First Nations metadata

Metadata is anything about a book that is not the book itself, from product data to more descriptive marketing material. This metadata is essential for ensuring books by and about First Nations people are accurately classified, discoverable, and accessible to readers. It plays a key role in the book industry, supporting booksellers, libraries, and publishers in connecting stories to the right audiences. 

When thinking about First Nations metadata, this could cover books that are:

• by a First Nations creator
• about First Nations content, history, or perspectives
• in a First Nations language
• for a First Nations audience
• a combination of the above

The Australian book industry uses the international data standard ONIX to describe and share a book’s product information throughout the supply chain. There are many subject classification schemes, used to describe a book’s contents, but the prominent international standard is Thema, which is being increasingly adopted by the Australian book trade. Both standards are market-driven, evolving to reflect publishing trends and industry needs.

Metadata standards for First Nations content

Significant advances in First Nations metadata were introduced with the release of Thema 1.6 in October 2024, and with the latest ONIX codelists in 2025.

Thema 1.6

This update featured 30 new codes for identifying First Nations content areas, including emphasis on Connection to Country, Welcome to Country, and broader Indigenous representation. These updates are now fully supported on TitlePage, offering better discoverability and classification of books with First Nations themes. 

Thema 1.6 also included new Australian-specific subject codes to enhance the discoverability of First Nations subject material, such as:

• Relating to First Nations peoples in Australia
• Australian Aboriginal peoples
• Torres Strait Islanders
• Australian South Sea Islanders

ONIX

Further enhancements for First Nations metadata have come through ONIX codelists 70 and 71, released in July and October 2025 respectively. These brought new ways to highlight works by First Nations contributors and content in Australia, Canada, and elsewhere, which include:

• The addition of Austlang as a recognised subject classification scheme.
• A new contributor place relationship “Indigenous to”.
• A new website role, for linking to Indigenous statements or resources.

Subject headings

Outside of the trade supply chain, the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is also commonly used by libraries around the world to catalogue their materials. It offers guidelines for Subject Headings for Indigenous peoples.

Expanding metadata capabilities

There is already a great deal that publishers can do with ONIX and Thema to enhance the discoverability of First Nations books, and new resources are available to support this.

The APA has collaborated with international standards body EDItEUR to develop best practice resources with practical guidance on applying ONIX and Thema for First Nations content. These documents offer:

• Guidelines on using Thema and ONIX fields to ensure books are accurately classified and discoverable.
• Best practices for subject classification, contributor metadata and the importance of consent, and language representation.
• Strategies for improving visibility through publisher and imprint data, awards recognition, and additional metadata elements.
• Recommendations for ongoing work and industry engagement.

Download these best practice resources:

• Highlighting content relating to Indigeneity and Indigenous Nations and peoples using ONIX and Thema provides an introductory non technical overview.
• Best practices: highlighting content and contributors relating to Indigeneity and Indigenous Nations and peoples with ONIX outlines ways to highlight Indigenous content and contributors through ONIX.
• Highlighting content relating to Indigeneity and Indigenous Nations and peoples with Thema outlines ways to highlight Indigenous content using international subject standard Thema.
• An appendix features extensive worked examples from around the world, including titles from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

The APA is participating in an international review of the trade metadata standards for further improvements in First Nations metadata representation. This is an ongoing, collaborative process, and input from Australian publishers and metadata specialists will be essential.
If you are interested in being part of these discussions or have questions about implementing First Nations metadata, please contact Cat Colwell.