The Dublin Core™ Element Set Version 1.1
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Title:
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Dublin Core™ Metadata Element Set, Version 1.1: Reference Description |
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Date Issued:
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1999-07-02
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Identifier:
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Supersedes:
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Is Superseded By:
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Latest version:
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| Translations: | http://dublincore.org/resources/translations/ |
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Status of document:
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This is a DCMI Recommendation.
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| Description of document: | This document is the reference description, version 1.1 of the Dublin Core™ Metadata Element Set. This document supersedes the Dublin Core™ Metadata Element Set, version 1.0. See the Dublin Core™ Home Page (http://dublincore.org) for further information about the workshops, reports, working group papers, projects, and new developments concerning the Dublin Core™ Metadata Element set. |
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The document summarizes the updated definitions for the Dublin Core™ metadata elements as originally defined in [RFC2413]. These new definitions will be officially known as Version 1.1.
The definitions utilise a formal standard for the description of metadata elements. This formalisation helps to improve consistency with other metadata communities and enhances the clarity, scope, and internal consistency of the Dublin Core™ metadata element definitions.
Each Dublin Core™ element is defined using a set of ten attributes from the ISO/IEC 11179 [ISO11179] standard for the description of data elements. These include:
- Name - The label assigned to the data element
- Identifier - The unique identifier assigned to the data element
- Version - The version of the data element
- Registration Authority - The entity authorised to register the data element
- Language - The language in which the data element is specified
- Definition - A statement that clearly represents the concept and essential nature of the data element
- Obligation - Indicates if the data element is required to always or sometimes be present (contain a value)
- Datatype - Indicates the type of data that can be represented in the value of the data element
- Maximum Occurrence - Indicates any limit to the repeatability of the data element
- Comment - A remark concerning the application of the data element
Fortunately, six of the above ten attributes are common to all the Dublin Core™ elements. These are, with their respective values:
Version: 1.1 Registration Authority: Dublin Core™ Metadata Initiative Language: en Obligation: Optional Datatype: Character String Maximum Occurrence: Unlimited
The above attributes will not be repeated in the below definitions, however, they do represent part of the formal element definitions.
The definitions provided here include both the conceptual and representational form of the Dublin Core™ elements. The Definition attribute captures the semantic concept and the Datatype and Comment attributes capture the data representation.
Each Dublin Core™ definition refers to the resource being described. A resource is defined in [RFC2396] as "anything that has identity". For the purposes of Dublin Core™ metadata, a resource will typically be an information or service resource, but may be applied more broadly.
Element: Title
Name: Title
Identifier: Title
Definition: A name given to the resource.
Comment: Typically, a Title will be a name by which the resource is
formally known.
Element: Creator
Name: Creator
Identifier: Creator
Definition: An entity primarily responsible for making the content of
the resource.
Comment: Examples of a Creator include a person, an organisation,
or a service.
Typically, the name of a Creator should be used to
indicate the entity.
Element: Subject
Name: Subject and Keywords
Identifier: Subject
Definition: The topic of the content of the resource.
Comment: Typically, a Subject will be expressed as keywords,
key phrases or classification codes that describe a topic
of the resource.
Recommended best practice is to select a value from a
controlled vocabulary or formal classification scheme.
Element: Description
Name: Description
Identifier: Description
Definition: An account of the content of the resource.
Comment: Description may include but is not limited to: an abstract,
table of contents, reference to a graphical representation
of content or a free-text account of the content.
Element: Publisher
Name: Publisher
Identifier: Publisher
Definition: An entity responsible for making the resource available
Comment: Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organisation,
or a service.
Typically, the name of a Publisher should be used to
indicate the entity.
Element: Contributor
Name: Contributor
Identifier: Contributor
Definition: An entity responsible for making contributions to the
content of the resource.
Comment: Examples of a Contributor include a person, an organisation,
or a service.
Typically, the name of a Contributor should be used to
indicate the entity.
Element: Date
Name: Date
Identifier: Date
Definition: A date associated with an event in the life cycle of the
resource.
