Cataloging and Metadata Services
What We Do
Cataloging and Metadata Services (CAMS) makes the University of Washington Libraries’ collection searchable so that students and researchers can quickly and efficiently find the resources they need. CAMS staff catalog print, audio, video, digital, archival, and other kinds of library materials in over 45 languages. Our staff creates standardized descriptions that help users discover and access millions of library items through UW Libraries Search and other systems.
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UW Libraries Open Metadata Guidelines
The University of Washington Libraries provides open access to the metadata we create, adding restrictions only when required by legal, ethical, or contractual obligations.
The Secret Life of Student Catalogers
Meet our students doing the behind-the-scenes work that makes finding library resources possible.
Nov 17, 2025
Cypress Payne’s computer science background was helpful in her significant contributions to a global effort to map and transform of legacy MARC21 records to the more modern LRM/RDA/RDF format that allows for easier sharing of bibliographic data.
August 19, 2025
María Fernanda (Fer) Palomares Carranco simplified workflows for adding metadata profiles to local digital images and collaborated on a new data model and best practices for personal pronouns for Wikidata.
Oct 1, 2024
Ally Okun contributed to Homosaurus, an open, standardized vocabulary of LGBTQ+ terms.
Mar 12. 2024
Valerie Rollins contributed to Wikidata, a collaboratively edited multilingual knowledge graph.
Jan 22, 2024
Zhuo Pan contributed to the MARC21 to LRM/RDA/RDF Mapping and Transformation Project.
Oct 11, 2023
Melissa Morgan worked on multiple projects involving linked data conversion. (no image available)