I think we can all agree that not all metadata librarians need to learn programming. But, depending on your library's setup some of you will. I fall into this latter camp. Our digital library development is on the geeky side and I've had to learn XQuery programming. It started painfully, but has turned into a joyful experience. I'm hooked.
So, you may wonder why. Well it started out that I'd be using XQuery to develop an in-house tool kit for my everyday metadata work: for things like quality control. Also, we're using DOIs and I'm extracting metadata to create an XML document to submit to CrossRef, our DOI provider.
But the plot thickens: I'm working with my colleague (who's much better at programming than I am) to develop some XQuery code to use the new WorldCat Search API for one of our digital project. I may also be involved with our digital library user interface.
At some point I'll weigh in on why I think it's helpful to understand computer programming. For now I just wanted to share a little piece of my metadata life with XML: the world of angle brackets.
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