Work Package 1 of Telematics for Libraries project BIBLINK (LB 4034)
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Three SGML metadata formats: TEI, EAD, and CIMI
Work Package 1 of Telematics for Libraries project BIBLINK (LB 4034) |
Title page Table of Contents |
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is a well-established international standard (ISO 8879:1986) for the description of mark-up languages. By mark-up language we mean here the formal system by which information or encoding is added to the electronic form of a document in order to represent its meaning, and hence to control its processing. Word-processors typically embed such information within a file using special proprietary control codes; database systems typically store such information externally in the form of a database schema. SGML allows for markup languages to be defined in a way which is independent of any particular device or application and thus allows for the interchange and long term conservation of richly structured electronic resources.
In this report, we consider one particular type of structured electronic document: the detailed bibliographic description, or finding aid. Such documents differ from most ordinary bibliographic records in their length and complexity, while at the same time differing from most ordinary textual documents in their highly structured nature. As such, they are particularly suited to an SGML-style encoding, since few other formats allow one to combine the rigour of a structured data record with the flexibility of a textual description.
We consider three specific sets of proposals for the use of SGML in the encoding of the kinds of metadata which are likely to be included in national bibliographies:
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