Element:

KOS Title

Name:

KOS Title

Identifier:

KOS Title

Definition:

A name given to the KOS.

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Typically the title will be the name by which the resource is formally known. Examples of titles:

Dewey Decimal Classification

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Thesaurus of Feature Types

Element:

Alternative Title (Following Dublin Core usage, this element would be expressed as a qualifier that refines title rather than a separate element).

Name:

Alternative Title

Identifier:

Alternative Title

Definition:

Any form of the title used as a substitute or alternative to the formal title of the resource.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Any other titles given to the resource.? This element can include Title abbreviations as well as translations. Examples of variant titles:

Classification d飩male Dewey

DDC

LCSH

AOD Thesaurus

Element:

Creator

Name:

Creator

Identifier:

Creator

Definition:

An entity primarily responsible for making the content of the resource.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Examples of a Creator include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Creator should be used to indicate the entity

NKOS-WG recommends that this element contain the name of one person or organization primarily responsible for the intellectual content of the resource. The element SHOULD be repeated when more than one entity is considered to have the main responsibility for the intellectual content of the resource.

Element:

KOS Subject

Name:

KOS Subject

Identifier:

KOS Subject

Definition:

A primary subject focus of the KOS.

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Typically, a Subject will be expressed as keywords, key phrases or classification codes that describe a topic of the resource.? Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary or formal classification scheme.? See

Dublin Core Qualifiers <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmes-qualifiers/> and Using Dublin Core <http://dublincore.org/documents/2001/04/12/usageguide/> for guidance on the scheme qualifier.

For example, the primary focus of the Thesaurus for ERIC Descriptors is education.

If the KOS covers all subjects, the NKOS-WG recommends using the designation, General

Element:

Minor Subject

Name:

Minor Subject

Identifier:

Minor Subject

Definition:

A secondary subject focus of the KOS.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Element:

Description

Name:

Description

Identifier:

Description

Definition:

An account of the content of the resource

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

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.? Example:

The Thesaurus of Feature Types is designed to be used with a gazetteer to categorize the types of place/feature names for description and retrieval. It is designed according to the ANSI/NISO Z39.19 standard for thesaurus construction.

Element:

Publisher

Name:

Publisher

Identifier:

Publisher

Definition:

An entity responsible for making the resource available.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Typically, the name of a Publisher should be used to indicate the entity.

Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organization,

or a service

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service

Element:

Date

Name:

Date

Identifier:

Date

Definition:

A date associated with an event in the life cycle of the resource.

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Typically, Date will be associated with the creation or availability of the resource.? Recommended best practice for encoding the date value is defined in a profile of ISO 8601 W3CDTF <http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime> and follows the YYYY-MM-DD format.

NKOS-WG recommends use of Dublin Core qualifiers for the Date element when applicable.? See Dublin Core Qualifiers <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmes-qualifiers/#date>

Element:

KOS Type

Name:

KOS Type

Identifier:

KOS Type

Definition:

The nature or genre of the content of the KOS.

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled list of KOS types.? For example, see Taxonomy of Knowledge Organization Systems (draft) <http://nkos.slis.kent.edu/KOS_taxonomy.htm>.? Examples:

Authority file

Classification scheme

Thesaurus

To describe the physical or digital manifestation of the resource, use the FORMAT element

Element:

Format

Name:

Format

Identifier:

Format

Definition:

The physical or digital manifestation of the resource.?

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Typically, Format may include the media-type or dimensions of the resource. Format may be used to determine the software, hardware or other equipment needed to display or operate the resource. Examples of dimensions include size and duration. Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary (for example, the list of Internet Media Types <http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/media-types> defining computer media formats).

NKOS-WG recommends use of Dublin Core qualifiers for the Format when applicable.? See Dublin Core Qualifiers <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmes-qualifiers/#format>

Element:

Identifier

Name:

Resource Identifier

Identifier:

Identifier

Definition:

An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Recommended best practice is to identify the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a formal identification system.

Example formal identification systems include the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) (including the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)), the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

Element:

Language

Name:

Language

Identifier:

Language

Definition:

A language of the intellectual content of the resource.

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Recommended best practice for the values of the Language element is defined by RFC 1766 [RFC1766] <http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1766.txt> which includes a two-letter Language Code (taken from the ISO 639 standard [ISO639]), followed optionally, by a two-letter Country Code (taken from the ISO 3166 standard [ISO3166]) <http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/iso639a.html>.

For example, 'en' for English, 'fr' for French, or 'en-uk' for English used in the United Kingdom.

Element:

KOS Relation

Name:

KOS Relation

Identifier:

KOS Relation

Definition:

A reference to a related KOS.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Recommended best practice is to reference the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a formal identification system.

Example formal identification systems include the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) (including the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)), the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

Element:

Rights

Name:

Rights Management??

Identifier:

Rights

Definition:

Information about rights held in and over the resource.

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Typically, a Rights element will contain a rights management statement for the resource, or reference a service providing such information. Rights information often encompasses Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Copyright, and various Property Rights.? If the Rights element is absent, no assumptions can be made about the status of these and other rights with respect to the resource.

Example:

The Dewey Decimal Classification, 1996-2001 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Incorporated.

Element:

Entity Type (working description)

Name:

Primary Entity Type

Identifier:

Entity Type

Definition:

The primary type of entity contained in the KOS

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

For example, Concepts (e.g., chemical substance, diseases, products), Organization names, Geographic names, Personal names, Designations (e.g., acronyms, signs, symbols), etc.

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary (see the working draft list of Dublin Core Types <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary/> as an example of such a vocabulary).

Element:

Entity Value (working description)

Name:

Entity Value

Identifier:

Entity Value

Definition:

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

Element:

Relationships (working description)

Name:

Types of Relationships

Identifier:

Relationships

Definition:

The types of relationships among entities.

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

For example, Hierarchical, Associative, Synonymous, etc.

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary (see the working draft list of Dublin Core Types <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary/> as an example of such a vocabulary).

Element:

Information Given (working description)

Name:

Information given

Identifier:

Information given

Definition:

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

For example, Usage notes, Conceptual relationships, References, Date of entry, Spelling variants, etc.

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary (see the working draft list of Dublin Core Types <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary/> as an example of such a vocabulary).

Element:

Arrangement (working description)

Name:

Arrangement

Identifier:

Arrangement

Definition:

The primary arrangement of the KOS entities

Obligation:

Required

Comment:

For example, Alphabetical, Categorical, Chronological, Hierarchical, etc.

Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary (see the working draft list of Dublin Core Types <http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary/> as an example of such a vocabulary).

Element:

Application (working description)

Name:

Application

Identifier:

Application

Definition:

A free-text account of the purpose, intended audience, or application of the KOS.?

Obligation:

Optional

Comment:

Examples:

Used for the purpose of query term expansion.

Intended for public and school libraries.

PAIS subject headings are applied in the PAIS International database.