Describing Materials Using Dublin Core
Dublin Core is a flexible, widely used standard for creating metadata—data about an information resource. It is designed to be easy to implement while also being powerful enough to describe a broad range of resource types. Whether you are cataloging a book, a photograph, an object, a film, or something else entirely, Dublin Core provides a structured approach to metadata that promotes consistency and discoverability.
Most Dublin Core fields can include multiple values. When entering more than one value in a field, separate them with a semicolon.
Title
The name of the resource. This might be a formal published title or one supplied by the cataloger, such as "Doorway of Walt Disney Home." It is not necessary to specify the resource type in the title, such as "Photograph of..." or "Film Recording of..."
Creator
The person or people responsible for creating the resource—authors, photographers, performers, or artists, for example. This field can contain multiple entries. Use a controlled vocabulary, like the Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF), whenever possible to ensure consistency across records.
Rights
Include copyright and use information relevant to the resource. This helps users understand how the material can be accessed, shared, or reused.
Type
The general category of the resource. Dublin Core provides a standardized vocabulary, including terms like:
Text
StillImage
Sound
MovingImage
PhysicalObject
Collection
Not all terms will apply to every institution or collection.
Date
The date the resource was created. Use the format YYYY-MM-DD, and include as much detail as possible. For approximate dates, use "ca." (circa), or qualifiers like "before" or "after" if the exact date is unknown.
Description
Provide a narrative description of what the resource depicts or includes. Mention individuals, actions, colors, objects, locations, or events. Avoid making assumptions without evidence. Description is not a neutral act, and care should be taken to describe materials ethically and inclusively.
Include specific names of individuals when known, even if it takes extra research. For example, try to identify someone referred to only as "Mrs. Husband's Name."
Helpful resources:
Anti-Racist Description Resources
Society of American Archivists Description Resources Portal
Format
This is a more technical counterpart to the Type field. Use Internet Media Types (also called MIME types), such as:
image/tiff
audio/mpeg
application/pdf
The first part defines the general type, and the second part describes the file format.
Language
The language of any textual content in the resource. Write out the full name of the language, e.g. "English," "Spanish," or "Japanese."
Coverage
Coverage describes the geographic or temporal context of the resource. For example, include a town, city, or state name. Spell out full state names rather than using abbreviations.
Publisher
If the item is a published resource (such as a book or video), include the name of the publisher, production company, or equivalent. If not applicable, leave this field blank.
Contributor
Use this field to name individuals who contributed to the resource but are not the primary creator—such as translators, typesetters, or assistants. As with the Creator field, use a controlled vocabulary like LCNAF when possible.
Extent
Indicates the size or number of parts in the resource. This could be the number of pages in a book, dimensions of an object, or the file size of a digital asset.
Identifier
This field must be unique. Use the base filename of the digital file without its extension, for example, "traindepot_001" for a file named "traindepot_001.tiff." This way, derivatives like JPGs can still be linked back to the original.
Relation
This field describes how the digital item relates to the physical original. Use collection names, call numbers, object IDs, or box and folder information to indicate where the original item is held or how it is organized.
Subject
Describe the subject matter of the content using a controlled vocabulary such as:
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
Using standardized vocabularies improves consistency and supports better search functionality across records.
Dublin Core offers a clean, structured way to describe a wide variety of resources. Its flexibility, combined with guidance around consistency and controlled vocabularies, makes it an ideal metadata standard for museums, libraries, archives, and digital collections. Implemented thoughtfully, it can help ensure that your materials are easier to search, understand, and ethically represent.
