Identify three common data standards used in museum collection databases and explain their purpose.

• A. Dublin Core (metadata for simple resource description), MARC (machine-readable cataloging for libraries), and METS/PREMIS (structural and preservation metadata for digital objects); they support interoperability and preservation.
• B. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks.
• C. JPEG, PNG, and TIFF file formats.
• D. XML, JSON, and CSV for data exchange.

Answer: (A)

Describing, sharing, and preserving collection records across systems relies on established metadata and preservation standards that let different databases understand and exchange information consistently. Dublin Core provides a simple, widely used set of descriptive elements—like title, creator, date, subject, and format—that make it easy to describe a resource and support broad discovery. MARC brings in more library-oriented cataloging, encoding bibliographic relationships and authority data for machine-readable records, which helps integrate museum items with library catalogs and related works. METS and PREMIS add a deeper layer for digital objects: METS defines how to package a digital object, its metadata, and the files that comprise it, while PREMIS records preservation-related details such as provenance, file integrity, rights, and preservation actions, enabling long-term access and authenticity. Together, these standards enable interoperability between repositories, robust discovery across institutions, and durable preservation of both physical and digital objects.

The other options don’t fit as well because they cover areas outside museum metadata standards. Web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are about presenting information, not describing or preserving catalog records. Image file formats such as JPEG, PNG, and TIFF are about how image data is stored, not about metadata or preservation workflows. XML, JSON, and CSV are data formats used for encoding and exchanging data, but they are general formats rather than the domain-specific metadata and preservation standards used by museums.