DC 2006: The International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications (Metadata for Knowledge and Learning)

3-6 October 2006

Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico

Ann Apps attended the DC 2006 conference (http://dc2006.ucol.mx/) held in the Karmina Palace Hotel, Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico on 3-6 October 2006, hosted by the University of Colima.

During the meeting of the DCMI (Dublin Core Metadata Initiative) Collection Description Working Group, Ann gave a presentation about IESR: IESR, A Registry of Collections and Services: Using the DCMI Collection Description Profile in Practice (http://epub.mimas.ac.uk/papers/dc2006/apps-iesr-dc20061004.ppt). This presentation focused particularly on IESR's use of the DCMI Collection Description Application Profile as the basis of the Collection Description part of the IESR Application Profile. The IESR metadata model is also based on the underlying DCMI Collection Description model and the DCMI Abstract Model.

Ann also presented a paper at the conference: Customising Location of Knowledge (http://epub.mimas.ac.uk/papers/dc2006/appsmac-dc2006.html), which described recent developments in Zetoc (http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/) to enhance OpenURL linking for both organisations and individuals, and to provide RSS feeds for journal issues. Although not specifically about IESR the paper describes interoperability developments within the Information Environment.

As usual, the Dublin Core conference was a mix of conference paper presentations, meetings of DCMI working groups, and special sessions with a particular focus, such as one on social tagging that may instigate a new DCMI Community Group. The papers covered many domains including vocabularies and ontologies, education and interoperable models. Experiences were shared of using metadata and metadata models in various disciplines.

The language issues that occur within an international community were highlighted by the conference being held in a Spanish-speaking country. For the main conference programme, keynote speakers and paper presenters, there was simultaneous translation available. The English speaking attendees needed to use this service for the first morning when talks were in Spanish.

The location for the conference was the resort hotel, Karmina Palace. Palm trees, swimming pools and the Pacific Ocean provided an unusual but beautiful setting for a conference. Fortunately the welcome air-conditioning in the conference rooms encouraged people from the temptations of the very hot and humid outdoors. A superb performance by the 'Folkloric Ballet' of the University of Colima on an outdoor stage was unfortunately cut short by a tropical storm, although the dancing to the lightning backdrop made the performance even more spectacular.

There were 187 participants in the conference, representing 24 countries. DC 2007 will be in Singapore.