Introduction: Specialised subject gateways have become an essential tool for locating and accessing digital information resources, with the added value of organisation and previous evaluation catering for the needs of the varying communities using these. Within the framework of a research project on the subject, a software tool has been developed…

Learning objects are digital content that can be used and reused for teaching and learning. They are modular, flexible, portable, transferable (interoperable) and accessible. Learning objects may be used to teach a particular skill or concept, or to provide stimulating thinking and learning experiences for the teacher or student. A learning…

This paper summarizes the many uses of the California Postsecondary Education Commission's data system and describes work in progress on adding additional data elements. It describes how the Commission is using its Longitudinal Student Data System (LSDS) to examine the movement of students through California's public colleges and universities. The…

This paper discusses bibliographic control of knowledge resources on the World Wide Web. The first section sets the context of the inquiry. The second section covers the following topics related to metadata: (1) definitions of metadata, including metadata as tags and as descriptors; (2) metadata on the Web, including general metadata systems,…

This paper looks at three avenues of exploration related to bibliographic records that the World Wide Web environment invites--sorting out the level of control for Web material, reevaluating aspects of descriptive content requirements for these materials, and experimenting with new format structures. Part I discusses extending MARC for Web…

The Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (PMH) is designed to facilitate discovery of the "hidden web" of scholarly information, such as that contained in databases, finding aids, and XML documents. OAI-PMH supports standardized exchange of metadata describing items in disparate collections, of such as those…

Discussion of models for indexing and searching information resources on the Internet focuses on the results of a simple query on a number of existing search systems and on two proposed index metadata structures for indexing and supporting search and discovery: the Dublin Core Elements List and the Semantic Header. (52 references) (Author/LRW)

Presents a literature review that covers the following topics related to preservation of digital objects: practical examples; stakeholders; recordkeeping standards; genre-specific problems; trusted repository standards; preservation methods; preservation metadata standards; and future directions. (Contains 82 references.) (MES)

Includes five articles that discuss digital library programs related to the National Science Foundation; software for building Web portals; metadata developed at Tsinghua University Library (China) for preserving digital resources; the Open Archives Initiative for metadata and the need for a common infrastructure; and interactivity in a digital…

Discusses the use of video in distance education. Topics include incorporating digital video in teaching and learning; the Open Video Project, an on-going effort to develop an open source digital video library, including search and browse capabilities, design and development directions, and the use of metadata; and capabilities that digital video…

Details NASA's (National Aeronautics & Space Administration (USA)) involvement in defining and testing the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) and experience with adapting existing NASA distributed searching DLs (digital libraries) to use the OAI-PMH and metadata harvesting. Discusses some new digital…

Presents a brief survey of Open Archives Initiative (OAI) e-print repositories, and of services using metadata harvested from e-print repositories using the OAI protocol for metadata harvesting (OAI-PMH). Discusses several situations where metadata harvesting may be used to further improve the utility of e-print archives as a component of the…

Explains the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model which was proposed by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) as a framework to proceed content-based analysis and developing metadata format. Presents a case study that examines the feasibility of the FRBR model at the National Palace…

Evaluates the effectiveness of using the HTML META tag to improve retrieval of World Wide Web documents through Internet search engines. Analysis of sample searches suggests that the use of the keywords attribute in a META tag substantially improves accessibility whereas use of the description attribute alone does not. (Author/LRW)

When providing access to digital images, there are three elements to consider: structure, location, and appearance. These considerations are illustrated with two examples--a book and a photograph collection. Each of the elements is then described in detail. (AEF)