This is a resource for Web page producers using NC GILS HTML
metatags to index government Web pages. It includes both
required and optional metatags for the producer to embed in the
head of pages.
If necessary to adequately describe a Web page, take other
metatags from elements in the NC GILS guidelines. Secure
approval from agency management. Notify FIND NC if you use
metatags not listed in these guidelines. For further explanation
of the tags and their usage, email
FIND NC or call (919)733-3683.
A Web form for Web page producers to complete HTML metatags
is available at
North Carolina GILS Metada Record Entry Form.
Metatag Elements
Usage Guidelines
Add the information between the quotation marks after CONTENT
in each META NAME that is appropriate for the page being tagged.
|
title |
Required. Non-Repeatable |
This element describes the most significant aspects of the
referenced resource and serves as the principal listing of the
resource independently of other elements. Use the title of the
Web page if it is descriptive enough.
Syntax: <META NAME="title" CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: The title provides the
name of the information resource as assigned by the agency. The
title should provide sufficient information to enable citizens
to determine how relevant the source is to their search. It may
be the same as the title of the Web page, or it may be the title
of a report. If the officially assigned title is an abbreviation
or acronym, generate a title in this field and use the optional
element, acronym, to display the official title.
Examples:
<META NAME="title" CONTENT="Checklist of Official
North Carolina State Publications">
<META Name="title" CONTENT="Universal Service, Telecommunication
Discounts">
This element identifies the official organization, with
hierarchy, owning or responsible for the information.
Syntax: <META NAME="originator(+ subfield)"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Enter the full name of the
organization that created and/or maintains the information
resource. DO NOT USE ABBREVIATIONS WITH ONE EXCEPTION.
When "North Carolina" is part of the official title of the
agency, it should be included as NC. Enter the subdivisions of
the organization in an hierarchical manner, with the last
subdivision being the entity that created and/or maintains the
information. Complete as many subelements as necessary to
accommodate the full address of the official organization.
Subfields (not repeatable, except as listed):
Jurisdiction: originatorJurisdiction (Required, non-repeatable)
GovType: originatorGovType (Required, non-repeatable)
Department: originatorDepartment/AgencyName
Division: originatorMajorOrganizationalSubdivision
Section: originatorMinorOrganizationalSubdivision (repeatable,
as needed)
Section/Branch/Unit: originatorNameofUnit
Subdivision Usage Guidelines: Enter the
highest legal authority in the Jurisdiction subelement. For all
agency Web pages, the highest legal authority is North Carolina.
For city or county government, use the official name of the
city, town, or county.
For the subelement GovType, select the one category below
that most closely matches the originating body:
- city
- town
- county
- state
- district
- region
- multi-jursidictional
Examples:
Department of Cultural Resources, State Library of NC, Library
Services Section, Documents Branch
<META NAME="originatorJurisdiction" CONTENT="North
Carolina">
<META NAME="originatorGovType" CONTENT="state">
<META NAME="originatorDepartment/AgencyName" CONTENT="Department
of Cultural Resources">
<META NAME="originatorMajorOrganizationalSubdivision"
CONTENT="State Library of NC">
<META NAME="originatorMinorOrganizationalSubdivision"
CONTENT="Library Services Section">
<META NAME="originatorNameofUnit" CONTENT="Documents Branch">
This element is the date the information resource was created
or its content changed. Express dates in the ISO 8601 prescribed
structure as YYYYMMDD.
Syntax: <META NAME="dateofPublication"
CONTENT=" " >
Usage Guidelines: Use the date the described
resource was created or modified. If the resource is a dynamic,
regularly update one, like a Web site or database , change the
dateofPublication each time the resource's content is changed.
For example, after creating a web page about Dr. Benjamin Spock
on December 10, 1995, enter the dateofPublication as 19951210.
When the information in the page is updated on March 18, 1998,
to reflect Dr. Spock's death, change the dateofPublication to
19980318. Express the date in numeric characters in the format,
YYYY for year, YYYYMM for the month and year, and YYYYMMDD for
the day, month, and year.
