Introduction to XML

I worked through the entire “basic” section of the W3Schools web tutorials. I thought the tutorials and examples were very clear. I would still like to go through the UACBT tutorials, as I really enjoy these and I like the narrator’s clear and informal presentation. However working 50 + hours a week I’m having a difficult time making it through every single reading, and I thought the W3Schools tutorial very clear. I like the straightforward examples directly under each point made throughout the tutorials, and thought the tutorial made the differences between elements and attributes very clear. I love the fact that XML tags, which are not predefined, allow for a great deal of flexibility. Although with this flexibility is the issue of standardization of metadata.

My XML document included some photographs from my trip to Washington D.C. last week. I linked my photographs according to Professor Fulton’s instructions in one of this week’s activity responses. I didn’t see any errors when opening my XML document with a browser (after some troubleshooting the first time around), so hopefully all went well. I added CSS at the top, but I didn’t see any difference in the form of the document, so hopefully this is something we will go into greater detail later on.

I don't have an MLIS, and my primary jobs at the library are in library services and exhibits, so I'm really trying to absorb the sections on Metadata, especially MARC, Dublin core, MODS & METS, and I'm looking forward to learning more about how XML create interoperability and flexibility across different metadata schemes.