The digital catalog of any library, archive, or museum relies on metadata (data about data) to enable searchers to get the most relevant results. As more institutions digitize their collections, a vast amount of metadata needs to be generated. But can metadata generation actually be fun? That's the premise behind Metadata Games, an "open source crowdsourcing game platform" that offers a collection of free web-based and mobile app games to create user-generated tags that "help libraries, museums, and universities across the country." The games on offer include such entertaining gems as Zen Tag, a meditative single-player activity; Guess What!, a fast-paced guessing game where players work with a random online partner to identify images; and Stupid Robot, where players teach a robot who "looks at everything but understands nothing" about images. These and others offer fun opportunities to take a quick break and help out a library or museum at the same time. As of this write-up, Metadata Games contains more than 45 collections from 11 different institutions for gamers to play with and tag. Metadata Games is directed by Professor of Digital Humanities Mary Flanagan and Archivist Peter Carini, both at Dartmouth College. Its collaborating institutions include the British Library, the Boston Public Library, and the Digital Public Library of America.
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