HUD's Web Publication Procedures and Style Guide

Appendix C: Metadata Guidelines

10. The Elements

dc.audience

• Definition: A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful.
• Repeating: Yes
• Purpose: To allow searches for information based on type of audience.
• This element may also be used for creating cross-agency searches based on audience.
• Notes: The value for this element should be selected from a controlled vocabulary. The Department of Education has one controlled vocabulary (found at http://www.ed.gov/admin/reference/index.jsp); HUD will create one for our use as well. Controlled vocabularies should be harmonized wherever possible.
• Not to be confused with: -
• Examples: Students, News Media, Homebuyers, Researchers
• HTML syntax: <meta name="dc.audience" content="students"> <link rel=schema.dc href=" http://purl.org/dc/terms/audience">
• Note: for multiple audiences, it is acceptable to use a single <meta> line and separate entries with a semicolon such as: <meta name="dc.audience" content="students; researchers"> <link rel=schema.dc href=" http://purl.org/dc/terms/audience">
• Value Domain: The text value must not exceed 100 words nor contain restricted characters.
• Validation: The value of this element is presumed to be "all audiences" under certain conditions: if this element is absent; or if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null.
• Mapped to: Dublin Core: Audience

dc.creator

• Definition: An entity primarily responsible for making the content of the resource.
• Repeating: Yes
• Purpose: Enables the user to find resources that were written or otherwise prepared by a particular individual or organization. Also can be used to find the individual or organization that "owns" the content for maintenance purposes.
• Notes: Using the job title rather than a person's name enhances the ability to locate information, although personal names may be needed for legal purposes and/or audit trails. The "creator" element is further enhanced when the full organizational hierarchy and full contact information are provided. Since acronyms may not be well known, it is best to use the full official title or cross-reference an appropriate glossary or explanatory note. Cross-agency portals should use the "creator" element to list the primary sponsoring agency or agencies who manage the website.
• Not to be confused with: Office U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Records Management Division, Office U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Records Services – Washington, DC, Modern Records Program
• Examples: Person John Carlin, Archivist of the United States
• HTML syntax: <meta name="creator" content="John, Carlin, Archivist of the United States">
• <meta name="creator" content="National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Archivist">
• Note: for multiple creators, separate entries with a semicolon.
• Value Domain: For personal author names, the text value is not required to be "normalized" (i.e., structured according to lexical rules distinguishing family name, honorific, etc.).
• Validation: The set of metadata is incomplete under certain conditions: if this element is absent or if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null.
• Mapped to: DoD 5015.2-STD – Contributor, Creator; Dublin Core – Contributor, Creator; e-GMS – Contributor, Creator; GILS – Author (Corporate name); NARA LCDRG – Contributor

dc.date.created

• Definition: Date of creation of the resource.
• Repeating: No
• Purpose: To show the date the information resource was "created." Among the many uses of this element are to determine how long the information resource has been available, the interval between when the resource was created and when it was last reviewed, or when the content should expire.
• Notes: The organization or individual listed in the "creator" element will usually determine the date created. This date may not necessarily reflect the date the information resource was actually created as there are often resources that are created but embargoed until a certain date and time. Information that was created and made publicly available in another format (e.g., a speech given by a prominent official) at an earlier date may carry the date the information was first made available (as an oral presentation or transcript) and not the date the web version was made available. Suggestions for information resources which were created before the release of this implementation guide include:
  • the date created (if known)
  • the date the information resource was last redesigned
  • the date the information resource was last reviewed
• Pay particular attention to the value domain field below. If a date does not include the month in a two-digit format (e.g., January=01), the data for this element will be considered invalid.
• Not to be confused with: Date Valid—The "date valid" element identifies the last time the information resource was updated or reviewed to ensure correctness and currency.
• Examples: 2002-12-02
• HTML syntax: <meta name="date.created" content="2002-12-02">
• Value Domain: Date is represented in "YYYY-MM-DD" format, one of the ISO 8601 formats, consisting of the four digit Gregorian HUD Metadata Implementation Guide 2004-09-21 12 calendar year (YYYY), the two digit month (MM) valued from 01 to 12, and the two digit day (DD) valued from 01 to 31.
• Validation: The set of metadata is incomplete under certain conditions:
  • if this element is absent or occurs more than once
  • if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null
  • if the date is not presented in the correct yyyy-mmdd format
• or if the "date created" value is a date later than any "date reviewed" value when present.
• Mapped to: Dublin Core—Created, date Created; e-GMS—date.created;

