Libraries have long been using mechanisms for creating ‘surrogates’ of bibliographic information resources that are used for resource discovery and information management; these are now termed ‘metadata’. Library catalogues and bibliographies are good examples of metadata records. In order to create such metadata, libraries have prepared and adopted various standards like AACR2, MARC 21, etc. However, there is more to metadata than simple catalogue records or bibliographies. The term has long been used in the database world, and recently became popular in the information world in the context of handling and managing electronic information resources. In the context of the web, metadata play a number of key roles, ranging from resource discovery to information access, retrieval, sharing, processing, re-use, etc. Several metadata standards have been developed for handling specific types of information resources. This chapter begins with a discussion of the concept of metadata, its various types and its role in the organization and management of electronic information. It then analyses the basic needs and attributes required for metadata standards; this is followed by a description of the features and characteristics of certain metadata standards designed with a specific purpose in mind: the DCMI (Dublin Core Metadata Initiative) for bibliographic records, eGMS (e-Goverment Metadata Standard) for electronic government records, and ISAD(G) (General International Standard Archival Description) and EAD (Encoded Archival Description) for archival records. The chapter ends with a discussion of the management issues related to metadata.