Literature ReviewAccording to the literature in very general and literal terms, metadata is information about information. A more precise definition of metadata is “structured data about resources that can be used to support a wide range of operations” (Day, 2011). While the term metadata is usually attributed to the digital environment, some authors such as Jia Liu argue that the practice of using metadata has roots further back than typical application allows. In Metadata and Its Applications in the Digital Library: Approaches and Practices Liu writes “…no one can deny that the philosophy behind metadata has been around for a long time. Metadata are the bibliographic records of the documents engraved on the clay tablets of Ashurbanipal's library in the 7th century BC. “ (Liu, 2007) Despite the origins of metadata, it has become common in most academic libraries to apply metadata practices when cataloging electronic and digital resources. A study conducted by Laurie Lopatin on the metadata behavior of academic and non-academic libraries showed that a 38% majority of academic libraries have been using metadata as part of their daily workflow for five to eight years, while some academic libraries participate in metadata processing. practices for a period ranging from seventeen to twenty years. Metadata has many functions that help facilitate the use of resources within the library collection. The metadata feature helps you summarize the meaning of the data, retrieve and use copies of the data, provides the history of the data, shows where to find the data, and shows relationships between datasets. Liu states that there are five specific functions supported by metadata: description, localization, discovery, archive...... middle of paper......25(4), 1-15.Hillmann, D., Marker, R. and Brady, C. (2008). Metadata standards and applications. The serial librarian: from the printed page to the digital age, 54 (1-2), 7-21. Liu, J. (2007). Metadata and their applications in the digital library: approaches and practices. Westport. CT: Libraries Unlimited. Lopatin, L. (2010). Metadata practices in academic and non-academic libraries for digital projects: A survey. Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, 48(8), 716-742.Lyons, C., & Tappeiner, E. (2008). Cataloging 2.0: Metadata research in a community college. Journal of Library Metadata, 8(2), 155-157.Ma, J. (2007). SPEC Kit 298: Metadata (July 2009). Association of Research Libraries.Park, J.-r., & Caimei, L. (2009). Metadata professionals: Roles and skills reflected in job ads, 2003-2006. Quarterly cataloging and classification, 47(2), 145-160.