Top-level Element: <targetAudience>

Element	<targetAudience>
Definition	A description of the intellectual level of the audience for which the resource is intended.
Attributes	authority; authorityURI; valueURI; displayLabel; altRepGroup; lang; script; transliteration
Subelements	None

GUIDELINES | EXAMPLES | MAPPINGS

GUIDELINES FOR USE

Use this element whenever there is a specific audience for a resource (for example, a text marked up specifically for historians).

Do not use <targetAudience> to indicate audiences to whom access or use of the resource is limited; include this information in the <accessCondition> element.

When more than one target audience is recorded, the element is repeated.

Either a controlled list of values or free text may be used.

Specific DLF/Aquifer Guidelines

The DLF/Aquifer Implementation Guidelines for Shareable MODS Records recommend the use of at least one <targetAudience> element when applicable, and a controlled vocabulary when available. Note that these guidelines do not limit the use of the <targetAudience> element to the intellectual level of the audience.

The use of the authority attribute is recommended if applicable. Use this attribute whenever possible to indicate the controlled vocabulary used. The DLF/Aquifer guidelines recognize that the Target Audience Code and Term Source Codes, maintained by the Library of Congress, contains only one source code: "marctarget", which itself contains a very limited set of values. If this source is not of use, these guidelines recommend that the value of the <targetAudience> be expressed clearly and be generally understandable outside of the local context of the resource.

See the <targetAudience> entry in the DLF/Aquifer Summary of MODS Requirements and Recommendations Table for further information on requirements of this element, its attributes, and subelements.

Aggregator information: Aggregators may use this field to separate out content to audiences of differing intellectual interests and levels. This is not currently common practice.

The DLF/NSDL Best Practices for Shareable Metadata does not discuss audience as a general class of elements.

Element Description

Attributes

authority

Definition

The controlled list from which the value is taken.

Application

Record the name of the authoritative list used for the values in the <targetAudience> element, if applicable. Consult Target Audience Code and Term Source Codes, for a list of possible controlled vocabularies and their source codes.

authorityURI

Definition

A URI uniquely identifying the vocabulary from which the controlled term has been selected, as assigned by the body responsible for the maintenance of the vocabulary.

Application

URIs identifying authorities may or may not be dereferenceable to human- or machine-readable information on the authority file, controlled vocabulary, or thesaurus.

valueURI

Definition

A URI uniquely identifying the term or controlled value from a vocabulary, as assigned by the body responsible for the maintenance of the vocabulary.

Application

URIs identifying terms may or may not be dereferenceable to human- or machine-readable records for the term.

altRepGroup; lang; xml:lang; script; transliteration; displayLabel

See the Attributes used throughout the schema for descriptions of each.

Subelements

There are no subelements for <targetAudience>.

Top

EXAMPLES

<targetAudience authority="marctarget">adolescent<targetAudience>

<targetAudience authority="marctarget">adult<targetAudience>

<targetAudience displayLabel="grade level">kindergarten<targetAudience>

<targetAudience>Genealogists<targetAudience>

<targetAudience authority="marctarget">juvenile<targetAudience>
<targetAudience authority="marctarget">adolescent<targetAudience>
[Resource contains information targeted to both juvenile and adolescent audiences]

Top

MAPPINGS

MARC Mapping (Bibliographic)

<targetAudience authority="marctarget"> ≈ MARC 21 fields 008/22 (BK, CF, MU, VM), 521.

See also MARC Mapping to MODS for the <targetAudience> element.

Dublin Core Mapping

The MODS to Dublin Core Metadata Element Set Mapping does not provide a mapping for <targetAudience>.

Top

Last Updated: February 18, 2011