Maker Metadata: Problems and Possibilities.

Information about makers is critical to bibliographic research, and special collections cataloging norms provide maker metadata. Still, access to maker metadata is hampered in online library catalogs. This article investigates the betterment of maker metadata in (or alongside) library catalogs using existing content guidelines, encoding schemas, and data models. Discussion finds that libraries have appropriate tools for improving access to maker metadata. This article thus encourages the profession to coordinate access to maker metadata. Cooperative maker description and the merger and/or linking of datasets generated by the research community are suggested areas for future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]