ISO 15836-2:2019

Overview

ISO 15836-2:2019 - Information and documentation - The Dublin Core metadata element set - Part 2: DCMI Properties and classes - defines the DCMI Metadata Terms vocabulary for cross‑domain resource description. Published in 2019, this ISO standard documents the properties and classes in the DCMI /terms/ namespace (as published in the DCMI Recommendation “DCMI Metadata Terms”) and identifies each term by URI for use in RDF and Linked Data. It complements ISO 15836-1 (the core elements in the /elements/1.1/ namespace) and focuses on formally specified properties and classes rather than implementation instructions.

Key topics

• DCMI Metadata Terms vocabulary: formal descriptions of properties and classes in the /terms/ namespace (labels, URIs, domain/range guidance).
• RDF and Linked Data readiness: terms are expressed as an RDF vocabulary; URIs are provided for machine‑readable resource description.
• Domain, range, subproperty, subclass semantics: narrower semantics for core terms in the /terms/ namespace through formal domain and range specifications.
• Scope exclusions: this part does not include /elements/1.1/ terms (covered in ISO 15836-1), vocabulary encoding schemes, syntax encoding schemes, DCMI Type vocabulary, or DCMI Abstract Model terms.
• Guidance, not implementation: the standard documents definitions, notes and examples (including Annex A and Annex B on linked data) but does not prescribe specific implementation rules - use is typically governed by an application profile.

Applications

• Implementing interoperable metadata schemas for libraries, archives, museums, research repositories and cultural heritage systems.
• Publishing metadata as Linked Data or RDF triples using stable URIs for properties and classes.
• Designing application profiles that constrain or extend Dublin Core terms to meet local or community requirements.
• Metadata mapping, data exchange, discovery services, cataloging and resource discovery across domains.

Who should use it

• Metadata librarians, archivists and collection managers
• Digital repository and data curators
• Semantic web and Linked Data engineers
• Software developers building cataloging, search or data‑integration systems
• Standards bodies and information architects creating application profiles

Related standards and resources

• ISO 15836-1 - Dublin Core core elements (/elements/1.1/ namespace)
• DCMI Recommendation “DCMI Metadata Terms” (official term list and guidance)
• DCMI Usage Board materials and Collection Description vocabularies (for accrual and frequency guidance)

Keywords: ISO 15836-2, Dublin Core, DCMI Metadata Terms, metadata standard, RDF vocabulary, Linked Data, metadata properties and classes, application profile.