Meta data is a term that seems so new to people yet it has existed for as long as information has been. It is not possible to obtain information from a material such as a book if information about it is non-existent. Meta data refers to information about information or data about data. It can be applied in many real life situations to understand the 5W and 1H. For instance if you purchase a new gadget and you don’t know how to use it, the manuals that come with it guides in finding out what, when, where, who, why, and how to use it.

Meta data is useful in all information centers as a means of achieving information searching and retrieval. A catalogue, an accession list, OPAC (Online public Access Catalogue), directory, etc are examples of Meta data used by clientele in gaining access to information materials. They contain information such as, title of the material, author, date of publication, edition, publisher etc.

Meta data can be available within the item itself or outside the material. For instance in a book, Meta data is found within the preliminary pages. Title of the book, date of publication, publisher, edition, ISBN and the copy right information is available on the verso of the title page. The abstract, preface, introduction and the table of contents gives a brief summary of what the book is all about. On the outside, a good example is a book in print which is a collection of Meta data about all books available in a collection.

Manufactures and other creators of machines are not left out either. Every machine that is set out to reach the market needs to have a Meta data. A good example of a machine that provides a Meta data is a washing machine. The user needs to have instructions on how to use the machine effectively. The Meta data therefore becomes as important as the machine.

It is increasingly becoming quite simple for researchers and other users of the World Wide Web. For information to be visible and attractive on the web it should be well displayed. Information on various search engines such as Google arranges information in a logical order. Web creators arrange Meta data in the database and link them to the original resource. A user searching for information presents the search query to the web browser and the results are displayed.

Meta data is a way of empowering people to make use of information. It is a cheaper and easier way to gain access to any form of information. It is becoming easier online since both the Meta data and the resource are linked together. Meta data is simply a means to an end.