Description of old maps in the Europeana Data Model

Abstract This paper presents research on archival map descriptions and aims to provide effective access to cartographic resources collected in digital libraries and archives. In the study, metadata profiling of archival maps is proposed, which is based on the ISO 19115-1 standard and contains map-specific information, which should be saved as metadata to provide the proper characteristics of the old maps. To develop metadata profiles for archival maps, some ISO metadata elements have been deleted, while others that are important for the maps have been added or changed. Controlled vocabularies with pre-defined values are also proposed. Metadata profiles for old maps are presented as Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagrams. Moreover, the implementation of the proposed metadata profiles in the Europeana Data Model (EDM) is presented. EDM elements, such as features and properties, which enable the recording of map-specific data, are indicated. New metadata elements, proposed by the authors, have also been added.