Dublin Core & DCMI
– an introduction
Some slides are from DCMI Training
Resources at:
http://dublincore.org/resources/training/
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1. The original Dublin Core: the idea
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A basic description mechanism that:
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can be used in all domains
can be used for any type of resource
is simple, yet powerful
can be extended and can work with specific
solutions
Making it easier to find information wherever
located (Internet/Intranets)
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2. The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set （
DCMES） dc:
Elements
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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12.
13.
14.
15.
Identifier
Title
Creator
Contributor
Publisher
Subject
Description
Coverage
Format
Type
Date
Relation
Source
Rights
Language
Metadata elements
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The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set
http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/
or: http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmiterms/#H2
“Core” set, simple enough for nonexperts to understand and create
A “library catalog card” for Web objects
Based on consensus across domains
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The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set （DCMES）
15 elements
all optional
all repeatable
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Compiled based on Compiled according to DCMI Metadata Terms, 2008-01-14 , ©mzeng
Cont. DC Version 1.1 Elements with Refinements and Encoding Schemes
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Compiled based on Compiled according to DCMI Metadata Terms, 2008-01-14 , ©mzeng
Elements* requiring using Encoding Schemes
Content
Intellectual Property
Instantiation
Coverage *
Description
Contributor
Creator
Publisher
Rights
Date *
Format *
Identifier
Type *
Relation
Source
Language *
Subject *
Title
Values assigned in some spaces should follow certain encoding
schemes.
An encoding scheme usually appears as a list of name tokens or terms from which
values can be selected for the associated metadata elements.
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Value space that should apply
controlled vocabularies / value encoding schemes : LANGUAGE
Examples from values associated with LANGUAGE element
found in the research samples because of failing to follow the recommendation
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en
eng
en-GB
en-US
English
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engfre
new
Korean
Deutsch
German LOCLANGUAGE:: German
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Value space that should follow syntax encoding schemes : DATE
Examples from values associated with DATE element
 1979
 1987, c2000
 2000-03
 ?1999
 2000-03-01
 1952 (issued)
 2001-01-02T21:48.00Z
 (1982)
 200003
 1930?
 C1999, 2000
 1823-1845
 January, 1919
 Between 1680 and 1896?
 May, 1919
 5/1/01
 01 May 2008
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3. Growing the vocabulary to become DCMI Metadata Terms
(dcterms:)
Elements
Refinements
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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12.
13.
14.
15.
Abstract
Access rights
Alternative
Audience
Available
Bibliographic citation
Conforms to
Created
Date accepted
Date copyrighted
Date submitted
Education level
Extent
Has format
Has part
Has version
Is format of
Is part of
Identifier
Title
Creator
Contributor
Publisher
Subject
Description
Coverage
Format
Type
Date
Relation
Source
Rights
Language
Encodings Types
Is referenced by
Is replaced by
Is required by
Issued
Is version of
License
Mediator
Medium
Modified
Provenance
References
Replaces
Requires
Rights holder
Spatial
Table of contents
Temporal
Valid
Box
DCMIType
DDC
IMT
ISO3166
ISO639-2
LCC
LCSH
MeSH
Period
Point
RFC1766
RFC3066
TGN
UDC
URI
W3CTDF
Collection
Dataset
Event
Image
Interactive
Resource
Moving Image
Physical Object
Service
Software
Sound
Still Image
Text
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DCMI Metadata Terms
dcterms: or dct:
Note: all refinements are now also 'properties' in DCMI Terms
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5. DCMI namespaces

All DCMI Metadata Terms are given a unique
identity within DCMI namespaces:
• http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/
(for the legacy DC-15 elements)
• http://purl.org/dc/terms/
(for all elements and element refinements)
• http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/
(for the DCMI Type vocabulary)
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E.g., “title” is identified by its Uniform Resource Identifier (URI):
“http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title” in legacy “dc” or
"http://purl.org/dc/terms/title" in “dcterms”
Term URI
http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator
http://purl.org/dc/terms/title
QName (XML qualified name)
“dc:creator”
"dct:title"
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Term constraints: Range and Domain
Constraints indicate
•where it applies (Has Domain: “Collection”)
• what values to be used in the metadata
statement, non-literal or literal (constant
values represented by character strings).
•what kind of values its instances should be (Has
Range: “Frequency”).
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Literal and non-literal values
The
values
are
literals*
The values
are nonliterals
(URIs)
*literal (constant values represented by
character strings)
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6. The Dublin Core in context: Application
profiles (will be discussed later)
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In practice, metadata implementers
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combine elements from different sources (e.g. DC plus
elements from other schemas, “local” elements)
refine definitions of elements
constrain use of elements
Application profiles (will be discussed later)
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element set plus policies, guidelines
some DCMI WGs developing application profiles for specific
domains
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References
Dublin
Core Metadata Initiative: http://dublincore.org/
DCMI
Metadata Terms http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-
terms/
Dekkers,
Makx. (2010). Dublin Core in the Early Web
Revolution. http://dublincore.org/resources/training/
Baker, Thomas. (2009) The "metadata record" and DCMI
Abstract Model. http://dublincore.org/resources/training/
Dempsey, Lorcan. “Scientific, Industrial, and Cultural
Heritage: a shared approach”
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue22/dempsey/
Johnston,
Pete. (2002). An introduction to the Dublin Core and the
DCMI. www.ukoln.ac.uk/interopfocus/presentations/gateway/gateway.ppt
Baker, Thomas. (2005) Diverse vocabularies
in a common model: Dublin Core at 10 years.
http://dc2005.uc3m.es/program/presentations/2005-0912.plenary.baker-keynote.ppt
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