Metadata, Metaphor, and Metonymy

Principles drawn not just from library and information science, but also from structuralist literary theory, provide the beginnings of a flexible theoretical framework that will incorporate not just current metadata activities but those in the future that cannot yet be envisioned. A distinction common in literary studies is used here to distinguish between metadata applications for discovery and metadata applications for use. Metadata systems for resource discovery, such as the Dublin Core, are continuous with the traditions of bibliographic description, and rely on a principle of metonymy: the use of a surrogate or adjunct object to represent another. Metadata systems for resource use, such as semantic markup languages, are continuous with the traditions of database design, and rely on a principle of metaphor: the use of a paradigmatic image or design that conditions how the user will respond to and interact with the data.