Focuses on the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) developed by the Library of Congress' Network Development and MARC Standards Office. Discuses reasons for MODS development; advantages of MODS; features of MODS; prospective uses for MODS; relationship with MARC and MARCXML; comparison with Dublin Core element set; and experimentation with…

Discusses the loss of stored knowledge due to the continuous obsolescence of digital formats and platforms. Topics include digital storage versus digital preservation; the use of metadata and efforts to create standards for it; information on the Internet; and the need for long-term planning to solve digital degradation. (LRW)

This literature review, covering materials between 1996 and 1998, focuses on the development and application of metadata standards used by the library and information science communities to describe, retrieve, and manage information in the digital environment. Discusses MARC as metadata; SGML-based metadata; and the Dublin Core element set.…

Introduces a hybrid method for abstracting Chinese text that integrates the statistical approach with language understandings, incorporating some linguistics heuristics and segmentation into the abstracting process. Initial responses from application to Chinese newspaper articles show that the method contributes much to the flexibility and…

Describes the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, an international standard for describing information resources being used to describe Internet resources. Discusses the changing nature of MARC, Dublin core versus MARC for cataloging records, Dublin Core in the library world, and the OCLC-sponsored CORC (Cooperative Online Resources Catalog) project.…

Describes a study that examined an experimental multi-site image distribution scheme among museums and universities in California, The Museum Educational Site Licensing Project, whose content was primarily digital images and metadata. Discusses barriers to using digital images; digital image distribution; comparing digital images to analog slide…

This paper presents a platform-independent method for packaging learning objects and learning designs. The method, entitled a Smart Learning Design Framework, is based on the MPEG-21 standard, and uses IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) to provide bibliographic, technical, and pedagogical descriptors for the retrieval and description of learning…

Metadata is often created in a time-consuming process by catalogers, digital library technicians, and others. It is then underused in the systems. But recent experiments by some library organizations indicate that only the surface is being scratched on what data can do. The American West Project at the California Digital Library (CDL) is…

This article explores the archivists' and librarians' definition of a collection, and how they respectively arrange their collections in the context of collection development and collection management issues in a digital library. It centers on possible cooperative solutions and highlights, as a case study, the efforts of the Auburn University…

Reusable learning objects are an approach that is receiving a significant amount of attention in distance-based and online education (see Reports # 11, 40, and 46 in this series). They have the potential to provide cost-effective, personalised instruction with a short development time. Instructional design principles, however, must play an…

A wide range of projects and organizations is currently making digital learning resources (learning objects) available to instructors, students, and designers via systematic, standards-based infrastructures. One standard that is central to many of these efforts and infrastructures is known as Learning Object Metadata (IEEE 1484.12.1-2002, or LOM).…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the design and implementation of music courseware that features a music search system that uses impression keywords. The paper applies the courseware to "Kansei" (sensibility) development for elementary and junior high school students. The objectives of this courseware are to cultivate…

Chinese brush calligraphy is a valuable civilization legacy and a high art of scholarship. It is still popular in Chinese banners, newspaper mastheads, university names, and celebration gifts. There are Web sites that try to help people enjoy and learn Chinese calligraphy. However, there lacks advanced services such as content-based retrieval or…

In the last issue, this journal asked a question on many librarians' minds, and it was pleased with the depth and variety of responses. As suggested by this journal editorial board member Oliver Pesch, readers were asked, "Many libraries have gone to federated searching to win users back from Google. Is it working?" Respondents approached the…

Information retrieval in the context of virtual universities deals with the representation, organization, and access to learning objects. The representation and organization of learning objects should provide the learner with an easy access to the learning objects. In this article, we give an overview of the ONES system, and analyze the relevance…