Examples:
<META NAME="dateofPublication" CONTENT="19971208">
<META NAME="dateofPublication" CONTENT="19980105">
Narrative description of the information resource, including
the purpose of the information.
Syntax: <META NAME="description" CONTENT=" "
>
Usage Guidelines: Provide a full, detailed
description of the information resource designed to assist the
user to determine its usefulness and decide whether to obtain
additional information from the listed contact. Follow these
recommendations:
- Short in length (under 250 words)
- Describe the content objectively rather than evaluate it
- Write complete sentences
- Describes scope of coverage, if applicable
- Omit concepts, names or descriptors found elsewhere in
the record unless necessary for the context
Examples:
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "Checklist
contains records of all newly received state agency monographic
and serial publications cataloged within the two month period
covered. State agency addresses are provided for the purpose of
obtaining copies of the listed materials. This title is also
issued bimonthly on permanent paper in accordance with NCGS
125-11.8 and 125-11.13.">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The Office of State
Planning home page describes the mission of the office and
contains links to six subdivisions or sources of information.
The subdivisions are Strategic Planning and Analysis, State Data
Center, State Demographics, Center for Geographic Information
and Analysis, the Community Resource Information System, and
Geodetic Survey.">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The database contains
current statistics on North Carolina households, families, and
individuals based on a sample of 1200 to 2500 households
surveyed each March. The civilian, non-institutional population
is represented. Comparison data is included for years beginning
in 1991."
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The database is a
directory of current information on grants-in-aid available to
local communities and non-profit organizations for financial and
technical assistance from the state of North Carolina.">
This subelement identifies the type of resource being
described. For Web pages, the element is always "Electronic text
file." Select the one category that most closely matches the
categories listed below:
- Audio
- Collection of information
- Electronic database
- Electronic image file
- Electronic information system
- Electronic spreadsheet
- Electronic text file (for web pages)
- Field in database
- Geospatial data set
- Microfilm
- Original paper records
- Other (specify):
- Printed material
- Record in database
- Table in database
- Video
Syntax: <META NAME="typeofResource"
CONTENT=" " >
Examples:
<META NAME="typeofResource" CONTENT="Electronic text
file">
This subelement identifies the type of publication being
described. Select the one category that most closely matches the
categories listed below:
- Agency rules, policies and procedures
- Agency search engines
- Databases
- Employment information
- Executive orders
- External fiscal reports
- Finding aids, indexes, and tracking systems
- Forms and form instructions
- Homepages
- Legal opinions and advice
- Legislation, proposed legislation, and statutes
- Legislative appropriations requests
- Licenses and licensing information
- Mail and telecommunications listings
- Manuals and instructions
- Maps
- Meeting agendas
- Meeting minutes
- News or press releases
- Organizational charts
- Other materials
- Periodicals - Newsletters and magazines
- Personnel policies and procedure
- Plans and planning information
- Programs and services
- Reference materials
- Reports and studies - Non-fiscal
- Reports - Biennial or Annual
- Reports - Miscellaneous
- Reports on performance measures
- Speeches and papers
- Statistics
- Strategic plans
- Training materials
Syntax: <META NAME="typeofPublication"
CONTENT=" " >
Examples:
<META NAME="typeofPublication" CONTENT="Homepages">
This element provides for a variant title or series title for
the resource and serves as another way to list it, independently
of its principal title.
Syntax: <META NAME="acronym" CONTENT=" " >
Usage Guidelines: If the acronym is not
self-evident, explain it in the text of the description.
Examples:
<META NAME="acronym" CONTENT="WRRI papers"> for
Water Resources Institute Papers
<META NAME="acronym" CONTENT="AG"> for Agriculture Series
<META NAME="acronym" CONTENT="MARS"> for Manuscript and Archives
Reference System
This element cites a formally registered thesaurus or similar
authoritative source of the controlled index terms or subject
headings used for the resource. Each agency has the option of
choosing a formal thesaurus for their use when metatagging Web
pages. Some possible selections include:
- State GILS Thesaurus (preferred thesaurus of choice for
FIND NC)
- Library of Congress Subject Headings
- MARS Subject Thesaurus
- CRIS Thesaurus
Syntax: <META NAME="subjectThesaurus"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: List the name of any
external source of the controlled index terms that are used in
the SubjectTermsControlled element.
