On Fri, 15 Aug 2003, Mary Woodley wrote:
> The Dublin Core User Guide Committee has recently updated its
> Glossary which will be linked to the new User Guide. The Committee
> welcomes comments concerning the terms included prior to the glossary being
> formally loaded to the Dublin Core Web site.
>
> http://library.csun.edu/mwoodley/glossary.shtml
>
Mary,
A few comments:
1. Dublin Core: is defined in the glossary as the 15 elements.... I think
more common usage has 'Dublin Core' as including all DCMI terms, i.e. all
terms with DC namespaces whether element refinements, encoding schemes, or
controlled vocabulary terms (the DCMI type vocabulary).
2. I think it might be helpful to use 'DCMI terms' throughout various
entries, rather than DCMI 'elements' - within DCMI community 'element' is
often used in a distinctive way, whether to refer to the 16 elements, or
the 15 'core' elements. So, for example in the following definition of
'metadata record' one might perhaps replace 'elements' with terms:
metadata record
A syntactically correct representation of the descriptive information
(metadata) for an information resource. In the case of Dublin Core, a
representation of the Dublin Core elements that has been defined for the
resource.
3. Element: I would suggest acknowledging the ambiguity in usage.
In 'general world of metadada', if there is such a thing, elements might
well be defined as:
Elements: the formally defined terms which are
used to describe attributes or properties of a resource.
By this definition all DCMI terms are 'elements'.
However within DCMI 'elements' is frequently used as shorthand for the 15
core elements (and audience). I think this needs to be acknowledged in the
glossary.
4. I would also include
Element Sets: sets of functionally-related terms which are defined and
managed as a unit.
5. I think you need to separate schemes and schemas
Schemes see Encoding Schemes: mechanisms that constrain
the value space of Elements.
Schemas: structured representation of element sets or application profiles
6. I think 'registry' should either point to 'metadata registry' (as this
is how the term tends to be used within DCMI); or if you feel it
appropriate use a wider definition for 'registry', something like 'a
directory of metadata about schemas, services, or other particular
categories of resources'.
7. BSR : Basic Semantic Registry
I would prefer to link to
http://comelec.afnor.fr/servlet/
ServletForum?form_name=cForumPage&file_name=TC154WG1%2Findex.htm&login=invite
&password=invite
! that was the URL I copied from the browser !
4. re-using existing definitions
I think it would be worth picking up for the glossary the various
definitions in Grammatical Principles document? and recent draft Abstract
Model document?
see
http://dublincore.org/usage/documents/principles/
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/dcmi/abstract-model/
Best wishes,
Rachel
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Rachel Heery
UKOLN
University of Bath tel: +44 (0)1225 826724
Bath, BA2 7AY, UK fax: +44 (0)1225 826838
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
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