What does the acronym "METS" stand for in digital archiving?

The acronym "METS" stands for "Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard." This standard is essential in the field of digital archiving because it provides a framework for encoding and transmitting metadata about digital objects. METS helps ensure that the associated metadata is both machine-readable and structured in a way that supports the long-term preservation of digital resources.

By following this standard, institutions can create comprehensive descriptions of digital objects, including their content, structure, and relationships to other objects, which is crucial for effective management, discovery, and retrieval. The structure defined by METS allows archivists and librarians to package both the digital content and the metadata in a way that facilitates its use and preservability over time.

The other options, while they seem plausible, do not accurately capture the established meaning of the METS acronym, focusing instead on different aspects or variations of metadata systems that do not align with the standard recognized within the digital archiving community.