Although the web accessibility of universities around the world is well documented, much remains unknown about this aspect of higher education institutions in the UK. Using three automated web accessibility tools (TAW, WAVE and EIII Page Checker), this study explores the accessibility of the homepages of 66 research-intensive universities with…

The DoD's [Department of Defense's] Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative is designing a framework of commercial standards, technical specifications, and business rules to enable plug and play interoperability of learning technologies. The Total Learning Architecture (TLA) framework will allow education and training products to…

The Total Learning Architecture (TLA) program sponsored by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative seeks to develop a set of policy and standards defining the process for developing a "learning ecology," where multiple services and learning opportunities (of various modalities and points of delivery) can be managed in an…

The rise of apps and mobile devices has opened the door to small, dedicated software programs that are focused on singular tasks. From the author's perspective as head of digital access and web service manager at Montana State University, these apps offered an opportunity to build a focused digital service aimed at allowing someone to enter a…

Librarians are familiar with the single-line form, the consolidated index, which represents a very large portion of a library's print and online collection. Their end users are familiar with the idea of a single search across a comprehensive index that produces a large, relevancy-ranked results list. Even though most patrons would not recognize…

The use of the Web to deliver open, distance, and flexible learning has opened up the potential for social interaction and adaptive learning, but the usability, expressivity, and interoperability of the available tools leave much to be desired. This article explores these issues as they relate to teachers and learning designers through the case of…

Describes DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model), a set of interface standards that addresses information or work management and workflow. Topics include cross-platform development for client-server applications based on object-oriented technologies; new Microsoft server products; and the future of workflow. (LRW)

The Web puts a huge number of learning resources within reach of anyone with Internet access. However, many valuable resources are difficult to find due to the lack of interoperability among learning repositories. In order to achieve interoperability, implementers require a common query framework. This paper discusses a set of methods referred to…

Discusses the Z39.50 standard (pertaining to client software) that provides information searching and retrieval from remote servers to offer a consistent user interface; reviews currently available client software; and provides a checklist for evaluating Z39.50 client software. (LRW)

Discusses the underutilization of computerized systems in human services practitioners' work and presents the Graphical Case Record, developed at a child development center in Israel, as a computerized interface congruent with practitioner work style, supportive of professional treatment standards, and easy to use. (Author/LRW)

Creating archival descriptions in a digital environment and communicating across the Internet is not the same as traditional paper-based communication. As in other cultural domains, in archival description the medium influences the structure and content of information. The SIASFI Project and the Online Guide to the State Archives of Florence are…

Digital libraries of the future will be shaped by the technologies, standards, and models adopted today. This article examines interoperability of library systems, metadata standards, copyright management, fair use, preservation of digital information, problems resulting from technological advancement, costs, print versus Web resources, and…

In the case of digital collections of text, provision of a simple unified user interface faces several challenges, among them a tension between intellectual adequacy and simplicity of access. Examines the question of how to allow cross-collection searching and display while preserving the variation in texts and their markup and points to…

Visually impaired users are hampered by current PC software written for graphical user interfaces. Screen readers that vocalize displayed text require standardization that remains missing in the programming industry; the readers cannot interpret many cues in the Windows environment. More programming standards and adaptive technology for computers…

The article reports the results of a usability study of an EAD interface. Findings indicate that subjects had trouble understanding archival terminology and how best to search for information in finding aids. Furthermore, they were not familiar with the structure or contents of finding aids. In addition to building interfaces that minimize…