Hello,
Very glad to join this list. I am developing an education-focused metadata
application profile, with the foundation of Dublin Core and the addition of
several local elements. I'm finding the discussions, particularly regarding
Audience vocabulary, to be very relevant to the work I'm doing.
In developing local elements, to be intermingled with DC elements, I'm
running up against the question of whether to create elements or refinements
- both in the case of a local element and its local refinement, and a local
refinement to a DC element.
From DC documentation on refinements, I understand that the refinements
provide a more specific or narrow meaning, should act as an 'adjective' to
the element's 'noun', and don't expand the scope of the element - and that
the "dumb down principle" means a value of a refinement should make sense if
someone simply sees the value as that of the refinement's parent element.
What I'm grappling with is how this plays out in actual, real-world
applications. For example, take the DC element Date and the various
refinements - Date published, Date approved, etc. If the metadata for a
resource had <dcterms.dateapproved>2000-04-01</dcterms.dateapproved>, for
example, how precisely would a system that did not recognize this refinement
know to roll up the value to Date?
Furthermore, what is the function of element refinements in a closed local
system which the metadata creator controls (in other words, no need to 'dumb
down' since all work is happening in one place) - if any - versus simply
having separate elements? Does having this hierarchical relationship among
elements/refinements serve any purpose?
Many thanks for any guidance you can offer.
Best,
David
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