4. The Element Set

Each of the 19 NZGLS elements is described below with:

• a unique, machine-understandable, single-word element name intended for use in the computer programming rules (syntactic use) which is intended to make the specification of elements simpler for encoding schemes;
• a label, which is intended to convey a common understanding of the element;
• a definition (the semantics or meaning of the element);
• an indication of obligation; whether the element must be used to comply with the NZGLS standard;
• a comment which clarifies the meaning of the element and how it may be used, and may include examples.

Where qualifiers are used, they are described in much the same pattern below the element description with the addition of "qualifier type" (see section 5).

These five elements must be in any NZGLS record for any type of resource:

• Creator
• Function
• Subject
• Title
• Type - with the category refinement

Three other elements are mandatory for some types of resources:

• Availability - mandatory element when adding an agency, service, or off-line document; optional when adding an on-line document
• Identifier - mandatory for online resources, otherwise recommended where available. Not used for services.
• Publisher - mandatory for all documents, but not applicable for services or agency resources

Five further elements are recommended:

• Audience
• Date
• Description
• Language
• Mandate

All other elements and qualifiers are optional.

All elements are repeatable. Metadata elements may appear in any order. Elements are listed in section 6 below alphabetically within the obligation categories - mandatory, conditional, recommended and optional.

Although some environments, such as HTML, are not case-sensitive, it is recommended best practice always to adhere to the case conventions in the element and qualifier names given below to avoid conflicts in the event that metadata is subsequently extracted and converted to a case-sensitive syntax, such as XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language).