| Writing for the Web: A Primer for Librarians |
Recent studies have shown that users have difficulty in
finding the resources they are seeking. Using log file
analysis, Catledge and Pitkow found that users typically do not
know the location of the documents and used various methods
to navigate the Internet, with the use of hyperlinks being the most popular.
They also found that users rarely cross more than two layers in a
hypertext structure before returning to their entry point. This research indicates the need to provide user
centered search and navigation tools that help customers locate quality
information. An essential part of effective access is the ability
to provide an index of items in order to save users time and network overload.
Metadata can help accomplish this goal. Metadata is simply information about information.
It is the labeling, cataloging and descriptive information structured
in such a way that allows Web pages to be properly searched and processed
by computer. The
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative is an international and interdisciplinary
effort to define a core set of elements for resource discovery.
The Core consists of thirteen "meta tag" fields which can be included
within a document. These tags were intended to support author-generated
description of Web resources, but is now seen as an economical alternative
to description models such as MARC cataloging. The Resource Description Framework (RDF)
is a specification currently under development and will allow the library
community to define the metadata property set that best serves its needs.
Example applications include sitemaps, content ratings, stream channel
definitions, search engine data collection (web crawling), and digital
library collections. Try
out RDF. (Java needs to be enabled on the browser for full visualization
effect.) For More Information: | |
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