DCMI 2024: Call for Participation
Metadata Innovation: Trust, Transformation, and Humanity
October 20-23, University of Toronto, Canada
DCMI 2024, the twenty-second International Conference on Dublin Core and
Metadata Applications, invites researchers, practitioners, and experts
from diverse domains to explore the dynamic landscape of metadata in the
theme of Trust, Transformation, and Humanity. The fast-paced advances in
artificial intelligence (AI) create new research fronts for metadata.
While AI can bring benefits to research, learning, and society at large,
it has also supercharged deepfake contents that are used for nefarious
purposes. Ensuring trustworthy AI and applications is the first line in
responsible metadata research and practice and in fighting the
misinformation, disinformation, and deepfake contents. Metadata is
quickly expanding its role in providing transparent, trustworthy, and
effective representation of data, information, and knowledge in the
transformation from “data about data’’ to data-underpinned knowledge. In
this expansion of metadata roles, we strive to bring innovative metadata
ideas, projects, and practices together to foster and protect
humanity.
DCMI 2024 serves as a unique platform for the discussion of “innovative
research and practice” - presenting visions for future metadata
development and solutions to practical metadata problems. Join
researchers, practitioners, and experts from a wide range of sectors in
a collaborative exploration of metadata’s evolving role through your
papers, posters, panel discussions, best practice reports,
designathon/hackathon, workshops, and more.
DCMI 2024 will feature exclusively in-person meetings, with the
exception of workshops, which may be conducted either in-person or
virtually.
Key areas:
Under the conference theme Metadata Innovation: Trust, Transformation,
and Humanity, the DCMI 2024 conference welcomes submissions on the
following topics broadly related to metadata design, deployment, and
best practices (but not limited to):
- Data Integrity and Reliability: Innovative metadata research and
practices that ensure data integrity, accuracy, and reliability.
- Ethics and Metadata: Addressing ethical considerations in metadata
creation and management to build trust.
- Adaptation to Emerging Technologies: Transforming metadata
constructs and systems to enable the full utilization of
technologies in AI, linked data, and knowledge bases.
- Metadata and Data Science: Application of data science theories and
methods in developing linked, intelligent metadata to facilitate
transformation.
- Metadata for the Public Good: The implications and significance of
metadata in trustworthy AI; the role of metadata in supporting the
fight against nefarious deepfakes, misinformation, and
disinformation; open data, open science, and open metadata.
- Cultural and Social Dimensions of Metadata: Digital humanities and
metadata, semantic and computational metadata for cultural heritage
objects, equitable metadata representation for historical materials,
and critical study of metadata theories, practices, standards, and
tools.
- Interoperability and Reusability: Solutions and practices in
creating FAIR metadata, case studies of data reusability fostered by
metadata, and new data structures and models supporting metadata
interoperability.
Submission Guidelines
- At least one author of an accepted submission must be physically
present at the conference to present the work in person (*with an
exception of the student forum).
- Submissions must follow the guidelines for one of the categories
enumerated below.
- All submissions must be in English.
- All submissions must be made via the Submission System,
go.dublincore.org/dcmi-2024/submission-portal
- Submissions must be a single Portable Document Format (PDF) along
with the document’s source.
- The source file should be Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or LaTeX
files in a single compressed zip file (.zip).
- Authors are required to include their ORCID in their submissions.
Templates
- All submissions must use the official DCPapers template for DCMI
conference proceedings.
- Templates for both Microsoft Word and LaTeX are available in the
DCPapers template repository. Template files can be downloaded from
github.com/dcmi/dcpapers-templates/releases/latest
- Any modification to the template, including but not limited to
adjustments in margins, typeface sizes, line spacing, paragraphs,
and list definitions, is discouraged.
- Users of Microsoft Word are required to install the Libertinus font
family on their computer. The DOCX template contains detailed
installation instructions.
- Users familiar with LaTeX should prefer the LaTeX template.
- An Overleaf template is available at
go.dublincore.org/dcmi-2024/overleaf-template
- Please use GitHub issues exclusively for inquiries and reporting
template-related issues at github.com/dcmi/dcpapers-templates/issues
- Detailed formatting guidelines are included in both the DOCX and
LaTeX templates.
- Authors are required to add their ORCID in the submission as
indicated in the templates.
Submission categories
Note:
- The open-access conference proceedings are indexed by Scopus, DBLP,
Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, ACM, and Crossref. Online
proceedings will be available before the start of the conference.
- Presentation slides, poster slide images, and student forum extended
abstracts will be published on the DCMI website.
Full papers
Full papers either describe innovative work in detail or provide
critical, well-referenced overviews of key developments or good
practices.
- 8-10 pages, single-spaced, plus references
Short papers
Short papers are narrower in scope than full papers and may be either a
description of work in progress, or a project report that concisely
describes a specific model, application, or activity.
- 4-5 pages, single-spaced, plus references
Panels
Panel sessions are organized by experts in a specific area of metadata.
