Using ONIX Metadata to Improve Discovery, Representation, and Accessibility
Metadata has traditionally been viewed as a sales and supply-chain tool. It identifies a book, describes its contents, enables retail discovery, and supports distribution. Increasingly, however, metadata is also becoming an important instrument for advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) within the Canadian publishing ecosystem.
For publishers committed to platforming voices from marginalized, underrepresented, and equity-deserving communities, metadata provides a practical mechanism for improving discoverability and helping readers, educators, librarians, booksellers, and procurement agencies locate relevant content.
Metadata cannot replace authentic editorial commitments, inclusive acquisitions practices, or meaningful engagement with communities. It can, however, ensure that books representing diverse experiences are discoverable throughout the supply chain and that accessible publications can be identified by readers who need them.
This guide outlines how Canadian publishers can leverage ONIX metadata, Thema subject classifications, keywords, contributor information, and accessibility metadata to support DEI objectives while improving discoverability and accessibility outcomes.
Why DEI Metadata Matters
Historically, books by Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQIA2S+, disabled, and other marginalized creators have often suffered from discoverability challenges. Even when books are published successfully, readers may struggle to find them through retailer searches, library catalogues, educational procurement systems, and recommendation engines.
Metadata helps address this challenge by:
- Making books easier to discover through subject searches.
- Supporting educational and library collection development.
- Enabling retailers to create curated diversity-focused collections.
- Improving recommendation algorithms.
- Supporting reporting and measurement initiatives.
- Enhancing accessibility for readers with disabilities.
Metadata is particularly important because most discovery now occurs digitally. Readers increasingly encounter books through online searches, retailer recommendation systems, library databases, and social platforms, rather than physical bookstore browsing.
Using Thema to Improve Representation
Thema is the international subject classification system maintained by EDItEUR and is now widely adopted throughout Canada. Unlike older classification systems, Thema offers significantly more flexibility for describing identity, culture, lived experience, and social themes.
Publishers should think of Thema not simply as a shelving mechanism but as a discoverability framework. A strong Thema strategy combines:
- Primary and secondary subject classifications
- Cultural and social qualifiers
- Geographic qualifiers
- Audience qualifiers
Together, these create a richer and more discoverable metadata record.
DEI-Related Thema Categories
Publishers should review their titles for opportunities to apply relevant DEI-oriented Thema codes wherever appropriate.
Examples of areas to highlight in your Thema codes include:
Indigenous Peoples
- Indigenous histories, cultures and languages
- Reconciliation
- Decolonization
- First Nations, Inuit, and Métis experiences
Black Experience & Anti-Racism
- Black history
- Black Canadian studies
- Anti-racism
- Race relations
- Social justice
LGBTQIA2S+ Communities
- LGBTQIA2S+ studies
- Gender identity and sexual orientation
- Queer histories
- Transgender experiences
- Struggles for queer equality
Disability and Accessibility
- Disability studies
- Neurodiversity
- Inclusive education
- Accessible design
- Disability rights
Equity and Social Justice
- Human rights
- Social justice
- Feminism
- Intersectionality
- Anti-oppression
- Diversity and inclusion
Cultural Communities
- Immigration
- Diaspora studies
- Multiculturalism
- Refugee experiences
- Ethnic and cultural histories
Be specific and accurate! Avoid assigning DEI-related Thema subjects solely for marketing purposes. Classifications should reflect the content of the work and the experiences represented within it.
Keywords and Contributor Metadata
Thema alone is not sufficient! Publishers should supplement classifications with carefully curated keywords that reflect
- Communities represented
- Cultural themes
- Social issues
- Historical contexts
- Languages represented
- Geographic communities
Examples of effective DEI keywords:
Indigenous fiction, Cree language, Black Canadian history, Disability advocacy, Neurodivergent protagonist, Queer romance, Métis culture, Anti-racism education
Contributor metadata can also support discovery. Where contributors choose to self-identify publicly, publishers may include relevant information within contributor biographies and descriptive copy.
Examples of Contributor metadata to highlight:
- Indigenous author
- Disability advocate
- Black Canadian historian
- LGBTQIA2S+ activist
Any identity-related information should be supplied voluntarily and with contributor consent.
Accessibility as a DEI Practice
Accessibility is often discussed separately from diversity initiatives, but it is fundamentally a DEI issue. Accessible publications expand readership opportunities for:
- Blind readers
- Low-vision readers
- Readers with learning disabilities
- Readers with mobility impairments
- Neurodivergent readers
- Aging populations
Accessible publishing supports equity by reducing barriers to participation in literary, educational, and cultural life.
The most effective approach is “born accessible” publishing, in which accessibility is integrated throughout the production process. Following a born-accessible framework yields both accessible books and a wealth of metadata to support their discovery and sale.
An excellent and mature framework for born-accessible books is…
Benetech Certification
The Benetech Global Certified Accessible (GCA) program provides independent third-party certification for EPUB accessibility. Publishers receive certification for production workflows that consistently produce accessible EPUB files.
Benefits of Benetech Certification:
- Increased Discoverability: Accessible publications contain richer metadata, improving searchability across retail, library, and educational platforms.
- Improved Procurement Outcomes: Educational institutions and libraries increasingly require evidence of accessibility when selecting digital resources. Third-party certification provides trusted verification and reduces procurement risk.
