About the DCMI Timeline

Learn about the DCMI Timeline project and the history of Dublin Core metadata standards.

About the DCMI Timeline

Overview

The DCMI Timeline is an interactive visualization of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative’s history, spanning over 30 years of innovation in metadata standardization. This project documents conferences, publications, organizational milestones, and key developments that shaped how we organize and discover digital resources.

About Dublin Core

The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) is an organization supporting innovation in metadata design and best practices. Dublin Core began in 1995 with an invitational workshop in Dublin, Ohio, which brought together librarians, digital library researchers, content experts, and text-markup experts to address the challenge of resource discovery in the rapidly expanding World Wide Web.

The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set

The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is a vocabulary of fifteen properties for use in resource description. The name “Dublin” refers to Dublin, Ohio, USA, where the original workshop took place, while “Core” refers to the broad, generic set of elements that are broadly applicable across disciplines.

The fifteen elements are:

  • Title
  • Creator
  • Subject
  • Description
  • Publisher
  • Contributor
  • Date
  • Type
  • Format
  • Identifier
  • Source
  • Language
  • Relation
  • Coverage
  • Rights

Timeline Project

Purpose

This timeline project aims to:

  • Preserve and document DCMI’s rich history
  • Make the evolution of metadata standards accessible and understandable
  • Highlight key conferences, publications, and organizational developments
  • Provide a resource for researchers, practitioners, and anyone interested in metadata history

Data Sources

The timeline data has been compiled from:

  • Official DCMI conference proceedings
  • Published academic papers and reports
  • DCMI organizational records
  • Community contributions and historical documentation

Technology

This website is built using:

  • Hugo - Static site generator
  • Tailwind CSS - Styling framework
  • Alpine.js - Interactive components
  • vis-timeline - Timeline visualization library

Get Involved

Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve the timeline data and website. If you have information about events not included or corrections to existing entries, please:

  • Visit the project repository
  • Submit corrections or additions
  • Share your knowledge of DCMI history

Contact

For questions or more information:

  • Visit the official DCMI website: dublincore.org
  • Join the DCMI community discussions
  • Follow DCMI on social media

Credits

This timeline project was developed to serve the metadata community and honor the decades of work by countless individuals who have contributed to Dublin Core’s success.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to:

  • The DCMI community for their decades of dedication
  • All conference organizers and participants
  • Researchers and practitioners who have documented DCMI’s history
  • Contributors to this timeline project

License

Timeline data is compiled from public sources and available for educational and research purposes. Individual references and citations retain their original copyrights.

Last updated: {{ now.Format “January 2006” }}