Coding types:
These sites
were chosen for their definitions and descriptions of the different types of coding mechanisms.
ZVON.org--The Guide to the XML Galaxy.
This is a great site for beginner's in XML coding. The home page offers the latest news in the industry and a searchable glossary. There are links for professionals as well as beginners. The glossary is only searchable and doesn't offer definative terms.
Understanding MARC Bibliographic Machine-Readable Cataloging
by Betty Furrie.
This document was developed by the Library of Congress and the Follett Software Company. It provides information on the MARC format and a general overview of the language necessary to create MARC records. The site is not searchable.
Core Standards for Markup Language Technologies
hosted by Cover Pages.
Cover Pages claims to be the "online resource for markup language technologies." They are true to their name. This page offers an overview of the more common examples of markup language. The standards referred to here are the encoding schema. This site has many ads which can be a distraction to the usefulness of the information.
Introduction to HTML
by Alan Richmond, Web Developers Virtual Library.
This site offers information on the basics of HTML coding. There are lots of links within the text to definitions of terms. The site is full of ads and may have too many links for the beginner.
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
hosted by OCLC
"The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative is an open forum engaged in the development of interoperable online metadata standrads that support a broad range of purposes and business models." Dublin Core is a well organized site. The site is easily navigable and offers quality information. The text is a bit small and the site is a bit cluttered.
W3C
World Wide Web Consortium
W3C is a consortium that "develops interoperable technologies to lead the Web to its full potential." There is an excellent navigation system, with a prominent link for "finding your way at W3C." This link takes you to a page that explains the site and its intent. Tutorials are offered for getting started and understanding the language of markup language. Their are lots of links and sub-categories which can get the user lost in the Web.
MARC Standards
Library of Congress--Network Development and MARC Standards Office
The LOC offers field by field explanation of MARC data in a systematic way. This site includes the history of MARC, the formats, and the move to XML. This site is more for the professional cataloger but useful for anyone dealing with online databases.
Articles:
Technology publications available free on the web.
Tool for Building Digital Libraries
by Martha Anderson, D-Lib Magazine
Anderson describes W3C, Dublin Core and the semantic web in concise and readable terms. The focus is on the registration of various types of schema used in the field. This is a great resource to find the resource that best fits the users needs in defining and applying metadata specifications. This is one article of many available in D-Lib.org.
Microsoft's Library of XML and Web Services technical articles
Microsoft Developer's Network.
Microsoft is a technical company. The language used is extremely technical, but they have authoritative rights. The library can be searched or topical headings can be clicked on. Articles can be found for novices as well as professionals. This is a great site to understand the technical language and technologies associated with markup languages.
Introduction to the Resource Development Framework
by Erin Miller, OCLC, D-Lib Magazine.
Miller's articles discusses the W3 initiative to provide structure to metadata for the World Wide Web. The Resource Development Framework (RDF) was created by W3 to "define a simple, yet powerful model for describing resources." The author further compares Dublin Core with RDF as the definitive resources for metadata schema. This article is useful to understand the implications of what the future of metadata can offer.
Associations:
Interests in certifications and legalese of the technology industry.
National Information Standards Organization
NISO provides standards to publishers and librarians worldwide. "Accredited and designed by the American National Standards Institute...to represent U.S. interests to the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO)." This is truely an authoritative and informative website for the librarian. The site is easily navigable and offers links to many of the organizations, initiatives and standards of the industry.
American Society for Inforamtion Science and Technology
ASIST provides conferences and continuing education for the information professional. They provide information on new developments in techniques and technologies in the field. The site is simple and easy to navigate. There is few links to other organizations or standards development.
Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
OASIS "is a not-for-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards." The Board of Directors are from the leading technology companies worldwide. Though not intended for the librarian, this site provides standards for markup languages and leading technology changes. They also sponsor XML.org and xml.coverpages.org.
Models and Tools
Example of current software that uses metadata and markup language standards.
HotMeta search engine
The Software Product Manager company sells products that use Dublin Core metadata schema. Free trial downloads are available. This site is from Australia and can be difficult to navigate.