema, interoperability, records lifecycle, preservation, governance, provenance, authenticity.