Metadata standards and interoperability in museum documentation:

structuring the MARGS digital repository

Abstract

This article analyzes the metadata structure of the digital repository of the Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul, with emphasis on compliance with the Dublin Core and the Inventário Nacional dos Bens Culturais Musealizados standards. The study adopts an exploratory-descriptive case study with a qualitative approach, structured in three stages: bibliographic review, documentary analysis of the metadata used in the repository, and verification of their correspondence with the elements defined by the selected standards. The results indicate that the repository's metadata corresponds to Dublin Core elements or qualifiers, although the use of these qualifiers in the description still shows occasional inconsistencies. However, gaps were identified regarding INBCM compliance, particularly the absence of mandatory fields such as Object Status, Dimensions, Material/Technique, and Conservation State. The analysis highlights challenges related to standardization, completeness, and data granularity. It is concluded that, although the use of Dublin Core facilitates interoperability across systems, adaptations are necessary to ensure compliance with national regulations and to improve the documentation management of digital museum collections. This study contributes to Information Science and Museology by providing a replicable protocol for mapping between metadata schemas, thereby supporting the standardization of museum documentation in the Brazilian context.