Metadata Concepts: Dublin Core

One of the important concepts mentioned frequently in our current text reading is Dublin Core. Dublin Core (DC) is a metadata initiative and element set resulting from a 1995 metadata workshop, in Dublin, Ohio, conducted by the OCLC and NCSA. It has been adopted as an ANSI/NISO, ISO, and IETF standard. DC was originally conceived and created as an effort to extend a standard metadata set to the description of electronic documents, as standards of the time skewed heavily toward the description of physical items. Rather than as a replacement to existing standards, Dublin Core was designed more as a complementary element set, capable of “filling in the gaps” for document and object types that other metadata standards failed to adequately cover. Compatible with a variety of coding languages, including HTML and XML, DC produces simple, structured records which can be used independently, or in conjunction with other metadata standards (i.e. MARC). The simplicity of using the element set, coupled with its ability to be modified, extended, and interoperably used with other standards, has led to its widespread acceptance and use in the metadata community.

The base Dublin Core set consists of fifteen elements:

            -Title

                -Creator

                -Subject

                -Description

                -Publisher

                -Contributor

                -Date

                -Type

                -Format

                -Identifier

                -Source

                -Language

                -Relation

                -Coverage

                -Rights

These core elements are all optional to use, and can also be repeated by the metadata creator. The focus of the elements trends toward the areas of object search/retrieval, and resource discovery, but the extendable nature of Dublin Core enables the set to be adapted and modified to the needs of specific domains and communities. Sets of extra elements, known as qualifiers, can be utilized in conjunction with the base elements to extend the scope of the set in a standardized way. Examples include the Canberra Qualifiers: Language, Scheme, and Type, which expand upon the functionality of the base elements, but cannot be used independently.

Dublin Core plays a significant role in the world of metadata standards, especially as applied to electronic documents and media. Its simplicity and adaptability allow it to be tailored to the individual needs of specific information communities, as is illustrated the set's mapping to schema such as MODS and MADS, among others. The set continues to undergo development and revision through the fostering of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI).