The University of Colorado at Boulder recently engaged in a grant-funded pilot project to use Metadata Encoding & Transmission Standard (METS), Metadata Object Description Standard (MODS), and NISO Metadata for Images in XML Schema (MIX) for a collection of digitized Sanborn fire insurance maps of the state. This article will draw on this experience to outline the processes and decision making required to implement new metadata structures, and will offer some insights on planning strategically for an institution’s first use of these increasingly important metadata standards.