Profiles
ZineCore2
Dublin Core Application Profile for Zines
Overview
ZineCore2 is a Dublin Core–based application profile for describing zines and related DIY publications. It specifies a set of elements, value constraints, and usage notes optimized for zine creators, community archives, and union catalogs.
ZineCore2:
- Builds on community work such as xZINECOREx and zine union catalog efforts.
- Aligns elements with Dublin Core Terms (DCMI) where possible.
- Adds zine-specific properties for series, issue, and edition.
- Targets JSON and JSON‑LD as primary exchange formats.
The ZineCore2 profile is defined over the DCMI “description set profile” model and encoded using DC Tabular Application Profiles (DC TAP) for machine readability.
Resource Type
ZineCore2 describes instances of the conceptual resource type Zine:
- Class: zine:Zine
- Typical instances: single issues of zines, pamphlets, small-run DIY publications.
Each issue is generally modeled as a separate ZineCore2 description. Series, issues, and editions are distinguished using specific properties (series_title, issue_designation, edition_statement).
Element Set
This profile uses:
- Dublin Core Terms (http://purl.org/dc/terms/).
- A small ZineCore2 namespace (https://zinecore.org/v2/zine#) for zine-specific terms.
ZineCore2 defines one primary shape:
- zineShape – description of a zine issue.
ZineCore2 Shape: zineShape
The table below summarizes the properties used for zineShape. Detailed semantics and examples follow.
| ID | Label | DC Mapping | Required | Repeatable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title | dcterms:title | yes | no | Main issue title |
| series_title | Series Title | dcterms:isPartOf | no | yes | Name of zine series |
| issue_designation | Issue / Numbering | zine:issueDesignation | no | no | Issue number/label |
| edition_statement | Edition / Version | zine:editionStatement | no | yes | Edition/version description |
| alternative_title | Alternative Title | dcterms:alternative | no | yes | Subtitle, variant titles |
| creator | Creator | dcterms:creator | yes | yes | Person/collective primarily responsible |
| contributor | Contributor | dcterms:contributor | no | yes | Other contributors |
| subject | Subject | dcterms:subject | yes | yes | Topical terms |
| genre | Genre | dcterms:type (zine:genre) | yes | yes | Zine type/form |
| abstract | Abstract / Description | dcterms:description | no | no | Summary description |
| table_of_contents | Table of Contents | dcterms:tableOfContents | no | no | Text TOC |
| public_notes | Public Notes | dcterms:description | no | yes | Public-facing notes |
| publisher | Publisher / Press | dcterms:publisher | no | yes | Publisher or press |
| date | Date | dcterms:date | yes | yes | Publication/creation dates |
| physical_dimensions | Physical Dimensions | dcterms:format | no | no | Height × width |
| number_of_pages | Number of Pages | dcterms:format | no | no | Page count |
| format | Format / Production | dcterms:format | no | yes | Production method |
| binding_features | Binding and Features | zine:binding | no | yes | Binding type & physical features |
| language | Language | dcterms:language | yes | yes | Languages |
| place_of_publication | Place of Publication | dcterms:coverage | no | yes | Spatial coverage (place) |
| coverage | Coverage | dcterms:coverage | no | yes | Spatial/temporal coverage of content |
| source | Source / Acquisition | dcterms:source | no | yes | Acquisition/source info |
| relation | Relation / See Also | dcterms:relation | no | yes | Related works |
| rights | Rights / Freedoms & Restrictions | dcterms:rights | yes | yes | Rights & copying statements |
| identifier | Identifier | dcterms:identifier | no | yes | Local, union, URI identifiers |
Cardinality and Constraints (Narrative)
- Required properties (minimal record): title, creator (may be “Anonymous”), date, subject, genre, language, rights.
- Series/Issue/Edition:
- series_title is RECOMMENDED when a zine is part of a named series.
- issue_designation is strongly RECOMMENDED when series_title is present.
- edition_statement is OPTIONAL and repeatable, used for reprints and special editions.
- Controlled vocabularies:
- subject SHOULD use a zine subject thesaurus where available.
- genre SHOULD use a curated genre list (perzine, fanzine, etc.).
- rights SHOULD use a finite list of statements and/or Creative Commons URIs.
- Privacy:
- All elements above are intended to be public, except that source MAY be internal when it reveals sensitive donor information.
- Implementations MAY define local, non-exchange fields for real names, contact details, and internal notes.
Example ZineCore2 Description
{
"id": "zine_mutate_3_1st",
"title": "Mutate Zine #3",
"series_title": ["Mutate Zine"],
"issue_designation": "No. 3",
"edition_statement": ["First printing"],
"creator": ["Judith Arcana"],
"contributor": ["Eberhardt Press"],
"subject": ["Abortion rights", "Reproductive justice"],
"genre": ["Perzine"],
"abstract": "Essays and resources on abortion access and reproductive rights.",
"publisher": ["Eberhardt Press"],
"date": ["2009"],
"physical_dimensions": "5.5 x 8.5 in",
"number_of_pages": 24,
"format": ["Photocopy"],
"binding_features": ["Stapled"],
"language": ["English"],
"place_of_publication": ["Portland, OR, USA"],
"rights": ["All rights reserved"],
"identifier": ["local:LIB-000456", "union:ZUC-AB123"]
}