Status: RO
We have been engaged in the traslation of D.C. definitions into Italian.
While making that translation, some remarks about the original English
definitions came out. We list them below and would be very interested in
knowing the reactions of those who work in the field.
Any remark is included between arrows and follows the piece of definition
[in particular the piece of text within asterisks] it refers to.
Maria Bruna Baldacci - Donatella Castelli
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The following is the reference definition of the Dublin Core Metadata
Element Set. The evolving reference description, including any defined
*qualifiers*, resides at.......
====>"qualifiers" are mentioned here, but do not appear in any other
definition, even though mentioning them in some element descriptions would
seem appropriate (e.g., in the definition of "source" and "relation")
<======
In the element descriptions below, each element has a descriptive name
intended to convey a common semantic understanding of the element, as well
as a *formal single-word label* intended to make ............
=====> Are labels names to be used without quotation marks or with
quotation marks?
In the case of "without" we wonder why any label name is included in
quotation marks.
In the case of "with", we wonder why quotation marks do not appear in the
table where elements are classified. <====
...................
...................
8. Resource Type Label: "Type"
The category of the resource, such as home page, novel, poem, working
paper, technical report, essay, dictionary. For the sake of
interoperability, Type should be selected from an *enumerated list* that is
currently under development in the *workshop series.*
======> we would suggest that "enumerated list" be replaced by "authority
file" or "controlled list <=========
======> is reference to "workshop series" correct? At the URL
http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core we see that information about evolving
controlled vocabularies and qualifiers appear under the section "DC Open
Issues and Working Paper".
In any case, it should be specified that "workshop series" is a section at
that URL.
Obviously, our comments hold for any element description where "workshop
series" is mentioned.<==========
10. Resource Identifier Label: "Identifier"
A string or number used to uniquely identify the resource. Examples for
networked resources include URLs and URNs (when implemented). Other
globally-unique identifiers, such as International Standard Book Numbers
(ISBN) or other formal names are also candidates for this element.
=======> In the phrase above, "other formal names" seems to be very
pleonastic, and we would cut it off from the Italian translation.<========
11. Source Label: "Source"
Information about a second resource from which the present resource is derived.
While it is generally recommended that elements contain information about
the present resource only, this element may contain a date, creator,
format, identifier, or other metadata for the second resource when it is
considered important for discovery of the present resource; *recommended
best practice is to use the Relation element instead*.
=====>This seems to be a very strange definition as it says:
"this element may contain..., however do not use it"<====
For example, it is possible to use a Source date of 1603 in a description
of a 1996 film adaptation of a Shakespearean play, but it is preferred
instead to use Relation
"IsBasedOn" with a reference to a separate resource whose description
contains a Date of 1603. Source is not applicable if the present resource
is in its original form.
=======> The example above does not seem to be the best one to clarify how
to use the Source element. Moreover, other official D.C. documents give
different semantics - and better examples also - for that element [ see,
for example, "D.C Qualifiers/Substructure" by Rebecca Guenther]<====
13. Relation Label: "Relation"
An identifier of a second resource and its relationship to the present resource.
===> Are controlled qualifiers to be mentioned here?<====
This element permits links between related resources and resource
descriptions to be indicated.
======> The statement above is not clear to us. We have been unable to
understand which information does it add to the preceding one. <=======
Examples include an edition of a work (IsVersionOf), ............
======> Here only examples of relationships are given, whereas "relation"
is defined as the pair "An identifier of a second resource and its
relationship to the present resource". In our opinion, it should be
specified what kind of examples are those which follow.
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| Maria Bruna Baldacci | Phone: +39.(0)50.593491 |
| Istituto di Elaborazione dell'Informazione | Fax: +39.(0)50.554342 |
| Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche | Telex: 590305 IEICNR I |
| Via S. Maria, 46 - 56126 Pisa (ITALY) | E-mail: [log in to unmask] |
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