About the Organization and Process
The Dublin Core has become an important part of the emerging infrastructure of the Internet. Many communities are eager to adopt a common core of semantics for resource description, and the Dublin Core has attracted broad ranging international and interdisciplinary support for this purpose.
To date, the effort has succeeded on the force of the energy and personalities of the cadre of individuals who have invested their intellect and enthusiasm. Continued progress will require more of the same. In addition, expanding acceptance of the Dublin Core will require organizational stability and a formal process for refinement and change.
The DCMI-Structure &
Operation outlines formal procedures to support the evolution
of the Dublin Core. These procedures are, for the most part, borrowed
from other standards communities. Every effort will be made to
keep them lightweight and efficient, and always with an eye on
the goal of nurturing the international consensus that has become
the most valuable asset of the Dublin Core Initiative.
The Dublin Core Directorate
The Dublin Core Initiative has from its beginning been an international consensus-building
activity. The Dublin Core Directorate will, in consultation with
advisory committees, render judgments as to the character of the
consensus and the state of the Dublin Core. The Directorate coordinates
Dublin Core workshops, working group activities, and dissemination
of information about the Dublin Core initiative via the Web site
and other publications. The Dublin Core Directorate is currently
hosted by the OCLC Office of Research and Special Projects.
The Dublin Core Executive
Committee
The Dublin Core Executive Committee (DC-EC) is comprised of the
Director and Associate Director of the Dublin Core Directorate
and three additional members chosen from the DC-Advisory Committee
based on their demonstrated expertise and institutional commitment
to the advancement of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. The
role of this committee is to manage the ongoing activities of
the Initiative. The DC-EC confers by teleconference approximately
twice monthly and through email. Its responsibilities include
scheduling and managing the discussion of working group deliverables,
following up on scheduled activities, tracking scheduled deliverables,
and identifying and prioritizing concerns of the Dublin Core Community.
The Dublin Core Advisory Committee
The Dublin Core Advisory Committee (DC-AC) is comprised of individuals
selected for their technical and policy contributions to the advancement
of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. DC Working Group chairs
are members of the DC-AC, as well as other individuals who bring
particular experience in relevant technical and policy areas.
Members are also selected with an eye towards supporting the geographic
diversity appropriate to the international scope of the Dublin
Core Metadata Initiative.
The DC-AC is charged with providing the DC Directorate with advice
and guidance concerning the worldwide development of the Dublin
Core. Specific responsibilities include reviewing and discussing
working group deliverables, approving working group charters,
and ratifying Dublin Core Recommendations. In addition, DC-AC
members represent the Dublin Core to other technical and policy
forums around the world.
Workshop Series
The Dublin Core Workshop Series has gathered experts from the library world, the networking and digital library research communities, and a variety of content specialties in a series of focussed, invitational workshops. The building of an interdisciplinary, international consensus around a core element set is the central feature of the three-year evolution of the Dublin Core. The progress represents the emergent wisdom and collective experience of many stakeholders in the resource description arena.
Working Groups
Working groups are formed and dissolved as necessitated by the work at hand
and the availability of expertise to accomplish such work. Working
groups will be comprised of volunteers with the interest, expertise,
and time to contribute to the solution of problems.
The Guidelines for Dublin
Core Working Groups defines the procedures which are employed
indeveloping Dublin Core specifications and in carrying out other
tasks to advance the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative.
The Dublin Core Web Site
The Dublin Core Web site is the formal repository for information about the workshop series, working group activities, standards activities, and related information. As the major public entry point to the Dublin Core, the Web site will include areas such as:
- Workshop Web sites and documents
- Working Group issue lists and related documents
- Bibliography of Dublin Core publications
- Links to implementation projects
- Standards documents
- Working papers
- Frequently Asked Questions
Mailing Lists
The DC-General mailing list has served as the central discussion forum for Dublin Core issues since the second Dublin Core workshop. The list will continue to be the primary venue for broad community discussion of Dublin Core recommendations and announcements of planned DC events.
Information on how to join the mailing list can be found at
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/dc-general/join.html
Additional mailing lists are maintained for discussion of Working Group activities
(see Working Groups pages
for further details)
Metadata for this page: http://purl.org/dc/about/index.htm.rdf
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