ROADS Progress Report from UKOLN
ROADS Progress Report from UKOLN | |
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For ROADS Executive Meeting, UKOLN: The UK Office for Library and Information Networking, University of Bath, 21 January 1999.
Agenda: <URL:http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/roads/exec/next-meet/>
Recent work on ROADS at UKOLN has included the following:
The eLib web site now has embedded XML-RDF/Dublin Core metadata that is dynamically extracted, via an SSI directive, from a ROADS database. A Perl script converts between a basic Dublin Core ROADS template type and XML-RDF (or optionally HTML meta tags or viewable HTML). The ROADS database was initially populated using Perl scripts based on the metadata extraction capabilities of DC-dot. Maintenance of existing metadata and creation of new metadata is achieved via a 'personal toolbar button' on the web editor's browser. The web editor goes to the appropriate eLib web page and clicks on this button to enter the ROADS template editor with the appropriate (existing or newly generated) template open for editing. A HOW-TO document describing this work is currently in progress and the Perl scripts and Dublin Core template type developed during this work will be made available.
<URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/>
An LDAP server (OpenLDAP) has been installed at UKOLN in readiness for future Whois++/LDAP interworking development work. It will be configured for DC support and populated with some sample data.
A draft copy of the "ROADS Interoperability Guidelines" has been made available. This document looks at a variety of issues relating to interoperability in a ROADS context, including metadata format mappings/crosswalks, the role of the Whois++ protocol within the ROADS software toolkit and ROADS's interaction with the Z39.50 protocol. The core of the document consists of an introduction to ROADS templates together with an overview of the ROADS Template Registry, the ROADS Cataloguing Guidelines and work carried out on the evaluation of template usage (RECCI).
<URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/roads/interoperability-guidelines/>
We have contacted all ANR ROADS users and the more established non-ANR users with a request for them to provide template usage statistics. This involves the administrator running a script and sending a copy of the results to UKOLN. Unfortunately (so far) we have had limited response. This may be due to lack of time, but in one case (SOSIG) the service has expressed concern at handing such information to UKOLN given its closeness to RDNC. It may be that this is the reason for lack of response from other services.
AP and RH participated in the "Sixth Dublin Core Metadata Workshop" (DC-6) held at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., on 2-4 November 1998. <URL:http://www.oclc.org:5046/conferences/dc6/>
MD gave a presentation on European metadata challenges (including a brief overview of ROADS) at a symposium entitled "Metadiversity - A Call to Action" held at Natural Bridge, Virgina on 9-12 November 1998. Slides from the presentation are available at: <URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/presentations/metadiversity/>
MD's account of the symposium can be found at: <http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue18/metadiversity/>
On 17 November 1998, RH gave a lecture on "Metadata and resource discovery" for the University of Bristol MSc in Library and Information Management course: "Advanced Information Systems: Towards the Digital Library". Slides at: <URL:http://hosted.ukoln.ac.uk/msc/1998/week12/ppt/>
MD participated in and gave a brief presentation on "Developing interoperability and collection strategies for ROADS gateways" at the "ROADS Newbies Workshop" held in Leeds on the 25 November 1998. Slides available from: <URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/presentations/roads-newbies/>
MD gave presentations on metadata developments at a joint Library Association Cataloguing and Indexing Group and UKOLN seminar held at OCLC Europe (Birmingham) on the 7 December 1998 and at a CIRCE Workshop held at Birmingham Council House on the 15 January 1999. Slides are linked to the following: <URL:http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/presentations/>
Ann Chapman, Michael Day and Debra Hiom, Metadata: Cataloguing practice and Internet subject-based information gateways. Ariadne (Web Version), Issue 18, December 1998. <URL:http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue18/metadata/>
Maintained by: Michael Day, UKOLN.
Last updated: 19-Jan-1997