Vocabulary Encoding Scheme

Vocabulary Encoding Scheme (VES) is a DCMI-specific synonym for the identifier of a SKOS Concept Scheme. Starting with the Dublin Core™ Qualifiers specification of 2000, DCMI coined VES URIs as a way to indicate the source of string values from published controlled vocabularies such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). For example, the string value Textile design--China--History could be marked as coming from LCSH by tagging it with the DCMI-coined VES URI http://purl.org/dc/terms/LCSH. With the widespread conversion of controlled vocabularies such as LCSH into SKOS after 2009, the Vocabulary Encoding Scheme has become less relevant as a type of metadata term.