LSC 555 IS Webliography by Margaret Weatherford

LSC 555 Information Systems Webliography: XML and Metadata
by
Margaret Weatherford

General sources
- World Wide Web Consortium
  The World Wide Web Consortium has the goal of developing interoperable technologies to increase the effectiveness of the Web, and its site includes information on topics such as metadata, XML, and the semantic web. The site's strengths are comprehensive coverage and authoritative sources. Its weaknesses are that it has a cluttered design and can be too technical for some users.
- Writing for the Web
  Writing for the Web: A Primer for Librarians provides a basic web design tutorial for librarians, with some introductory information and resources on metadata and XML. The site's strengths are its simplicity and ease of use and comprehension. Its weakness is that it has relatively little information.
Metadata
- Dublin Core
  The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative is dedicated to developing interoperable online metadata standards, and its site provides information on its projects as well as other resources on metadata. Its strengths are authority, comprehension, good design, and an excellent page of metadata software tools. A weakness is that the content could be better organized.
- Metadata Resources Digital Library
  This is a digital library of internet resources on metadata from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Its strength is that it includes numerous links. Its weakness is that it has several broken links.
- UKLON Metadata Resources
  From the United Kingdom Office for Library Networking at the University of Bath, this page includes links to metadata projects in the United Kingdom and other metadata resources and registries. Its strength is the valuable resources, particularly the tools for mapping between metadata formats. Its weakness is the lack of annotations for the links or other explanatory information.
- Metadata.net
  From the Distributed Systems Technology Centre in Australia, this page has links to metadata editors, projects and registries. Its strength is the metadata editors, which can create metadata for HTML or RDF files. Its weaknesses are not having anything besides links on the home page and having relatively few links.
- Data Standards and Guidelines (Research at the Getty)
  From the J. Paul Getty Trust, this site provides information on metadata standards for the description of art objects in digital libraries and an "Introduction to Metadata" tutorial. Its strength is the well-written tutorial. The design of the tutorial is a weakness, as it shows the text in a small window requiring too much scrolling.
- METS Standard
  The Metadata Encoding & Transmission Standard is a standard for using XML in digital libraries set by the Library of Congress. Its strength is comprehensive technical information on the METS standard. Its weaknesses are that it is too technical for many users, and that the home page is only links to other pages with few annotations.
- Introduction to Metadata
  An introduction to metadata by Chris Taylor of the University of Queensland Library. Its strengths are that it is clear and comprehensive. Its weakness is only that the design could be more attractive.
- Metadata: Cataloging by any other name
  An article from 1999 that explains the concept of metadata and links to many metadata projects. Its strength is its explanations of the various metadata projects. Its weakness is that it is relatively out of date.
- Metadata, The Mac, and You
  An article in the arstechnica online magazine on metadata for Macintosh users. Its strength is the unusual focus on Macintosh systems. Its weakness is that it covers only a small issue.
Geographic Metadata
- FDGC Metadata Resources
  The Federal Geographic Data Committee's metadata page focuses on federal metadata standards for digital geographic information. Its strengths include links to numerous other online resources on geographic metadata, as well as downloadable presentations and other educational tools on metadata. Its weakness is that the site has little content of its own.
- A "How-To" Guide on Metadata Implementation
  From the National States Geographic Information Council, this is a guide to metadata implementation. Its strength is that it is a clear and through explanation of how and why to add metadata to geographic information. Its weakness is that it dates from 1998, so it may be partially out of date.
- The Coastal Metadata Reference Guide
  The Coastal Metadata Reference Guide from the NOAA Coastal Services Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration includes an introduction to metadata and links to metadata training and use tools. Its strengths are the training material and tools provided. A weakness is that there should be more explanation of the resources.
- Metadata Tools for Geospatial Data
  This site reviews metadata tools for geospatial data. Its strength is that it provides a service that does not seem to be available elsewhere. A weakness is that it could use more background material explaining what metadata tools are and how to use them.
- GIS and Metadata
  This is an article by Peter Schweitzer, "Putting Metadata in Plain Language," giving a non-technical explanation of the use of metadata in digital geographic data. Its strengths are clarity and simplicity. Its weakness is that it does not provide an in-depth understanding of the subject.
XML
- XML.org
  An organization for "applying XML and web services standards in industry," this site contains news and other resources relating to XML. Its strengths include arranging content by professional field and providing news updates.
- XML.com
  This is a magazine-style site that includes numerous articles and weblogs on XML and related topics. The strength of this site is its depth of content. The cluttered layout is a weakness.
- XML Central
  This is Netscape's XML resource page, with articles, links, and resources on using XML in Netscape. Its strength is the specialty in Netscape programing. Its weakness is that it has relatively few resources.
- XML Developer Center
  This is Microsoft's XML Developer Center, with articles, downloads, and other information on XML. Its strengths are the comprehensive background information and that it provides sample XML codes for Microsoft software. The format is a weakness, with narrow columns requiring a lot of scrolling down.
- PerfectXML.com
  Another magazine-style collection of articles and resources on XML. Its strength is the large amount of content, including chapters from books, a glossary, and even a crossword puzzle. Its weakness is that the content is arranged by type rather than subject.
- Cover Pages: Extensible Markup Language
  This is a list of XML links. Its strength is that it has many links. Its weaknesses are that it is very technical and is laid out in long narrow columns, requiring lots of scrolling.
- XML developer news from XMLhack
  This is a news site for XML developers. Its strength is a comprehensive listing of XML news, archived by date and subject, as well as relevant links. Its only weakness is that it requires linking to other sites to get the news.
- The Apache XML Project
  The site of the Apache XML development project. Its strength is that it has detailed information on the Apache projects. Its weakness is that it is very technical and difficult to understand.
- XMLfiles.com
  This is another magazine-style site with articles on XML, as well as background information on XML topics. Its strength is a simple explanation of the subject under "XML basics." Its weakness is its cluttered layout and unclear navigation.
- Cafe con Leche XML News and Resources
  This is a collection of XML news and resources. Its strength is the extensive resources, including development tools and book reviews. Its weakness is that the news is in a large column taking up most of the page, so the resources are in a narrow column with no annotations for the links.
XML Tools
- TopXML: XML Tools, XML Articles, and XML Learning Tutorials
  Commercial site providing tools for XML users, including software sales and free tutorials. Its strength is the several free tutorials on different aspects of XML programming. Its weaknesses are the crowded layout and the ambiguity between the free and fee services.
- Free XML Tools and Software
  This is an index of free XML tools available for download online. Its strength is that it provides links to many free XML tools. Its weakness is that it has little information about the tools.
Semantic Web
- Semantic Web.org
  The semantic web is a movement to increase usability of the web with metadata, and this site provides information on various metadata topics and projects. Its strength is current and comprehensive information on the semantic web movement. Its weaknesses are a cluttered design and a lack of background information.
- W3C Semantic Web
  The World Wide Web Consortium site includes this page on the semantic web movement. Its strengths are the large amount of background information provided and the authoritative sources. Its weakness is that the layout could be more user-friendly.