XML - Because one size doesn't fit all.

I have always thought of myself as a consumer of technology not a creator. While the idea of creating websites was an interesting concept, I didn’t really see the value of learning HTML when there are programs that basically do it all for you without dealing with the technical language. In addition I would have to learn all the tags used to describe the structure of the information, which was initially like learning another language. After enough exposure to HTML I had a tourist’s understanding of the language, knowing enough to not offend but not enough to comprehend. I am one of those for whom all computer languages might as well be Greek. During my undergraduate work, I took a computer programming class to fulfill a technology requirement. It was the only class I ever got a ‘D’ in. After that, I avoided any sort of computer languages.

When the buzz about XML started, I figured the X stood for eXtremely difficult, but I soon learned that XML is more user-friendly and widespread in its applications. The great thing about XML is that it is not a programming language, it’s a markup language. A markup language is descriptive while a programming language is for commands. It can be used for website design but the information can also cross over to word documents, spreadsheets and more.

The mark-up tags in XML are user-defined which is what makes it much easier to use and understand. Still there are rules that must be followed in order for the information to be processed correctly. There are two levels of correctness of an XML document:

Well-formed-
A well-formed document conforms to all of XML's syntax rules. or example, if an element has an opening tag with no closing tag and is not self-losing, it is not well-formed. A document that is not well-formed is not considered to be XML; a conforming parser is not allowed to process it. (Wikipedia)

A well-formed XML document follows general tagging rules:
–All tags begin and end but can be minimized if empty:
instead of


–All tags are lowercase
–All tags are properly nested:
• Mark Twain
–All attribute values are quoted:
•Music
•Has identification & declaration tags
Using XML software can make sure a document follows these rules. (Tennent)

Valid-
A valid document additionally conforms to some semantic rules. These rules are either user-defined, or included as an XML schema. For example, if a document contains an undefined tag, then it is not valid; a validating parser is not allowed to process it. (Wikipedia)

While this may be common sense to some, those like me who are apprehensive about using any type of computer language, knowing the rules helps to structure one’s understanding of what is necessary to be successful. As long as these basics are covered so that the information can be processed, the rest is up to the user. What makes XML great for crossing formats does not make it readily readable on the web. Stylesheets need to be created to tell the computer how the information is displayed on the screen, but this can be done once and applied to all the pages on a website.

By being able to create one’s own tags, the user can organize the information in a way that makes sense to the community in which s/he works. As a librarian, there are specific things that I would look for to organize collections, such as author, title, genre, format, and ISBNs. Using XML I can create tags that will be used when I search for that information. I can identify IOs as books, periodicals, articles, or media and digital items. For example: (Brackets were used so the information wouldn't mess with the blog's HTML.

 [blog]
 [title] XML: Because one size doesn’t fit all.[/title]
 [publisher]Professor Glogoff[/publisher]
 [format]digital[/format]
 [/blog]
This example applies for my work environment while for a salesperson, different tags such as customer name, order number, and price might be used to identify the content information for records and reports. It can be customized for those who are reading and interacting with the data.

Other helpful information can also be put inside the tags to identify relationships between the elements provided.
The Maltese Falcon
This tells me the book is The Maltese Falcon and it is located in the Sam Spade Mystery Museum. This would be helpful for interlibrary loans to locate items not in my library’s inventory. XML documents are not specific to any particular platform or programming language, which allows them to be used by anyone on any computer, without any complications like transferring data from a Mac to a PC. You need only use different pieces of software that can read XML and can provide the information for a particular format or device.

“Case studies of XML never fail to mention new and exciting possibilities where XML adds value to existing environments — or solves previously intractable problems. That’s probably why XML applications are widely used for everything from displaying chemical formulas to setting up a family tree.” (Tittel 14)

As the languages evolve and are refined, the applications increase, making it easier for more and more people to create the information specific to their needs and share it with others in their work communities.

Sources:

Extensible Markup Language (XML). World Wide Web Consortium. (2007). Retrieved October
1, 2007, from http://www.w3.org/XML/.
Tennant, R. XML for Libraries. Retrieved October 2, 2007 from
http://www.cdlib.org/inside/news/presentations/rtennant/2002cil/xml/XMLintro.htm
Tittel, E., Mikula, N., & Chandak, R. (2005). XML for Dummies. Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc.
XML. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML.


Other helpful information can also be put inside the tags to identify relationships between the elements provided.
The Maltese Falcon
This tells me the book is The Maltese Falcon and it is located in the Sam Spade Mystery Museum. This would be helpful for interlibrary loans to locate items not in my library’s inventory. XML documents are not specific to any particular platform or programming language, which allows them to be used by anyone on any computer, without any complications like transferring data from a Mac to a PC. You need only use different pieces of software that can read XML and can provide the information for a particular format or device.

“Case studies of XML never fail to mention new and exciting possibilities where XML adds value to existing environments — or solves previously intractable problems. That’s probably why XML applications are widely used for everything from displaying chemical formulas to setting up a family tree.” (Tittel 14)

As the languages evolve and are refined, the applications increase, making it easier for more and more people to create the information specific to their needs and share it with others in their work communities.

Sources:

Extensible Markup Language (XML). World Wide Web Consortium. (2007). Retrieved October
1, 2007, from http://www.w3.org/XML/.
Tennant, R. XML for Libraries. Retrieved October 2, 2007 from
http://www.cdlib.org/inside/news/presentations/rtennant/2002cil/xml/XMLintro.htm
Tittel, E., Mikula, N., & Chandak, R. (2005). XML for Dummies. Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc.
XML. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML.

More on Digitization

Working as a student employee in a special collection library, I remember being amazed at the hidden treasures that were in the stacks. As I became familiar with the collections I learned that the metadata could be accessed on the university library website, but the link was as hidden as the resources (and essentially the location) of the special collections. Some of the collections however, were still accessed by large binders of finding aids in print form. Specialized collections, when not restricted by copyright or privacy issues, benefit from being digitized and made available to a broader audience. The originals see less wear and tear, and the user group becomes much larger as materials become more accessible. The November 28, 2007 Digitizationblog entry highlights the RLG Programs Descriptive Metadata Practices Survey Results. Beyond the need to get the information digitized, one item I realized that hadn’t given enough thought to was “the disconnect between libraries’ interest in creating metadata to serve their primary audiences and the inability to serve that audience within the most commonly used discovery systems (such as Google, Yahoo, etc.)” (Smith-Yoshimura 4). When institutions create their own specialized metadata instead of using a more standardized format that can be accessed with web crawlers then, even if the material is digitized, they have still limited their audience, and their own effectiveness of being an information resource. The Cornell Tutorial states that the “goal of digital preservation is to maintain the ability to display, retrieve, and use digital collections in the face of rapidly changing technological and organizational infrastructures and elements.”