NStiedot

NStiedot is a standardized data description and exchange framework intended to enable interoperable metadata across information systems used by libraries, archives, and research institutions in the Nordic and Baltic regions. The specification defines a common schema, a set of metadata fields, and a lightweight protocol for exchanging records, catalogs, and datasets while preserving provenance and access control.

Development began in the early 2010s as a cooperative effort among national libraries, university repositories, and government archives. It was designed to complement existing standards such as Dublin Core and MARC, offering stronger support for multilingual metadata, granular provenance, and modular extension through namespaces. The core specification was released under an open license and has been maintained by an independent steering body.

NStiedot uses a hierarchical, machine-readable data model in which records comprise fields and values, accompanied by provenance, rights, and source information. It supports JSON-LD and RDF serializations, with optional XML encodings. The model emphasizes extensibility through namespaces and controlled vocabularies, as well as validation via schema definitions and profiles for different institution types. Privacy and access control are addressed via metadata-level policies and role-based permissions.

Adoption has grown among national libraries and university repositories in several Nordic countries, with pilot projects integrating NStiedot into national discovery layers and cross-border aggregations. Advocates cite improved interoperability, simpler data migration, and richer multilingual descriptions, while critics note the learning curve and the need for consistent governance of vocabularies and profiles.

See also: Dublin Core, MARC, METS, JSON-LD, RDF, metadata standards.