Dokumentumaiban

Dokumentumaiban is a term used in some Finnish-language discourse to describe a practice in document-centric information management. It refers to embedding metadata and provenance information directly within a document, so that the document carries its own description and contextual data, rather than relying solely on external catalogs or databases. The concept aligns with ideas of in-band metadata in digital preservation, where essential details such as authorship, creation date, version history, licensing, and relationships to other items are stored inside the file or as embedded metadata tracks.

In use, dokumentumaiban is discussed in relation to archives, libraries, and scholarly publishing, where self-describing files can improve interoperability and long-term access. It supports more robust retrieval when external systems are unavailable and can simplify batch processing or migration. Approaches typically involve embedded schemas or metadata standards, such as XML-based wrappers, JSON-LD, RDF annotations, or metadata blocks that draw on formats like Dublin Core or PROV-O within the file. The term does not refer to a single standardized format but to a family of techniques that emphasize document-embedded information.

Benefits of the approach include enhanced portability, reproducibility, and preservation, since essential context travels with the document itself. Critics point to challenges such as the lack of universal standards, potential file bloat or compatibility issues, and concerns about privacy or rights when metadata is embedded. The concept remains a topic of discussion among information professionals who weigh the trade-offs between embedded metadata and external cataloging systems.

See also: in-band metadata, embedded metadata, Dublin Core, PROV, METS, TEI.