---------------------------------------------------------------------- Title (same as 2001) The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract (same as 2001) Defines fifteen metadata elements for resource description in a cross-disciplinary information environment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreward (revised in 2006) The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is a vocabulary of fifteen properties for use in resource description. The name "Dublin" is due to its origin at a 1995 invitational workshop in Dublin, Ohio; "core" because its elements are broad and generic, usable for describing a wide range of resources. The fifteen element "Dublin Core" described in this standard is part of a larger set of metadata vocabularies and technical specifications maintained by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). The full set of vocabularies, DCMI Metadata Terms [DCMI-TERMS], also includes a set of resource classes, the DCMI Type Vocabulary [DCMI-TYPE]. The terms in DCMI vocabularies are intended to be used in combination with terms from other, compatible vocabularies in the context of application profiles and on the basis of the DCMI Abstract Model [DCAM]. All changes made to terms of the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set since 2001 have been reviewed by a DCMI Usage Board in the context of a DCMI Namespace Policy [DCMI-NAMESPACE]. The namespace policy describes how DCMI terms are assigned Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) and sets limits on the range of editorial changes that may allowably be made to the labels, definitions, and usage comments associated with existing DCMI terms. This standard was processed and approved... [text presumably to be added by NISO]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Scope and Purpose The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is a standard for cross-domain resource description. A resource is defined here to be anything which has identity, as in the definitions used in Internet RFC 2396, "Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax," by Tim Berners-Lee et al., and in the "DCMI Abstract Model," by Andy Powell et al. The elements described in this standard are typically used in the context of an application profile which constrains or specifies their use in accordance with local or community-based requirements and policies. The specification of such implementation detail is outside the scope of this standard. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Referenced Standards [DCAM] DCMI Abstract Model. http://dublincore.org/documents/abstract-model/ [DCMI-ENCODINGS] DCMI Encoding Guidelines. http://dublincore.org/resources/expressions/ [DCMI-NAMESPACE] DCMI Namespace Policy. http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-namespace/ [DCMI-TERMS] DCMI Metadata Terms. http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-terms/ [DCMI-TYPE] DCMI Type Vocabulary. http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary/ [MIME] MIME Media Types. http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/ [RFC3066] Tags for the Identification of Languages. http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3066.txt [TGN] Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names. http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/tgn/index.html [W3CDTF] Date and Time Formats, W3C Note. http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Definitions DCMI -- the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, maintenance agency for Dublin Core Metadata Element Set. Resource -- anything that has identity (the same definition as in Internet RFC 2396 and in the DCMI Abstract Model). Lifecycle of a resource -- a sequence of events that mark the development and use of a resource. Some examples of events in a lifecycle are: conception of an invention, creation of a draft, revision of an article, publication of a book, acquisition by a library, transcription to magnetic disk, migration to optical storage, translation into English, and derivation of a new work (e.g., a movie). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. The Element Set In the element descriptions below, each element has a descriptive label ("label") for human consumption and a unique token ("name") for use in machine processing. In accordance with the DCMI Namespace Policy [DCMI-NAMESPACE], the "name" of an element is appended to a DCMI namespace URI to construct a Uniform Resource Identifier as a globally unique identifier for that element. The use of element names and URIs in the context of different implementation technologies is explained in DCMI Encoding Guidelines [DCMI-ENCODINGS]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. The Elements Element Name: title Label: Title Definition: A name given to the resource. Comment: Typically, a Title will be a name by which the resource is formally known. Element Name: creator Label: Creator Definition: An entity primarily responsible for making the resource. Comment: Examples of a Creator include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Creator should be used to indicate the entity. Element Name: subject Label: Subject Definition: The topic of the resource. Comment: Typically, the topic will be represented using keywords, key phrases, or classification codes. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary. To describe the spatial or temporal topic of the resource, use the Coverage element. Element Name: description Label: Description Definition: An account of the resource. Comment: Description may include but is not limited to: an abstract, a table of contents, a graphical representation, or a free-text account of the resource. Element Name: publisher Label: Publisher Definition: An entity responsible for making the resource available. Comment: Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Publisher should be used to indicate the entity. Element Name: contributor Label: Contributor Definition: An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource. Comment: Examples of a Contributor include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Contributor should be used to indicate the entity. Element Name: date Label: Date Definition: A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource. Comment: Date may be used to express temporal information at any level of granularity. Recommended best practice is to use an encoding scheme, such as the W3CDTF profile of ISO 8601 [W3CDTF]. Element Name: type Label: Type Definition: The nature or genre of the resource. Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the DCMI Type Vocabulary [DCMITYPE]. To describe the file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource, use the Format element. Element Name: format Label: Format Definition: The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource. Comment: Examples of dimensions include size and duration. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the list of Internet Media Types [MIME]. Element Name: identifier Label: Identifier Definition: An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context. Comment: Recommended best practice is to identify the resource by means of a string conforming to a formal identification system. Element Name: source Label: Source Definition: The resource from which the described resource is derived. Comment: The described resource may be derived from the related resource in whole or in part. Recommended best practice is to identify the related resource by means of a string conforming to a formal identification system. Element Name: language Label: Language Definition: A language of the resource. Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as RFC 3066 [RFC3066]. Element Name: relation Label: Relation Definition: A related resource. Comment: Recommended best practice is to identify the related resource by means of a string conforming to a formal identification system. Element Name: coverage Label: Coverage Definition: The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant. Comment: Spatial topic may be a named place or a location specified by its geographic coordinates. Temporal period may be a named period, date, or date range. A jurisdiction may be a named administrative entity or a geographic place to which the resource applies. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the Thesaurus of Geographic Names [TGN]. Where appropriate, named places or time periods can be used in preference to numeric identifiers such as sets of coordinates or date ranges. Element Name: rights Label: Rights Definition: Information about rights held in and over the resource. Comment: Typically, rights information includes a statement about various property rights associated with the resource, including intellectual property rights. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix A: Further Reading Further information about the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is available at the URL, http://dublincore.org/ This Web site contains information about workshops, reports, working group papers, projects, and new developments concerning the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix B: Maintenance Agency The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) is responsible for the development, standardization and promotion of the Dublin Core metadata element set. Information on DCMI is available at the URL, http://dublincore.org/