 Descriptive metadata describes a resource for purposes such as discovery and

identification. It can include elements such as title, abstract, author, and keywords.
 Structural metadata is metadata about containers of data and indicates how
compound objects are put together, for example, how pages are ordered to form
chapters. It describes the types, versions, relationships and other characteristics of
digital materials. [4]
 Administrative metadata provides information to help manage a resource, such as
when and how it was created, file type and other technical information, and who can
access it.[5]
 Reference metadata describes the contents and quality of statistical data
 Statistical metadata may also describe processes that collect, process, or produce
statistical data; such metadata are also called process data.[6]
 Metadata was traditionally used in the card catalogs of libraries until the 1980s,
when libraries converted their catalog data to digital databases. In the 2000s, as
digital formats were becoming the prevalent way of storing data and information,
metadata was also used to describe digital data using metadata standards.
 The first description of "meta data" for computer systems is purportedly noted by
MIT's Center for International Studies experts David Griffel and Stuart McIntosh in
1967: "In summary then, we have statements in an object language about subject
descriptions of data and token codes for the data. We also have statements in a meta
language describing the data relationships and transformations, and ought/is
relations between norm and data." [7]
 There are different metadata standards for each different discipline (e.g., museum
collections, digital audio files, websites, etc.). Describing the contents and context
of data or data files increases its usefulness. For example, a web page may include
metadata specifying what software language the page is written in (e.g., HTML),
what tools were used to create it, what subjects the page is about, and where to find
more information about the subject. This metadata can automatically improve the
reader's experience and make it easier for users to find the web page online.[8] A CD
may include metadata providing information about the musicians, singers and
songwriters whose work appears on the disc.
 A principal purpose of metadata is to help users find relevant information and
discover resources. Metadata also helps to organize electronic resources, provide
digital identification, and support the arc
 preservation of resources. Metadata assists users in resource discovery by "allowing
resources to be found by relevant criteria, identifying resources, bringing similar
resources together, distinguishing dissimilar resources, and giving location
information."[9] Metadata of telecommunication activities including Internet traffic
is very widely collected by various national governmental organizations. This data
is used for the purposes of traffic analysis and can be used for mass surveillance.[10]
 In many countries, the metadata relating to emails, telephone calls, web pages,
video traffic, IP connections and cell phone locations are routinely stored by
government organizations.[11]