description

• Obligation:  See Application Profiles
• Occurrence:  See Application Profiles
• Conditions:  See Application Profiles
• Scheme:  See Application Profiles

Element Semantics (Definition)

An account of the content of the resource.

General

• Name:  description
• Label:  Description
• Namespace:  http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/
• Registration Authority:  Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI)
• Notes:  Description may include but is not limited to: an abstract, table of contents, reference to a graphical representation of content or a free-text account of the content.

Best Practices

1. Descriptive information can be taken from the resource itself if there is no abstract or other structured description available. If a description cannot be found in the introductory or front matter, or in the first few paragraphs of a page, it may be created by the cataloger. A description should usually be limited to one or two concise sentences. Include important words and phrases an end user might use in searching. Look at the title of the page as well as the entire page to get the sense of its purpose.
2. Enter descriptive text, remarks, and comments about the object. This information can be taken from the resource or provided by the cataloger.
3. Enter here specialized information not included in other elements, e.g., measurements of a depicted object, description, provenance, technique, distinguishing features, inscriptions, condition, and history of the work.
4. All encodings (e.g., XML, RDF/XML, XHTML) should provide information regarding the language of the value assigned to the «description» element (e.g., "xml:lang='en'"). This is true even for collections whose records are solely in English since those records in GEM will be mixed with records in different languages. GEM makes no default assumptions regarding language at either the element or record level.

Metadata Encodings Examples

• Resource Description Framework (RDF/XML)
  

  <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
  <rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf='http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#'
      xmlns:dc='http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/'>
  <rdf:Description>
      <dc:description xml:lang='en'>In this lesson, students research Sir 
      John Franklin and trace his efforts to find
      the Northwest Passage.</dc:description>
  </rdf:Description>
  </rdf:RDF>

• XML (Tags & Attributes)
  

  <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
  <record xmlns:dc='http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/'>
  <dc:description xml:lang="en">
      In this lesson, students research Sir 
      John Franklin and trace his efforts to find
      the Northwest Passage.
  </dc:description>
  </record>

• Crosswalks
  IEEE LOM: 1.5:General.Description
  MARC: 520$a