Itemet

Itemet is a term used in information management to describe a compact, item-centric encoding of metadata for digital items within catalogs, repositories, and marketplaces. The name combines item and metadata to emphasize that the data describes a single object rather than a collection. In practice, an itemet functions as a lightweight container for essential attributes that identify and describe the item, while remaining flexible enough to accommodate domain-specific extensions.

A typical itemet includes core fields such as identifier, title, creator, date, format, language, and rights, with optional extensions for subjects, provenance, version, collection membership, technical metadata, and relationship links to related items. The format is chosen to be machine-readable and easily parsable, often leveraging JSON-LD, RDF, or XML serializations.

Interoperability is a central goal: itemets are designed to map to established schemas and vocabularies such as Dublin Core, schema.org, MODS, or MARC via crosswalks or agreed-upon mappings, enabling data exchange between systems while preserving item identity.

Adoption and governance: itemet is not a formal standard; it appears mainly in project documentation and scholarly discussions as a pragmatic abstraction for item-level data. Its use varies by institution and domain, and successful implementation typically depends on clear mappings to broader metadata ecosystems.

Applications and example: libraries, archives, museums, and e-commerce catalogs may use itemets to support efficient indexing, discovery, and data harvesting. They provide a consistent, machine-readable layer atop existing metadata; however, variations without shared governance can hinder full interoperability.

See also: metadata, Dublin Core, MARC, MODS, schema.org, JSON-LD, RDF.