Comment: Typically, Date will be associated with the creation or
availability of the resource. Recommended best practice
for encoding the date value is defined in a profile of
ISO 8601 [W3CDTF] and follows the YYYY-MM-DD format.
Element: Type
Name: Resource Type
Identifier: Type
Definition: The nature or genre of the content of the resource.
Comment: Type includes terms describing general categories, functions,
genres, or aggregation levels for content. Recommended best
practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary
(for example, the working draft list of Dublin Core™ Types
[DCT1]). To describe the physical or digital manifestation
of the resource, use the FORMAT element.
Element: Format
Name: Format
Identifier: Format
Definition: The physical or digital manifestation of the resource.
Comment: Typically, Format may include the media-type or dimensions of
the resource. Format may be used to determine the software,
hardware or other equipment needed to display or operate the
resource. Examples of dimensions include size and duration.
Recommended best practice is to select a value from a
controlled vocabulary (for example, the list of Internet Media
Types [MIME] defining computer media formats).
Element: Identifier
Name: Resource Identifier
Identifier: 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 or number conforming to a formal identification
system.
Example formal identification systems include the Uniform
Resource Identifier (URI) (including the Uniform Resource
Locator (URL)), the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and the
International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Element: Source
Name: Source
Identifier: Source
Definition: A Reference to a resource from which the present resource
is derived.
Comment: The present resource may be derived from the Source resource
in whole or in part. Recommended best practice is to reference
the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a
formal identification system.
Element: Language
Name: Language
Identifier: Language
Definition: A language of the intellectual content of the resource.
Comment: Recommended best practice for the values of the Language
element is defined by RFC 1766 [RFC1766] which includes
a two-letter Language Code (taken from the ISO 639
standard [ISO639]), followed optionally, by a two-letter
Country Code (taken from the ISO 3166 standard [ISO3166]).
For example, 'en' for English, 'fr' for French, or
'en-uk' for English used in the United Kingdom.
Element: Relation
Name: Relation
Identifier: Relation
Definition: A reference to a related resource.
Comment: Recommended best practice is to reference the resource by means
of a string or number conforming to a formal identification
system.
Element: Coverage
Name: Coverage
Identifier: Coverage
Definition: The extent or scope of the content of the resource.
Comment: Coverage will typically include spatial location (a place name
or geographic coordinates), temporal period (a period label,
date, or date range) or jurisdiction (such as a named
administrative entity).
Recommended best practice is to select a value from a
controlled vocabulary (for example, the Thesaurus of Geographic
Names [TGN]) and that, where appropriate, named places or time
periods be used in preference to numeric identifiers such as
sets of coordinates or date ranges.
Element: Rights
Name: Rights Management
Identifier: Rights
Definition: Information about rights held in and over the resource.
Comment: Typically, a Rights element will contain a rights
management statement for the resource, or reference
a service providing such information. Rights information
often encompasses Intellectual Property Rights (IPR),
Copyright, and various Property Rights.
If the Rights element is absent, no assumptions can be made
about the status of these and other rights with respect to
the resource.
References
[DCT1] Type Vocabulary.
< http://dublincore.org/specifications/dublin-core/dcmi-type-vocabulary/>
[ISO11179] ISO 11179 - Specification and Standardization of Data Elements, Parts 1-6.
ftp://sdct-sunsrv1.ncsl.nist.gov/x3l8/11179/
[ISO639] ISO 639 - Codes for the representation of names of languages.
http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/iso639a.html
[ISO3166] ISO 3166 - Codes for the representation of names of countries.
http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/country3166.html
[MIME] Internet Media Types.
<http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/media-types
[RFC1766] Tags for the Identification of Languages, Internet RFC 1766.
< http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1766.txt>
[RFC2396] Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax, Internet RFC 2396.
< http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt>
[RFC2413] Dublin Core™ Metadata for Resource Discovery. Internet RFC 2413.
< http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2413.txt>
[TGN] Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names.
[http://shiva.pub.getty.edu/tgn\_browser/](http://shiva.pub.getty.edu/tgn_browser/)
[W3CDTF] Date and Time Formats, W3C Note.
http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime