A small subset of categories are considered core in that they represent the minimum information necessary to identify and describe a work.
In addition, the discussions in the CDWA identify vocabulary resources and descriptive practices that will make information residing in diverse systems both more compatible and more accessible.
The use of the CDWA framework contributes to the integrity and longevity of data and facilitates its inevitable migration to new systems as informational technology continues to evolve.
The work of the AITF was funded by the J. Paul Getty Trust, with a two-year matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to the College Art Association (CAA).
CDWA Lite records are intended for contribution to union catalogs and other repositories using the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) harvesting protocol.