Examples:
<META NAME=subjectThesaurus" CONTENT="State GILS
Thesaurus">
<META NAME=subjectThesaurus" CONTENT="Library of Congress
Subject Headings">
<META NAME=subjectThesaurus" CONTENT="MARS Subject Thesaurus">
<META NAME=subjectThesaurus" CONTENT="CRIS Thesaurus">
This element identifies significant terms from the subject
thesaurus that describe the content of the information resource.
Syntax: <META NAME="subjectTermsControlled"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Provide the subject terms
which best describe the information or web page from the
thesaurus named in the previous element. Separate them by a
space, semi-colon, space. Follow the guidelines of the thesaurus
for subdividing the topical term. When a term has a subdivision,
enter the subdivisions with a colon and no spaces as shown
below. Use capital letters as shown in the thesaurus.
Examples:
<META NAME="subjectTermsControlled"
CONTENT="Swine:Housing:Waste disposal:North Carolina ; Animal
waste:North Carolina">
This element groups keywords or descriptive phrases used to
aid users in locating resources of potential interest. Keywords
should include broad concepts, unusual aspects of the
information resource, and names of places, persons, events, etc.
that figure prominently in the resource.
Syntax: <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: In deciding on words and
phrases to add to this meta tag, ask the question, "What is this
page about?" Use a reasonable number of words or phrases
(usually five to ten) to describe the content. Add synonyms,
such as hog, swine, pig, as well as words often found in two
forms, such as online and on-line. Omit singular and plural
forms, such as legislator and legislators; multiple variations
of a term, such as farm, farmer, farming; and words with and
without hyphens such as Winston-Salem and Winston Salem. Do not
list the agency responsible for the page unless the page is
actually about the agency. When an agency is the subject of a
page, use the form of the name found predominantly in the
resource. Separate each term or phrase by a semi-colon and a
space.
Examples:
<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="hog farms; lagoons; hog waste
disposal">
Represents the time span of the resource's content or subject
matter.
Syntax: <META NAME="timePeriodTextual"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Describe time in words.
Examples:
<META NAME="timePeriodTextual"
CONTENT="November-December 1997">
<META NAME="timePeriodTextual" CONTENT="Current year">
<META NAME="timePeriodTextual" CONTENT="April 21, 1998">
<META NAME="timePeriodTextual" CONTENT="FY 1996/97">
<META NAME="timePeriodTextual" CONTENT="Historical records from
1863-1898">
<META NAME="timePeriodTextual" CONTENT="1994 to date">
|
medium |
Required. Nonrepeatable |
This element identifies the type of medium in which the
resource is made available. For Web pages, the element is always
"Direct electronic connectivity." The other choice is "Varied
media available through an intermediary."
Syntax: <META NAME="medium" CONTENT=" ">
Examples:
<META NAME="medium" CONTENT="Direct electronic
connectivity">
This element provides the machine-readable information to
access another Web resource, such as a database or PDF file,
which contains the actual information described in the Web page
being tagged.
Syntax: <META NAME="availablelinkageLinkage"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Give the URL to connect to
the additional resource, either a database of related
information or a source of the web page information, sometimes
in a different format. Use multiple META NAME statements to
enter more than one URL.
Examples:
<META NAME="availablelinkageLinkage"
CONTENT="http://cmedis.commerce.state.nc.us">
<META NAME="availablelinkageLinkage"
CONTENT="http://www.jus.state.nc.us/Justice/opinion/agoopn.htm">
This element describes any constraints or legal prerequisites
for using the information resource or its component products or
services.
Syntax: <META NAME="useConstraints"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Provide information
governing the use of the information resource, such as
copyrights or other restrictions on the right to reproduce,
publish, exhibit, prepare derivative works or otherwise use the
resource. In addition, cite inappropriate uses and disclaimers
as appropriate. Describe explicitly the source of any
restrictions. Enter "None" for no restrictions.