dc.date.valid

• Definition: Date of validity of a resource.
• Repeating: No
• Purpose: To show the date the information resource was last reviewed and certified current and accurate.
• Notes: To comply with HUD's policies and standards, each web page should be reviewed at least once every 3 months to ensure it is current and accurate. This date can (and probably should) be the same as the date displayed on the page that shows when the page was last reviewed. Pay particular attention to the value domain field below. If a date does not include the month in a two-digit format (e.g., January=01), the data for this element will be considered
• invalid.
• Not to be confused with: dc.date.created—The date created element is used to identify when the web page was originally made available. Date Valid and Date Created could, technically, be the same date. However, the intention of the "date reviewed" element is to record when the last review, after creation, occurred.
• Examples: 2003-01-01
• HTML syntax: <meta name="date.reviewed" content="2003-01-01">
• Value Domain: Date is represented in "YYYY-MM-DD" format, one of the ISO 8601 formats, consisting of the four digit Gregorian calendar year (YYYY), the two digit month (MM) valued from 01 to 12, and the two digit day (DD) valued from 01 to 31.
• Validation: The set of metadata is incomplete if:
• the date is not presented in the correct yyyy-mm-dd format
• the "date reviewed" value is a date earlier than any "date createded" value when present.
• Mapped to: Dublin Core: Date Valid

dc.description

• Definition: An account of the content of the resource.
• Repeating: No
• Purpose: This is the text describing the web page. The text should help the user decide if it fits their needs.
• Notes: Description should use complete words and phrases that describe the subject or contents of the information resource. The description is often used as the text returned by search engines to give the user a sense of what is available on the information resource. Description may include but is not limited to: an abstract, table of contents, or a free-text account of the content.
• Not to be confused with: Do not confuse with dc.subject, which should use keywords preferably selected from a controlled vocabulary.
• Examples: Definitions of common metadata as applied to government information resources, agreed for the U.S. Federal Government under the E-Government Act of 2002.
• HTML syntax: <meta name="description" content="Definitions of common metadata as applied to government information resources, agreed for the U.S. Federal Government under the Egovernment Act of 2002.">
• Value Domain: The text value must not exceed 100 words or contain restricted characters.
• Validation: The set of metadata is incomplete under certain conditions: if this element is absent; or if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null.
• Mapped to: e-GMS—Description; GILS—Abstract; Dublin Core—Description

dc.language

• Definition: A language of the intellectual content of the resource.
• Repeating: Yes
• Purpose: Enables users to limit their searches to pages in a particular language.
• Notes: This element is repeatable to indicate when more than one language is present. The code set for the metadata is assumed to be Latin-1. Setting this element should indicate the ability of the speaker of such a language to extract useful content, rather than simply the appearance of a word or phrase from a given language.
• Not to be confused with: -
• Example: For a web page written in English: Language: eng; For a resource written in Spanish: Language: spa; For a resource written in both Spanish and English: Language: eng; spa
• HTML syntax: <meta name="language" content="eng"> <meta name="language" content="spa"> <meta name="language" content="eng; spa">
• Value Domain: The text value must exactly match one of the natural language identifiers listed in ISO 639-2 which can be found at http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/englangn.html.
• Validation: The value of this element is presumed to be "eng" under certain conditions: if this element is absent; or if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null.
• Mapped to: Dublin Core—Language; GILS—Language of resource; e-GMS—Language

dc.subject

• Definition: The topic of the content of the resource.
• Repeating: Yes
• Purpose: Enables users to limit their searches to resources in a particular language.
• Notes: Typically, a Subject will be expressed as keywords, key phrases or classification codes that describe a topic of the resource. We will use a controlled vocabulary (which has not been created yet). Department of Education has a controlled vocabulary found at http://www.ed.gov/admin/reference/index.jsp
• Not to be confused with: Distinguish from dc.description, which is a plain text description of the web page.
• Example: Homebuying, Renting, Public Housing
• HTML syntax: <meta name="subject" content="Public Housing"> <meta name="subject" content="Rental Assistance"> <meta name="subject" content="Public Housing; Rental Assistance">
• Value Domain: The text value must match one of the choices from a controlled vocabulary.
• Validation: The value of this element is presumed to be invalid under certain conditions: if this element is absent; or if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null.
• Mapped to: Dublin Core—Subject; GILS—; e-GMS—Subject

dc.title

• Definition: A name given to the resource (web page).
• Repeating: Yes
• Purpose: Enables the user to find a resource with a particular title or carry out more accurate searches.
• Notes: If the information resource does not have a formal title, the creator should establish a meaningful title that is user oriented and brief. Title is commonly used as a key reference result in lists of search results. There can be multiple titles for the same information resource. For example, there might be a title for the informal name of the website (HUD home page), another title element for the formal (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Home Page).
• Not to be confused with: Web site title U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Home Page; Web site title Homes and Communities
• Examples: document Application by Thomas McCarthy for Admission to Western Branch Soldier's Home
• HTML syntax: <meta name="title" content="U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Home Page"> <meta name="title" content="Homes and Communities">
• Value Domain: The text value must not exceed 100 words nor contain restricted characters.
• Validation: The set of metadata is incomplete under certain conditions: if this element is absent; or if the value of this element is empty, spaces, or null.
• Mapped to: Dublin Core—Title; e-GMS—Title; GILS—Document Title