Metadata Object Description Schema

The Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) is an XML-based bibliographic description schema developed by the United States Library of Congress' Network Development and Standards Office. MODS was designed as a compromise between the complexity of the MARC format used by libraries and the extreme simplicity of Dublin Core metadata.

The Library of Congress' Network Development and MARC Standards Office, with interested experts, developed the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) in 2002 for a bibliographic element set that may be used for a variety of purposes, and particularly for library applications. As an XML schema it is intended to be able to carry selected data from existing MARC 21 records as well as to enable the creation of original resource description records. It includes a subset of MARC fields and uses language-based tags rather than numeric ones, in some cases regrouping elements from the MARC 21 bibliographic format. MODS was first announced for trial use in June 2002. As of May 5, 2015 it is at version 3.7.

The number of users of MODS is unknown. Implementers are encouraged to register their uses of MODS in the official MODS website. To date there are about 35 projects listed in the registry, although it is assumed that many others are making use of the standard. Users are primarily operating in the area of digital libraries, and some of the registered uses are in digital library projects at the Library of Congress.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

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