Examples:
<META NAME="useConstraints" CONTENT="This report is
copyrighted.">
<META NAME="useConstraints" CONTENT="The MARS database is
copyrighted by the state of North Carolina and may not be
reproduced except for research purposes.">
<META NAME="useConstraints" CONTENT="None">
This element identifies the organization and person who
serves as the point of contact for questions about resource
content.
Syntax: <META NAME="contact(+ subelements)"
CONTENT=" ">
Subelements:
Name:
Department/AgencyName:
MajorOrganizationalSubdivision:
MinorOrganizationalSubdivision: (may be repeated, as needed)
NameofUnit:
StreetAddress:
City:
StateorProvince:
ZiporPostalCode:
NetworkAddress:
Telephone:
Fax:
Usage Guidelines: Complete as many fields as
necessary to identify the organization and individual
responsible for the content of the information resource. Do not
use abbreviations except for NC in the official name. For
Name, use the name of an individual or a reference office.
For StateorProvince, use the two-character mail
abbreviation for the state or province. For ZiporPostalCode,
use the nine digit zip code, if available. Otherwise, use five
digits. Enter as many fields as necessary to give a complete
address. To be fully effective, keep the data in these elements
current.
Examples:
<META NAME="contactName" CONTENT="John Smith">
<META NAME="contactDepartment/AgencyName" CONTENT="Department of
Cultural Resources">
<META NAME="contactMajorOrganizationalSubdivision"
CONTENT="State Library of NC">
<META NAME="contactMinorOrganizationalSubdivision"
CONTENT="Library Services Section">
<META NAME="contactNameofUnit" CONTENT="Documents Branch">
<META NAME="contactStreetAddress" CONTENT="4643 Mail Service
Center">
<META NAME="contactCity" CONTENT="Raleigh">
<META NAME="contactStateorProvince" CONTENT="NC">
<META NAME="contactZiporPostalCode" CONTENT="27699-4643">
<META NAME="contactNetworkAddress"
CONTENT="jsmith@library.dcr.state.nc.us">
<META NAME="contactTelephone" CONTENT="(919) 733-3683">
<META NAME="contactFax" CONTENT="(919) 733-1843">
This element describes the legal authority that allows for or
requires the collection and maintenance of the information
resource. For state agencies or local governments, the authority
is usually specific legislation, a state regulation, a court
order, or a program mandate. In general terms, it explains why
the information resource was created in the first place.
Syntax: <META NAME="agencyProgram" CONTENT="
">
Usage Guidelines: State agencies develop
information resources and collect data to support their missions
and functions. Generally, enter why the information resource was
created in the first place.
Example
<META NAME="agencyProgram" CONTENT="The North
Carolina State Publication Clearinghouse is authorized by the
provisions of North Carolina General Statutes 125-11.">
This element distinguishes a record from all other NC GILS
records. As a system ID, it is a unique control number assigned
by the originating agency.
Syntax: <META NAME="controlIdentifier"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Create a unique
identifying number for each NC GILS record following the parts
listed below.
NCGILS
Acronym of the agency
System or Parent name, if any
Child name, if any
Identifying number for that particular record (agency
controlled)
Examples:
<META NAME="controlIdentifier"
CONTENT="NCGILS-DCR-SLNC-0100-00023">
<META NAME="controlIdentifier"
CONTENT="NCGILS-DCR-A_H-Archives-MARS">
This element identifies the date that the locator record was
created or its content modified. Using a previous example, the
dateofPublication of the web page about Dr. Benjamin Spock
changed from 19951210 to 19980318. This change of a metatag
requires the agency to change the dateofLastModification also.
Syntax: <META NAME="dateofLastModification"
CONTENT=" ">
Usage Guidelines: Initially enter the date
of creation of the NC GILS record. Change the date with all
subsequent modifications the record. Express the date in numeric
characters in the format, YYYY for year, YYYYMM for the month
and year, and YYYYMMDD for the day, month, and year.
Examples:
<META NAME="dateofLastModification"
CONTENT="19980423">
<META NAME="dateofLastModification" CONTENT="19981103">