The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and the UKSG announce the release of a draft for public comment of a revision to the Knowledge Bases and Related Tools (KBART) Recommended Practice. Issued in 2010, the original recommended practice provided all parties in the information supply chain with straightforward guidance about metadata formatting to ensure the exchange of accurate metadata between content providers and knowledge base developers. Building on the initial recommendations, the draft revision focuses on the more granular, complex issues that cause problems in metadata supply, including consortia-specific metadata transfer, metadata transfer for open access publications, and metadata transfer for e-books and conference proceedings.

“Since the first Recommended Practice was issued, over 50 publishers and content providers have endorsed KBART and demonstrated their commitment to good quality metadata provision,” states Magaly Bascones, Data Manager at Jisc Collections and Co-chair of the KBART Working Group. “The endorsement process requires submission of a sample file and verification by the KBART Working Group. With this endorsement, users can be assured that the providers’ metadata is trusted and has the required level of granularity without the burdensome task of title-by-title checking.”

“The experience of the endorsing publishers and feedback from a survey of libraries and consortia identified the areas of focus for this expanded KBART revision,” explains Chad Hutchens, Head of Digital Collections and Digital Resources Librarian and Co-chair of the KBART Working Group. “Following the public comment period, the KBART Working Group will make any needed revisions and finalize the recommendations for publication. Also available is a KBART Information Hub on the NISO website that provides supporting materials about KBART, including the KBART Glossary, endorsement information, a registry of knowledge base supply chain contacts, and background information on OpenURL and knowledge bases.”

“Following the publication of the KBART Phase II Recommended Practice, the project will transfer to Standing Committee status within NISO,” states Nettie Lagace, NISO’s Associate Director for Programs. “This Committee will be responsible for managing the endorsement process, providing ongoing education and promotion of KBART, and maintaining the Information Hub.”

The KBART Phase II draft is open for public comment through October 4, 2013. To download the draft or submit online comments, visit the KBART Information Hub at: www.niso.org/workrooms/kbart.

Cynthia Hodgson

Technical Editor / Consultant

National Information Standards Organization

chodgson@niso.org

301-654-2512