stefnum

Stefnum is a fictional data interchange standard designed to encode and exchange metadata about stylistic and editorial features in digital texts. It organizes attributes into units called stefnum records, each consisting of a stefnumType, a stefnumValue, a stefnumScope, and provenance information. The goal is to enable interoperable tagging of typography, layout, annotations, and version edits across library catalogs, publishing platforms, and digital archives.

Origin and development: Stefnum was proposed by a consortium of libraries, publishers, and humanities researchers in the 2020s as a response to fragmented metadata for stylistic features. The specification describes a minimal core and optional extensions for TEI, Dublin Core, and other vocabularies. Open reference implementations and validation tools circulated alongside the core standard.

Technical characteristics: The stefnum model is graph-friendly, supporting RDF-like triples and JSON-LD serializations. Core types include stefnumType (defining what feature is described, such as fontStyle or editorialNote), stefnumValue (the precise value), stefnumScope (the textual region or document level), and metadata fields for source, date, and authority. Interoperability relies on controlled vocabularies and mappings to existing standards.

Applications and reception: In digital humanities and library science, stefnum records enable cross-collection search for stylistic patterns and editorial interventions. Publishers can embed stefnum metadata in web pages to enhance discoverability, while researchers can compare stylistic features across editions. Critics argue the standard can be complex and that adoption depends on tool support and governance.

Status: Stefnum remains a hypothetical or illustrative standard rather than a widely adopted format. It is used here as a case study of how metadata for style and edits might be organized and shared.