Documentation
Welcome to the ZineCore2 documentation. Whether you're cataloging zines for a library, managing a distro's inventory, or building a digital archive, this documentation will help you understand and implement ZineCore2 metadata standards.
What is ZineCore2?
ZineCore2 is a family of four interrelated Dublin Core Application Profiles (DCAPs) and controlled vocabularies designed specifically for describing zines, their creators, holdings, and repositories. Built on library standards but accessible to everyone—from zinesters to librarians to developers.
Documentation Sections
Learn what ZineCore2 is, choose which profiles you need, and decide on an implementation approach.
Perfect for newcomers
Complete technical reference for all four profiles, controlled vocabularies, and metadata standards.
For implementers and metadata specialists
Online validators, JSON-LD playground, vocabulary browser, and developer APIs.
Test and explore ZineCore2 metadata
Documentation for the Django REST API server—installation, architecture, and API reference.
For developers self-hosting
Quick Navigation
I want to...
- Understand the basics → What is ZineCore2?
- Choose which profiles I need → Choosing a Profile
- Validate JSON metadata → Schema Validator
- Browse vocabulary terms → Controlled Vocabularies
- Download schemas and contexts → Downloads
- Access the HTTP API → Vocabulary API
- Use with AI tools → AI Integration
- Self-host the API server → Reference Implementation
The Four Profiles
ZineCore2 consists of four distinct but interconnected metadata profiles:
| Profile | Purpose | Typical Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| ZineCore2 | Describes zines and DIY publications | Bibliographic cataloging, discovery systems |
| AgentCore2 | Describes creators, contributors, publishers | Author directories, pseudonymous creators |
| HoldingCore2 | Describes specific physical/digital copies | Library holdings, circulation, inventory |
| RepoCore2 | Describes repositories holding zines | Library catalogs, distro listings, archives |
Standards & Interoperability
ZineCore2 is built on established library and web standards:
- Dublin Core — All profiles use Dublin Core terms with profile-specific extensions
- JSON-LD — Every profile includes JSON-LD contexts for semantic web integration
- JSON Schema — Validation schemas ensure metadata quality
- SKOS — Controlled vocabularies follow W3C SKOS standard
- ISO Standards — Language codes (ISO 639), country codes (ISO 3166), dates (ISO 8601)
Your ZineCore2 metadata can integrate with MARC, BIBFRAME, Schema.org, and other metadata ecosystems.
Features
- Controlled Vocabularies — 8 curated vocabularies for subjects, genres, rights, and more
- Multiple Formats — JSON, JSON-LD, SKOS/Turtle, CSV, Dublin Core XML
- TypeScript Support — Full type definitions for developer tooling
- Content Negotiation — HTTP APIs serve multiple formats based on Accept headers
- Privacy-Aware — Support for pseudonymous and anonymous creators
- Extensible — Add custom fields while maintaining interoperability
- Open Source — CC0 specification, CC BY vocabularies
Get Started
Choose your path:
Community & Support
- Specification Repository — github.com/ZineCore2/spec
- Reference Implementation — github.com/ZineCore2/server
- Report Issues — Use GitHub Issues for bugs and feature requests
- Suggest Vocabulary Terms — Submit pull requests to the spec repository