CLSC 555 IS Webliography by Ann Carter Lammay

CLSC 555 INFORMATION SYSTEMS WEBLIOGRAPHY: Technology Standards
by
Ann Carter Lammay

General Overview
- NIST Virtual Library, Produced by National Institute of Standards and Technology
  This is a website that would benefit any user interested in standards related to many topics. This particular web page has a compiled set of links to other websites that help with the general overview for standards. There are links for standards resources, databases, organizations (ANSI, IEEE, ISO, NISO), and publications. In addition to the various links available, there is an ‘Ask the Librarian’ function that allows users to IM with librarians to help receive required help or information. Unfortunately, there were a couple of broken hypertext links and some of the resources were not available to the general public (subscription basis only).
- Standards for the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) - A Review of Recent Developments, Ongoing Efforts, Future Directions and Issues, by Mark H. Needleman
  This is an article that touches on many of the standards that are relevant for today’s librarians and information specialists. Topics covered include Z39.50, Unicode, SGML, and EDI. As a strong point, it gives the reader a great overview of just how many standards upon which we rely. As a weak point, the title states that the article is a review of recent developments, but there’s no publication date listed. It’s difficult to understand how relevant the recent developments may be since there’s no point of reference.
- The Standards Redirector, Produced by Mozilla
  This webpage provides a centralized location that has links to many topics relating to technical standards. The resource page is broken down in to topics with a pull down option which lists related categories. Some of the broader categories include standards organizations, protocols, graphics, markup, and metadata. Each of these categories has a drop down box that lists more specific topics within the category. The site is a good start for those that may be interested in creating a digital library or want an overview of the standards industry as a whole.
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Bibliographic Standards
- What is a MARC Record, and Why Is It Important?, Produced by Library of Congress
  This is a great resource for those that are looking to understand or purchase bibliographic data. The document is broken in to six sections where each one details a specific component of the MARC standard. Among the information supplied is a definition of the MARC standard, why it's necessary, common terms and definitions, and possible issues surrounding MARC records such as data quality. There are a couple of tables which help to illustrate a bibliographic record using 'plain English' and the same information using the MARC standard.
- Keeping Dublin Core Simple: Cross-Domain Discovery or Resource Description?, by Carl Lagoze, D-Lib Magazine
  This article presents valid arguments why users of the Dublin Core standard for cataloging / organizing internet resources should keep a process that is simple and easily deployable. The author argues that until there is a standard for more complex principles that has been widely distributed and accepted, the Dublin Core elements will suffice. This article is targeted to those parties that may be interested in the organization of metadata. There are diagrams that are helpful in illustrating the author’s arguments. Overall the article is easy to read and understand.
- Review of Metadata Formats, by Rachael Heery
  With the ever increasing amount of internet resources and the need to make them easily indexed, the author compares several bibliographic standards by reviewing their characteristics and outlining their strengths. The formats reviewed include MARC, IAFA templates, TEI headers, and URCs. Before the standards are reviewed, Heery points out that there needs to be some agreement of how and which network resources should be indexed. The internet has many more resource types (instead of simply books, journals) than what can be found in a traditional library and the resources remain on the internet way past their 'shelf' life. Next, Heery outlines which criteria will be used for comparing the record characteristics. When analyzing the standard, the article gives insight as to which parties are currently using the standard, the degree of ease when it comes to creating the record, the record structure, and the designated content. This article is a valuable resource for anyone that is trying to research and agree on a bibliographic standard for a Digital Library.
- Descriptive Metadata: The TEI Header, MARC, and AACR2, by Randall Barry, Library of Congress
  This site offers the notes for a lecture that Randall Barry delivered. It’s a useful format because the main points are presented in an outline format so they are clear and concise. Mr. Barry gives a brief description of each standard and goes on to describe what purpose they serve. It also presents the reasons why it may not be feasible that a MARC record can be generated from information in the TEI instance with no cataloger intervention. The information on this site is geared to those in the library profession who may have a particular interest in cataloging.
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Communication Standards
- Introduction to TCP/IP, by H. Gilbert, PC Lube and Tune
  This article is posted on PC Lube and Tune, which is a website whose objective is to provide introductions, tutorials, and education for computer users on the Internet. It is a good introduction to TCP/IP methodology and it explains both standards and how they relate to the internet (network of networks). The article has a few grammar and spelling errors, which distract the reader, and it ends rather abruptly, but overall, the information is valuable and provides and a good overview of the topic.
- Introduction to IEEE 802.11, Produced by Intelligraphics, Inc.
  This is a great tool for those that need more information about the standards currently surrounding wireless LANs or WANs. This article specifically addresses topologies, security concerns, mobility, and reliability of the 802.11 standard. It is relatively technical and readers without prior knowledge of network standards may find it too overwhelming.
- Windows and TCP/IP For Internet Access, By Harry M. Kriz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
  This is a tutorial of sorts covering many basic functions of the internet. It is a well laid out site with hyperlinks to various topics. Readers can pick and choose which information will be the most useful for their purposes. The ‘Technical Details’ hyperlink gives the most information regarding TCP/IP standards and goes in to detail about the protocol stacks and client applications. Although the article is a good source of general information, the first draft was written in 1994 and the article was only updated until 1999. For those users that may need more technical information as opposed to general information, I would suggest using a source that is more current.
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Search & Retrieval Standards
- Z39.50 for All, by Paul Miller
  The author does a good job giving an overview of the Z39.50 protocol and includes several examples (via screen shots) which illustrate why Z39.50 is so useful and necessary. The article then delves in to the eleven basic structural blocks of the protocol, giving the reader some further detailed information, and finally concludes with a brief outline of the current topics surrounding Z39.50. The site has a very helpful glossary section after the conclusion. One section of the article has a lime green font color, which is unusually hard on the eyes. This serves as a weak point for the site.
- Z39.50 Made Simple, by Sonya Finnigan & Nigel Ward, Distributed Systems Technology Centre Pty Ltd
  This is a very helpful resource which includes diagrams of different aspects of the Z39.50 standard. The diagrams illustrate the Z39.50 protocol perspective first as it is translated for end users and then how it is translated between the client (origin) and the server (target). The article has three appendices which go in to much greater detail of Z39.50, but they are recommended for those that already have an extensive knowledge of the subject matter.
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Markup Standards
- An Introduction to the Resource Description Framework, by Eric Miller, D-Lib Magazine, May 1998
  Eric Miller’s article introduces RDF as an infrastructure that enables the encoding, exchanging, and reusing of metadata resources. The article discusses RDF background, the data model itself, and RDF syntax. The author makes two statements that basically mean the same thing to humans, but can be interpreted by a machine as two separate and non-related strings. Applying the example to the RDF data model is especially helpful in understanding the importance and function of RDF.
- Extending Your Markup: An XML Tutorial, by Andre Bergholz
  This tutorial is a good tool for those that may be looking for a more in depth analysis of XML and DTD. It gives very specific examples of entries written in XML and XML supporting languages such as XLink, XPointer, XPath, and XSchema. Through the examples, it is evident that this markup language allows the user to define namespaces and more complex structures than previous markup languages. The tutorial is technical in nature and some previous knowledge of markup languages is recommended.
- A Comparison of (Semantic) Markup Languages, by Yolanda Gil and Varun Ratnakar
  This reference is a good article which analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of 3 different markup languages: XML, RDF, and DAML+OIL. The analysis is cumbersome for those that are not familiar with markup languages. It proves to be a better resource for those with some markup language background who are interested in specifics and may be trying to decide on a markup format. The authors chose XML in the end due to its wider accessibility and ease of use.