Each panel serves as a focused exchange regarding the latest research
and/or best practice in the area.
- 1-2 page abstract with panelists’ bios of 100-150 words each
Workshops
Workshops engage participants in active work to address one or more
well-defined problems or issues. The style of workshops may vary
depending on the organizers, and may include
presentation/discussion-based or problem-solving-based activities.
- 3-4 hours (half-day) or 6-8 hours (full-day)
- 1-2 pages of descriptions
- Objectives
- Format (In-person or Virtual)
- Names of organizers
- Event plan (Agenda or Activities)
- Descriptions will be included in the online Proceedings
Conference registration is required (Full registration or one-day
registration).
Project reports
Project reports are for the presentation, demonstration, and evaluation
of work-in-progress related to metadata best practices.
- 2-page abstract, single-spaced, plus references
Posters
Posters are for the presentation of projects, research under
development, or late-breaking results.
- 2-page abstract, single-spaced, plus references
Tutorials
Tutorials introduce specific topics of current interest in metadata
practice, optionally including hands-on practice. Proposals for
tutorials must include:
- 2-3 page proposal including:
· Title of tutorial and topic to be covered (2-3 paragraphs)
· Target audience and expected learning outcomes
· Tutorial style: lecture, demonstration, hands-on practice, etc.
· Any prior knowledge required (e.g., RDF, programming languages)
· Whether participants must (or should) bring laptops or install
software beforehand
· Presenter bios (100-150 words each)
Student Forum
The student forum aims at providing an opportunity for master’s and
doctoral students to share their experiences and exchange ideas of best
practices, research in progress, and findings in areas related to
metadata innovation.
- Less than 1500 words plus references
- All presenters at the student forum will receive free registration
for the conference
- All presenters participating in the Student Forum will automatically
qualify for the Student Forum Award competition. Winners will be
chosen by the Student Forum Committee, and they will receive prizes
of $300 for first place and $200 for second place to assist with
travel expenses.
Important Dates
Deadlines for submissions:
- Papers (full and short), Panel, and Workshop: April 15th, 2024,
23:59 (AoE)
- Posters, Project Reports, Student Forum, and Tutorials: May 27th,
2024, 23:59 (AoE)
- Best Practices and Talks are by invitation
Notification to authors:
- Paper, Panel, and Workshop: June 17, 2024
- Poster, Project Reports, Student Forum and Tutorials: June 24, 2024
Final copy of papers due: July 8, 2024
Ayoung Yoon, Ph.D.
Program Chair, DCMI 2024
White Paper: Envisioning a Natural History Collections Action Center
Link to paper: https://www.idigbio.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/Envisioning….
Please register and show your support for the paper's findings at the link below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJVjAZTn6d2GL_11aq4_gIQbQM35vKJvS…
In 2020, an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released its report, Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. Recommendation 8-1 of the report called for the establishment of a national Action Center for Biological Collections, which was codified into law by the U.S. Congress as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. In 2023, a series<https://us3.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.idigbio.org%2Fw…> of webinars and national workshops brought together around 300 biological collections curators, collections managers, museum leaders, research and early career professionals, Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts, and related stakeholders to envision the features and functions of such an action center. The series was co-sponsored by iDigBio, NSC Alliance, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, American Institute of Biological Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, New York Botanical Garden, LA County Natural History Museum, and the Field Museum.
Recommendations from these workshops are now available in a newly released white paper, Envisioning a Natural History Collections Action Center (linked above).The recommendations underscore and strengthen the essential role that biological samples and repositories play in medical science, human health, food security, pathogen-borne disease, biosecurity, a strong bioeconomy, mitigating deleterious effects of climate change, and conserving ecological services for human use and subsistence.
Workshop organizers are now inviting individuals to register your support for the findings presented in the white paper (see above link). Although this is a U.S. report, collections professionals from around the world are invited to show their support. The results of this survey as well as the white paper will be shared with the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Gil Nelson PhD, Director
Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio)
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
gnelson(a)floridamuseum.ufl.edu<mailto:gnelson@floridamuseum.ufl.edu>
[FM_logo_horizontal_CMYK]
Link to very short survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJVjAZTn6d2GL_11aq4_gIQbQM35vKJvS…
In 2020 an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released its report Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. Recommendation 8-1 of the report included establishment of a national Action Center for biological collections, which was codified into law by the U.S. Congress as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. In 2023 a series of webinars and national workshops was convened to envision the action center. The recommendations of these workshops are itemized in the attached white paper Envisioning a Natural History Collections Action Center. A list of the participants in these workshops is included as the final pages of the white paper. Here we ask you to register your support of the findings presented. Although this was a U.S. report, we welcome all collections professionals to register your support. The results of this survey as well as the white paper will be provided to the U.S. National Science Foundation.
On behalf of the organizers, many thanks!
Gil
Gil Nelson PhD, Director
Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio)
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
gnelson(a)floridamuseum.ufl.edu<mailto:gnelson@floridamuseum.ufl.edu>