ISO/IEC 19788-2:2026 – Information technology for learning, education and training

ISO/IEC 19788-2:2026 defines a set of metadata properties for describing learning resources, drawing on the properties of ISO 15836-1 and ISO 15836-2 and expressing them within the framework established by the ISO/IEC 19788 series. This page summarises the standard's record data, scope and compliance context for engineers, procurement specialists and quality managers working with digital learning content and repository systems.

Standard Information

ISO/IEC 19788-2:2026 is a current international standard published under the joint ISO/IEC technical programme. It addresses metadata for learning resources, and specifically the Dublin Core properties, within the broader field of information technology for learning, education and training. The document is intended for organisations that create, manage or exchange descriptive records of digital learning materials. - Designation: ISO/IEC 19788-2:2026
- Full title: Information technology for learning, education and training - Metadata for learning resources - Part 2: Dublin Core properties
- Status: Current
- Publication date: 2026-09-09
- ICS classification: 35, 35.240, 35.240.90
- Technical committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36

Scope and Application

The document supplies a set of properties for describing learning resources, taken from ISO 15836-1 and ISO 15836-2, and re-expresses them using the framework given in ISO/IEC 19788-1. In practical terms, it maps the familiar Dublin Core descriptive vocabulary into the structured property model of the Metadata for Learning Resources (MLR) framework. A distinctive feature of the specification is its treatment of codomains. It defines properties whose codomain is a literal value, as considered in early Dublin Core, alongside properties whose codomain is a resource class. The ISO 15836 series implicitly permits both approaches, and this document makes that duality explicit. The result is full interoperability when expressing existing Dublin Core records within the MLR framework, while at the same time allowing a linked data approach for describing learning resources. Organisations operating learning repositories, content catalogues or educational platforms can apply the standard wherever resource descriptions must be exchanged or harmonised across systems.

Products and Materials Covered

As an information technology standard, this document covers no physical products, materials or test specimens. Its object is descriptive metadata: the properties used to characterise learning resources in digital form, such as educational content items held in repositories or content management systems. The ICS classification confirms this positioning. Class 35 covers information technology in general, 35.240 covers IT applications, and 35.240.90 identifies applied IT specifically in the field of learning, education and training. Accordingly, the standard applies to software, platforms and data services that produce or consume learning resource descriptions, and to the data models underlying them.

Testing and Compliance Considerations

Conformance work for metadata standards differs from physical type testing, yet follows comparable logic. An accredited laboratory or assessment team first establishes which properties from the standard a system implements, then verifies that records produced by the system conform to the specified property definitions, codomain types and syntax. Documentation is central to this process. Suppliers of repository or cataloguing systems should maintain a conformance statement listing the implemented properties, their codomains and any mappings to legacy Dublin Core records. Acceptance verification typically examines sample records for correct structure and for faithful round-trip conversion between Dublin Core and MLR representations. Retest or reassessment triggers include revisions of the standard, changes to the underlying framework documents, or system updates that alter metadata handling. Quality managers should schedule periodic record sampling so that continued interoperability is demonstrated rather than assumed, particularly where linked data expressions are exchanged with external partners.

Related Standards and Series Context

The designation itself conveys the document's structure. ISO/IEC indicates a standard developed through the joint technical committee programme of ISO and IEC. The number 19788 identifies the series on metadata for learning resources, and the suffix "-2" marks this as Part 2, one part within a multi-part series governed by the common framework referenced in the abstract. The year 2026 in the designation denotes the publication year of this edition under the current dating convention for international standards. Readers who require the authoritative text, including any corrigenda or related parts, should obtain it through official ISO or IEC channels. This page offers an interpretive overview only and does not supply the document itself.