17:610:553 DIGITAL LIBRARIES
Tefko Saracevic, MIchael Lesk

Fall 2002

Exercise 5

As was mentioned, at the course Web site you can access a separate directory: "D-Lib Edu: Sources for Education in Digital Libraries" http://scils.rutgers.edu/~tefko/Courses/553/D-Lib_Edu/.The purpose is to create a general resource that will contain links to great many sources and sites that are relevant to facilitating and furthering education for and study of digital libraries.

In this exercise you will select sources found in D-Lib Edu under Metadata. First click on D_LibEdu_home.htm. Then go to Metadata. There you will find a description and an assortment of sites. The file is organized in two parts: Standards and projects and General information.

The object of the exercise is to get acquainted with resources dealing with metadata and to learn some basic approaches to standards of use in digital libraries. Read the introduction first.

1. From the section Standards and projects examine three sites (but you do not have to stop there)

(i) U.S. Library of Congress. Standards

(ii) World Wide Web Consortium (this is a complex site and it will take some exploring to hit on metadata). But you can get also directly to http://www.w3.org/Metadata/. Explore Resource Description Framework (RDF) in http://www.w3.org/RDF/.

(iii) a site of your own choosing and interest.

Describe the scope and objectives of the given organization and the coverage of the site. Also: pick up one standard at the site and synthesize it.

2. From the section General information examine two sites (or more if you wish):

(i) International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). Digital libraries: Metadata resources.

(ii) a site of your own choosing and interest.

Again, describe the scope and coverage of the site. Also: pick up one specific aspect or standard and synthesize it.

In other words, you will examine and report on five sites. Or more, if you find something interesting.