The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative “popularized the idea of “core metadata” for simple and generic resource descriptions” and its initial 15 descriptive elements became an international standard and a component of the Open Archives Initiatives Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. The Dublin Core community has subsequently developed in two directions – one developing application profiles to support particular implementation communities and the other developing in a way that would make its data structures more compatible with RDF and support the uptake of Dublin Core around Linked Data (http://dublincore.org/metadata-basics/). At this time there is, therefore, a very wide spectrum of usage of Dublin Core.

There are a number of projects in the UKOER programme which have identified themselves as using Dublin Core, they are:

• Unicycle
  • http://unicycle-leedsmet.ning.com/
• Open Content Employability Project
  • http://cuba.coventry.ac.uk/ocep/
• Open Exeter
  • http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/educationenhancementprojects/openexeter/
• OTTER (considering using DC)
  • http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-research-alliance/projects/otter
• OpenStaffs
  • http://www.staffs.ac.uk/about_us/projects/openstaffs/index.jsp
• Berlin (considering using DC)
  • http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/berlin.html
• ChemistryFM (early intention)
  • http://chemistryfm.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/
• OLE Dutch History (early intention)
  • http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dutch/OER/
• ADOME
  • http://www.adm.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/sector-projects/art-design-media-open-educational-resources-adm-oer-project
• TRUE
  • http://economicsnetwork.ac.uk/projects/oer
• Open Educational Resources Pilot
  • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/an/oer-project/oer-project.as
• Phorus
  • http://phorus.health.heacademy.ac.uk/
• Humbox
  • http://www.llas.ac.uk/projects/3233
• Skills for Scientists
  • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/physsci/home/projects/skillsforscientists
• UK Centre for Bioscience OER Project (considering use of DC Terms for html based resources)
  • http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/oer/

Projects using Dublin Core at least in part because they’re using OAI-PMH
(I’ve made the assumption those using OAI-PMH are implementing it according to the protocol and thus creating OAI_DC)

• Unicycle
• Open Content Employability Project
• OpenStaffs
• ChemistryFM
• ADOME
• TRUE
• Phorus
• Humbox

Projects creating a mapping to DC to promote interoperability
(this mapping may go beyond OAI_DC)

• Unicycle
• Berlin (investigating mapping to DC)
• Open Educational Resources Pilot (investigating mapping to DC)

Projects implementing the latest version of Dublin Core: DC Terms

• OpenExeter
• UK Centre for Bioscience OER Project (considering)

Projects for whom Dublin Core is not their primary standard

• Unicycle
• Open Content Employability Project
• OpenStaffs
• Berlin
• TRUE
• ChemistryFM (not sure – using WordPress (with OAI-ORE plugin) and institutional repository)

Reflections

• Projects will be creating Dublin Core metadata as a side effect of their deposit into JorumOpen – but this isn’t a choice to use DC in the programme as such.
• I think there is a definite tension between the ongoing use of OAI-DC as part of OAI-PMH and the uptake and use of DC Terms.
• This overview of the use of does not comment on the element / term choices used as part of the use of Dublin Core.