Dublin Core
Dublin Core Metadate Initiative (DCMI) is a standard for define metadata used in documents such as eBooks. It is used in ePUB and other document formats. It is supported by XMP.
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[edit] example
A simple example is shown below
<metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:opf="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf"> <dc:title>Alice in Wonderland</dc:title> <dc:language>en</dc:language> <dc:identifier id="BookId" opf:scheme="ISBN"> 123456789X </dc:identifier> <dc:creator opf:role="aut">Lewis Carroll</dc:creator> </metadata>
The dc prefix means that this is from Dublin Core specification.
[edit] The model
Dublin Core uses property-pair values to describe elements of metadata. As can be seen in the example a typical meta data item follows the html/xml standards of a tag inside matching "< >" and "</ >" with the definition inside the the pair. If an explanation of the data is needed then a property=value pair is used inside the opening "< >". The value portion of the property/value pair is usually literal but can also be a reference such as a URL. There should only be one value for a property. Both tags and property names are predefined in the DC specification.
Entries are not limited to a single value. For example if there are two primary authors the entire creator entry can be repeated.
The language is a required entry for metadata and the data is consistent with the language specified and assumes an available character set in the language has been specified earlier.
The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is a vocabulary of fifteen properties for use in resource description. These 15 properties are approved as ISO/ANSI/IETF RFC standards.
[edit] Useful data elements
The following items are very useful for eBooks. Multiple entries may be used.
- dc:contributor -> Contributors to the resource (other than the authors; roles like illustrator, editor, ...).
- dc:creator -> The authors of the resource (listed in order of precedence, if significant).
- dc:date -> Date that something interesting happened to the resource.
- dc:description -> A textual description of the content of the eBook. Multiple values may be present for different languages. This may be used by dealers to describe and promote the book.
- dc:identifier ->Text defining a unique identifier of the resource.
- dc:language -> Locale, languages used in document.
- dc:publisher -> External Publishers.
- dc:relation -> Text relationships to other documents such as a member of a series.
- dc:rights -> Informal rights statement (copyrights), selected by language.
- dc:source -> Unique identifier of the work from which this resource was derived. Needed for translations.
- dc:subject -> genre
- dc:title -> The title of the document, or the name given to the resource. Typically, it will be a name by which the resource is formally known.
- dc:type -> A document type; for example, novel, poem, or working paper.
[edit] Additional items
The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set includes the following additional items.
- dc:coverage -> The spatial or temporal topic. The applicability of the resource or its jurisdiction.
- dc:format -> The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource.
[edit] For more information
- http://dublincore.org/
- http://dublincore.org/specifications/
- http://dublincore.org/documents/abstract-model/
- http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/ - The 15 ISO approved Metadata Element Set entries.
