Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
DC Type Qualifiers
19 May 2000
Editor:Rebecca Guenther <rgue@loc.gov>
Status of this document
This document is a revision of the Working Draft of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative [DCMI], reflecting the approval of qualifiers in the March 2000 balloting of the DCMI.
This document includes changes to definitions as of 19 May 2000. The DCMI Usage Committee has approved the values on this list as an approved encoding scheme known as the DCT1 vocabulary.
Comments and feedback should be sent to the working group mailing list, <dc-type@mailbase.ac.uk>, the
archives for which may be browsed at <http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/dc-type/> (NOTE, you
must be a member of the WG to post messages to the WG) or, alternatively, send your feedback to the Editor of this
Working Draft.
QUALIFIER PROPOSAL : TYPE : TYPE QUALIFIER
Since most implementors do not qualify RESOURCE TYPE with type qualifiers it is proposed that they not be used. Although one was proposed in the previous proposal (Note), it was not endorsed at the DC7 meeting. Consensus was that any textual notes about genre should go in DC.Description.
Any other type qualifiers will be considered application-specific qualifiers, such as those used by the Australian Government Information Service (Qualifiers: Category, aggregationLevel, documentType,
serviceType)
QUALIFIER PROPOSAL : TYPE : DCT1
- working group defining the qualifier
DC-Type
- which DC element is being qualified?
Type
- proposed name of the qualifier
DCT1
- definition of the qualifier
A controlled vocabulary indicating the nature or genre of the resource.
- does the qualifier refine the semantics of the element (y/n)
yes
- is the qualifier a controlled vocabulary (enumerated list of values)
maintained by the DCMI? (y/n)
yes
- is the qualifier a controlled vocabulary (enumerated list of values)
maintained by another organization? (y/n). If yes, please supply a URL
pointing to further information about the vocabulary (if available).
no
- is the qualifier a formal encoding format (y/n). If yes, please supply
a URL pointing to further information about the format (if available).
no
- identify potential overlap/conflicts with other qualifiers if applicable
(optional)
There is a potential conflict between 'Physical', in the DCF1 value
qualifier for Format, and the possible inclusion of 'physical object', in
the proposed DCT1 value qualifier for Type.
- justification/explanation (optional but recommended)
In the absense of an application-specific list, DCT1 is provided as a general list (as modified below). In cases where a specific list is used, best practice is to use a value from DCT1 in addition to any from the specific list. Many implementors tend to use their own lists of values for types, developed for their particular applications. The scheme qualifier is used to specify the specific list.
DCT1 is a DCMI-maintained enumerated
list containing the following possible values.
- collection
- dataset
- event
- image
- interactive resource
- service
- software
- sound
- text
These can be defined and used as follows:
- collection
- an aggregation of items. The term collection means that the resource is described as a group; its parts may be separately described and navigated.
- dataset
- A dataset is information encoded in a defined structure (for
example, lists, tables, and databases), intended to be useful for direct
machine processing.
- event
- a non-persistent, time-based occurrence. Metadata for an event provides descriptive information that is the basis for discovery of the purpose, location, duration, responsible agents, and links to related events and resources. The resource of type event may not be retrievable if the described instantiation has expired or is yet to occur. Examples - exhibition, web-cast, conference, workshop, open-day, performance, battle, trial, wedding, tea-party, conflagration.
- image
- the content is primarily symbolic visual representation other than text. For example - images and photographs of physical objects, paintings, prints, drawings, other images and graphics, animations and moving pictures, film, diagrams, maps, musical notation. Note that image may include both electronic and physical representations.
- interactive resource
- a resource which requires interaction from the user to be understood, executed, or experienced. For example - forms on web pages, applets, multimedia learning objects, chat services, virtual reality.
image, text or one of the other types.
- service
- a system that provides one or more functions of value to the end-user. Examples include: a photocopying service, a banking service, an authentication service, interlibrary loans, a Z39.50 or Web server.
- software
- a computer program in source or compiled form which may be available for installation non-transiently on another machine. For software which exists only to create an interactive environment, use interactive instead.
- sound
- A sound is a resource whose content is primarily intended to be
rendered as audio. For example - a music playback file format, an audio
compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds.
- text
- a resource whose content is primarily words for reading. For example - books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Examples include:
DC.Type (scheme=DCT1) = image
DC.Type (scheme=DCT1) = collection
Type may be repeated as necessary to include different categories. Examples are multimedia resources, which should include each appropriate category, and collections, which should include "collection" and any other appropriate type(s) (e.g. "text", "image", etc.).
Note that the values above consist of names that may be represented as tokens. Tokens should be expressed as follows:
|
| Name | Token |
| collection |
collection |
| dataset | dataset |
| event | event |
| image | image |
| interactive resource | interactive |
| service | service |
| software | software |
| sound | sound |
| text | text |
QUALIFIER PROPOSAL : TYPE : SCHEME QUALIFIERS
Proposal is to use an enumerated list of values and to specify the list being used. Future work includes compiling a list of schemes maintained outside of DCMI.
Future work:
It is proposed that the Type Working Group investigate the following:
- consider whether any list of resource types exists for general use that might be used to further specify subtypes within the broad categories of values in DCT1
- If not, develop a "DCT2" that includes the broad categories of DCT1 with subtypes
- compile a document specifying existing lists of resource types for specific applications
Note that the DC Citation Working Group concluded that "journal article" should be included as a value on a controlled list of types with subtypes.
Previous versions:
[1] <DC Type Working Group Proposal for Qualifier Usage (Revised 18 November 1999)>
[2] <List of Resource Types (DCT1) Proposed Revision November 1999>
[3] <
DC Type Working Group Proposal for Qualifier Usage (September 1999)>
[4] <List of Resource Types (DCT1)> (August 1999)
[5] <DC Type Qualifiers
DC Working Draft - 10 December 1999 >
Related document:
[1] <DC Type Working Group Review of Resource Type Qualifier Usage> (August 1999)