- Reduced Remediation Costs: Born-accessible workflows significantly reduce the need for costly post-publication accessibility remediation.
- Expanded Market Reach: Accessible publications serve a larger readership, including people with disabilities and readers who benefit from accessibility features such as text resizing, text-to-speech support, enhanced navigation, and structured content.
- Regulatory Readiness: Accessibility requirements are becoming increasingly important across educational, governmental, and public-sector procurement environments. Certification helps publishers prepare for evolving accessibility expectations and standards.
How Certification Appears in Metadata
Benetech-certified titles can include certification information in embedded EPUB metadata and related ONIX metadata (about which, more below!) Certified workflows also yield certification credentials for inclusion in ONIX metadata.
But beware of pitfalls in the data supply chain! Your ONIX metadata producers should ensure that certification metadata is preserved throughout distribution channels and not stripped by intermediaries.
ONIX Accessibility Metadata
ONIX 3.0 and 3.1 provide dedicated accessibility metadata through Product Form Feature List 196. These codes communicate accessibility characteristics throughout the supply chain.
Examples of accessibility features to spotlight in metadata:
Providing this metadata gives retailers, libraries, and educational procurement systems a standardized stream of information to identify accessible publications, making them visible for accessible collections and buyers searching for books that can be read on readers’ own terms.
Accessibility Summaries
One of the most valuable metadata elements is the accessibility summary. Publishers of accessible books should take advantage of it to provide clear, human-readable statements such as:
“This EPUB includes image descriptions, semantic headings, page navigation, logical reading order, and compatibility with screen readers.”
Accessibility summaries help readers make informed decisions and improve procurement processes.
Compliance certification
Equally important as a clear summary are accurate certification claims. This metadata field is your chance to brag about the certification process(es) your books have qualified for. This can include the name of the certification regime and a url for the compliance testing organization.
TOC Navigation
Whether using a vanilla e-reader or an accessibility device designed to accommodate print disabilities, having a navigable Table of Contents is a major driver of accessibility. Benetech certification helps ensure a book’s TOC is navigable by screen readers, braille displays, and other access technologies — but readers won’t know your book has these capabilities unless your metadata says so
Measuring Success
There are a wealth of metrics and qualitative indicators that allow you to evaluate meaningful results of your DEI metadata initiatives.
In-House (Editorial, Marketing & Production) Metrics
Start with a simple, quantitative evaluation or your catalogue and metadata.
What percentage of your titles:
- Have a born-accessible product framework?
- Have accessible EPUBs supported by accessibility metadata?
If the answer is not 100% of your frontlist books, you are missing opportunities to stand out, promote your books, and spotlight voices that have been structurally disadvantaged by inaccessible culture. And you are missing the chance to connect with readers hungry for content that reflects their lived experience!
Where an author has disclosed their affiliation with equity-deserving communities, you should be making sure you are using every tool at your disposal to respect their wishes to be represented accurately.
Do you consistently:
- Identify contributors from underrepresented groups (where voluntarily disclosed)?
- Identify titles with DEI-related Thema classifications, appropriate keywords and contributor metadata?
Supply Chain Metrics
Metadata only creates value when partners use it. As such, you should periodically survey the platforms receiving your metadata and selling your books.
Survey your platforms:
- Which ones display accessibility metadata?
- Which ones surface Thema classifications in search and display?
- Do library vendors expose accessibility information?
- Is your certification metadata is preserved downstream?
These measures help identify opportunities for advocacy and vendor engagement.
Discovery & Sales Metrics
Measuring the impacts of your metadata improvements lets you better target them, measure positive impacts on book sales, and sharpen your insight into segments of your market that may have been underrepresented in the past.
Before and after metadata enhancement projects, measure:
- Search visibility improvements
- Retail category placement and segment growth
- Library acquisition growth
- Educational adoptions
- Sellthrough rates from retailers
Getting Started: A Recommended Roadmap for DEI Metadata
Phase 1: Metadata Audit
Review your current Thema usage, keyword quality, accessibility metadata coverage, and contributor biography completeness. A quick assessment should yield a list of areas to focus on. While you’re at it, take the opportunity to assess hom much of your catalogue reflects equity-deserving groups, and whether your data workflows are supporting them systematically.
Phase 2: Standards Development
Adopt internal guidance for your technical staff, covering:
- Contributor equity information policies
- Thema assignment procedures
- DEI keyword standards
- Accessibility production and metadata requirements
Phase 3: Workflow Integration
Integrate metadata gathering into editorial workflows, the production cycle, and your ONIX generation processes.
Phase 4: Measurement and Reporting
Establish annual reporting on DEI metadata coverage, accessibility certification rates, supply-chain adoption metrics, and discovery outcomes.
Conclusion
DEI metadata is not merely descriptive. It is a part of the infrastructure that connects your books with readers, and deserves careful attention as an important factor in your business. Accurate and comprehensive metadata helps ensure that books by and about equity-deserving communities can be discovered, purchased, borrowed, taught, and read.
Combined with accessibility metadata and born-accessible production practices, DEI-oriented metadata strengthens the discoverability, inclusiveness, and long-term impact of Canadian publishing programs.
Publishers that invest in robust Thema classification, rich descriptive metadata, ONIX accessibility metadata, and third-party accessibility certification will be better positioned to serve readers, meet procurement expectations, and advance the industry’s collective commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.