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Using Dublin Core

Title:

Using Dublin Core
Creator:
Date Issued:
2000-07-16
Identifier:
Replaces:
Not applicable
Is Replaced By:
Not applicable
Is Part Of: http://dublincore.org/specifications/dublin-core/usageguide/2000-07-16/
Latest Version:
Status of Document:
This is a DCMI Working Draft.
Description of Document: This document is intended as an entry point for users of Dublin Core™. For non-specialists, it will assist them in creating simple descriptive records for information resources (for example, electronic documents). Specialists may find the document a useful point of reference to the documentation of Dublin Core, as it changes and grows.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Which Syntax?

3. Basic Principles of Descriptive Elements

4. The Core Elements

5. Qualifiers

6. Examples

8. Glossary

9. Background Reading and References

4. The Core Elements: Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property

In the element descriptions below, a formal single-word label is specified to make the syntactic specification of elements simpler for encoding schemes. Although some environments, such as HTML, are not case-sensitive, it is recommended best practice always to adhere to the case conventions in the element names given below to avoid conflicts in the event that the metadata is subsequently converted to a case-sensitive environment, such as XML/RDF.

Some information may appear to belong in more than one metadata element. While there will normally be a clear preferred choice, there is potential semantic overlap between some elements. Consequently, there will occasionally be some judgment required from the person assigning the metadata.

4.8. Author/Creator

Label: Creator

Element Description: An entity primarily responsible for making the content of the resource. Examples of a Creator include a person, an organisation, or a service.

Guidelines for creation of content:

Creators should be listed separately in the same order that they appear in the publication. Personal names should be listed surname or family name first, followed by forename or given name. When in doubt, give the name as it appears, and do not invert.

In the case of organizations where there is clearly a hierarchy present, list the parts of the hierarchy from largest to smallest, separated by full stops. If it is not clear whether there is a hierarchy present, or unclear which is the larger or smaller portion of the body, give the name as it appears in the item.

If the Creator and Publisher are the same, do not repeat the name in the Publisher area. If the nature of the responsibility is ambiguous, the recommended practice is to use Publisher for organizations, and Creator for individuals. In cases of lesser responsibility, other than creation, use Contributor.

Examples: [generic] [simple HTML] [qualified HTML] [simple RDF] [qualified RDF] [From other implementations]

4.9. Publisher

Label: Publisher

Element Description: The entity responsible for making the resource available. 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.

Guidelines for content creation:

The intent of specifying this field is to identify the entity that provides access to the resource. If the Creator and Publisher are the same, do not repeat the name in the Publisher area. If the nature of the responsibility is ambiguous, the recommended practice is to use Publisher for organizations, and Creator for individuals. In cases of lesser responsibility, other than creation, use Contributor.

Examples: [generic] [simple HTML] [qualified HTML] [simple RDF] [qualified RDF] [From other implementations]

4.10. Other
Contributor

Label: Contributor

Element Description: An entity responsible for making contributions to the content of the resource. 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.

Guideline for content creation:

The same general guidelines for using names of persons or organizations as Creators apply here.

Examples: [generic] [simple HTML] [qualified HTML] [simple RDF] [qualified RDF] [From other implementations]

4.11. Rights
Management

Label: Rights Management

Element Description: Information about rights held in and over the resource. 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.

Guidelines for content creation:

At present, used for either a textual statement or a URL.

Examples: [generic] [simple HTML] [qualified HTML] [simple RDF] [qualified RDF] [From other implementations]