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Purpose - The Environmental Data Registry (EDR) is a cornerstone of the US Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to manage and integrate environmental information for the purposes of safeguarding human health and protecting the environment. This paper seeks to present findings on the use of the EDR/SoR metadata registry system based on data from web logs transactions. It aims to broaden our understanding of how metadata registries are used, particularly as indicated by their own users. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents an analysis of web log transactions of a six-year period (1998-2004). The focus of this paper is in three areas: use presented on a daily, monthly and yearly basis; trends in use (increasing/decreasing) over a period of more than six years; and users of the metadata registry system as shown through the domain and directory reports. Findings - The paper presents the daily, monthly and yearly use of the EDR/SoR. It shows trends in its use for a period of over six years and identifies some of the metadata registry's users and the information they seek (as shown in the directory reports). Research limitations/implications - Transactional web logs, in general, record the internet protocol address of the computer that accessed the web site/service. That is not necessarily linked to any one specific user. Therefore, results are presented as actual access numbers rather than human beings. Originality/value - This paper is among the first of its kind to examine web log transactions in assessing metadata registry usage. This research is intended to enhance the understanding of the user and application of the EDR/SoR and therefore provide a baseline for metadata registry systems' evaluation in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — MetaForm is a database that hosts metadata element sets, descriptions and guidelines for their use. It is the focal point of the Metadata Server at SUB Göttingen for anyone who is using metadata to describe networked resources or would like to familiarise themselves with metadata element sets, in particular Dublin Core, and their application. This paper proposes to present findings on the use of the MetaForm metadata registry system based on data from web logs transactions. It aims to broaden understanding of how metadata registries are used, particularly as indicated by their own users. Design/methodology/approach — The paper analyses web log transactions of more than six years (1 July 1998 to 10 November 2004). The focus of this paper is in three areas: use presented on a daily, monthly and yearly basis; (trends in use (increasing/decreasing) over a period of more than six years; and users of the metadata registry system as shown through the domain and directory reports. Findings — Presents the daily, monthly and yearly use of MetaForm. Shows trends in its use for a period of over six years and identifies some of the metadata registry's users and the information they seek (as shown in the directory reports). Research limitations/implications — Owing to the file format of the web log transactions, results are presented as average values rather than actual access numbers. Originality/value — This paper is a first assessment of its kind of the use of an active metadata registry system, as recorded through web log transactions. The aim of this research is to enhance the understanding of the use and application of MetaForm and therefore metadata registry systems in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]