Traditionally, metadata has been managed by experts. This article suggests that in the future, metadata management will involve far greater input from users and machines. The advantages and disadvantages of experts, machine and users as metadata managers are discussed. Two case studies are presented. The first is a tool developed in Hong Kong to integrate a taxonomy with a folksonomy. The second is the use of OpenCalais entity extraction software by the Powerhouse Museum in Australia. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this mixed future for organizations and professionals.

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